Deuteronomy 4:2

“You shall not add to the word that I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so as to keep the commandments of YHWH your Elohim that I am commanding you.”
Deuteronomy 4:2 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

You shall notלֹאaddתֹסִפוּtoעַלthe wordהַדָּבָרthatאֲשֶׁרIאָנֹכִיam commandingמְצַוֶּהyou,אֶתְכֶםnorוְלֹאtake awayתִגְרְעוּfrom it,מִמֶּנּוּso as to keepלִשְׁמֹרthe commandmentsאֶת מִצְוֺתof YHWHיְהוָהyour ElohimאֱלֹהֵיכֶםthatאֲשֶׁרIאָנֹכִיam commandingמְצַוֶּהyou.אֶתְכֶם

Allusion · Revelation 22:18-19

Go to Revelation 22:18-19

Both texts forbid adding to or taking away from the words: Deuteronomy 4:2, those of the commandment; Revelation 22:18-19, those of this book.

They share words that are rare in the original, without a quotation.

תִגְרְעוּtigruH1639ἀφέλῃaphelēiG851“take away, diminish”
דָּבָרdavarH1697λόγουςlogousG3056“word, matter, thing”

Deuteronomy 4:2, word by word

addתֹסִפוּtosifu

add

To put more on top of what is already there, to make it grow.

Where else “tosifu” appears

the wordדָּבָרdavar

word

What someone says or announces, above all what YHWH says.

Where else “davar” appears

am commandingמְצַוֶּהmetsave

command

To give an order: "as YHWH had commanded".

Where else “metsave” appears

take awayתִגְרְעוּtigru

take away

To subtract something from an amount or a law.

Where else “tigru” appears

so as to keepשְׁמֹרshemor

keep

To obey the covenant or the commands.

Where else “shemor” appears

the commandmentsמִצְוֺתmitsvot

commandment

An order of God that must be kept.

Where else “mitsvot” appears

of YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears

your Elohimאֱלֹהֵיelohe

Elohim

The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.

Where else “elohe” appears

Translation note

The same warning is in Deuteronomy 12:32 and in Revelation 22:18-19.

The context

1And now, Israel, listen to the statutes and to the rules that I am teaching you to carry out, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land that YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, is giving you.

2 · This verse (above)

3Your eyes are the ones that saw what YHWH did at Baal-peor: for every man who went after Baal-peor, YHWH your Elohim destroyed him from your midst.

Read all of Deuteronomy 4

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