Deuteronomy 30:15–20

In its context

Its words in the original

• רְאֵהree· see

  See. Also look, observe, notice, consider; in some forms, "appear" or "show".

• נָתַתִּיnatati· give, put, set

  Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.

• פָנֶיfane· face, presence

  Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".

• יּוֹםyom· day

  Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").

• חַיִּיםchayim· living, animal, life

  Living, alive; also fresh (of water). As a noun, "living thing" or "animal" (above all wild animals); in the plural, "life".

• טּוֹבtov· good

  Good in the widest sense: pleasant, beautiful, useful, right, of good quality. As a noun, "good", "good things", "well-being".

• מָּוֶתmavet· death

  Death; also the realm of the dead, or a deadly plague.

• רָעra· evil, bad, harm

  Bad; evil. It includes what is morally wrong and also what does harm: misfortune, disaster, distress.

• מְצַוְּmetsav· command

  Command, give an order; give charge to someone.

• אַהֲבָהahava· love

  Love, have affection for someone: a parent for a child, a husband for a wife, a friend for a friend, a person for God; also like, desire.

• יְהוָהyehva· 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.

• אֱלֹהֶיelohe· Elohim, God, gods

  The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.

• לֶכֶתlechet· go, walk

  Go, walk, depart; in the causative form, lead or bring.

• דְרָכָיderachay· way

  Way, road, journey. Figuratively, the way one lives or acts.

• שְׁמֹרshemor· keep, guard

  Keep: watch over, guard, protect; also keep a command or a covenant, observe.

• מִצְוֺתָיmitsvotay· commandment

  Commandment: an order given by one in authority; above all, those of God.

• חֻקֹּתָיchukotay· statute

  Statute: a fixed rule, laid down to be kept always.

• מִשְׁפָּטָיmishpatay· justice, judgment

  What is right and the decision that establishes it: the judgment of a judge, someone's right, a rule or ordinance, a custom. "Do righteousness and justice" is to treat each one as is due.

• חָיִיתָchayita· live

  Live, have life; recover. In the causative form, give life, keep alive, revive.

• רָבִיתָravita· multiply, increase

  Become many, increase in number or amount; multiply. In the causative form, make many, do much.

• בֵרַכְverach· bless, kneel

  Bless. When God blesses, he gives good: life, children, fruit, prosperity. When a person "blesses God", he gives him nothing: he praises and thanks him. Between people, it is wishing the other the good that comes from God; also greet. The root also means kneel.

• אָרֶץarets· earth, land

  The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").

• בָאva· come, go in, bring

  Come, arrive, go in, enter. In the causative form, "bring" or "carry in". "Go in to" a woman is to have marital relations with her.

• רִשְׁתָּrishta· possess, drive out

  Take possession of something; inherit. Also take from others what they had: drive out, dispossess.

• יִפְנֶהyifne· turn

  Turn, turn toward something; face, look. In another form of the verb, clear, empty a place.

• לְבָבְlevav· heart

  Heart: the inner part of the person, where one thinks, feels and decides.

• תִשְׁמָעtishma· hear, listen, obey

  Hear, listen. In the Bible listening truly includes paying heed; so it often means "obey". In the causative form, make heard, proclaim.

• נִדַּחְתָּnidachta· drive away, push

  Push or drive away: move someone from his place or his path; also to be led astray or scattered.

• הִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתָhishtachavita· bow down, worship

  Bow down: bend down to the ground. It was the gesture of respect before someone greater (a king, a visitor) and also the gesture of worshiping God.

• אֲחֵרִיםacherim· other

  Other, another; next.

• עֲבַדְתָּavadta· work, serve

  Work; serve. Till the ground, serve a person, or serve God (worship him). In the causative form, make someone serve, enslave.

• הִגַּדְתִּיhigadti· tell, declare

  Tell, make known, report, declare; also explain.

• אָבֹדavod· perish, be lost

  Perish, be ruined, be lost; wander off. In the causative, destroy.

• תַאֲרִיכֻtaarichu· be long, prolong

  Be long, last long; prolong.

• אֲדָמָהadama· ground, land

  The ground, the soil that is tilled; also the territory where people live. In Hebrew "adamah" sounds like "adam", the human being formed from it.

• עֹבֵרover· pass, cross over

  Pass by, pass through, cross over; also go beyond, transgress (a command). In the causative form, make pass, bring across, take away.

• יַּרְדֵּןyarden· Jordan

  Jordan, the main river of the land of Israel; it runs down from the north to the Dead Sea.

• הַעִידֹתִיhaidoti· warn; testify

  Warn solemnly; bear witness, testify. Also call as witness.

• שָּׁמַיִםshamayim· heavens, sky

  The heavens: what is above, where the clouds, the sun and the stars are seen; also the dwelling of God. In Hebrew it is always plural. With birds, "the sky".

• בְּרָכָהberacha· blessing

  Blessing: the good that God gives (life, children, prosperity) and the words with which it is asked for or declared. Also a gift.

• קְּלָלָהkelala· curse

  Curse: words calling down evil on someone; the opposite of a blessing.

• בָחַרְתָּvacharta· choose

  Choose, select.

• זַרְעֶzare· offspring, seed

  Seed. From there "offspring": the children and generations that come from someone. Also sowing and semen.

• קֹלkol· voice, sound

  Voice or sound: what is heard, from a person, an animal or a thing (thunder, steps).

• דָבְקָהdavka· cling

  Cling, stay firmly joined to something or someone. It is also used for faithfulness to God (Deuteronomy 10:20).

• אֹרֶךְorech· length

  Length.

• שֶׁבֶתshevet· sit, dwell

  Sit, sit down; from there stay in a place, live, dwell. In the causative form, settle someone, make to dwell. Also sit as judge or as king.

• נִשְׁבַּעnishba· swear

  Swear: bind oneself solemnly, calling on God as witness; in the causative form, make someone swear. In Hebrew the verb looks like the word "seven".

• אֲבֹתֶיavote· father

  Father; also ancestor ("our fathers"), and the founder or head of a family or group.

• אַבְרָהָםavraham· Abraham

  Abraham, the name God gave to Abram; it sounds like "father of a multitude" (Genesis 17:5). The father of the people of Israel, to whom God promised the land and blessing for all the families of the earth.

• יִצְחָקyitschak· Isaac

  Isaac, the son promised to Abraham and Sarah, father of Esau and Jacob. His name means "he laughs" (Genesis 17:17, 19; 21:6).

• יַעֲקֹבyaakov· Jacob

  Jacob, the younger son of Isaac and Rebekah, twin brother of Esau and father of the twelve tribes. In Hebrew "Yaakov" sounds like "heel" and "supplant" (Genesis 25:26; 27:36). God later gave him the name Israel; the name also stands for his descendants, the people of Israel.