Deuteronomy 5:29

Complete Jewish Bible

"Therefore you are to be careful to do as Adonai your God has ordered you; you are not to deviate either to the right or the left.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my mitzvot always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!

King James Version
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

Lexham English Bible
If only they had such a mind'; that is, to fear me and to keep all my commandments at all times, so that it will go well for them and for their children forever.

English Standard Version
Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

New Century Version
I wish their hearts would always respect me and that they would always obey my commands so that things would go well for them and their children forever!

New English Translation
If only it would really be their desire to fear me and obey all my commandments in the future, so that it may go well with them and their descendants forever.

Amplified Bible
'Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear [and worship Me with awe-filled reverence and profound respect] and keep all My commandments always, so that it may go well with them and with their children forever!

New American Standard Bible
'If only they had such a heart in them, to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it would go well with them and with their sons forever!

Geneva Bible (1587)
Oh that there were such an heart in them to feare me, & to keepe all my commandements alway: that it might go well with them, and with their children for euer.

Legacy Standard Bible
Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments all the days, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!

Contemporary English Version
I wish they would always worship me with fear and trembling and be this willing to obey me! Then they and their children would always enjoy a successful life.

Darby Translation
Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments continually, that it might be well with them and with their sons for ever!

Easy-to-Read Version
I only wanted to change their way of thinking—I wanted them to respect me and obey all my commands from the heart. Then everything would be fine with them and with their descendants forever.

George Lamsa Translation
O that there were such a heart in them, to worship, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children for ever!

Good News Translation
If only they would always feel this way! If only they would always honor me and obey all my commands, so that everything would go well with them and their descendants forever.

Christian Standard Bible®
If only they had such a heart to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that they and their children would prosper forever.

Literal Translation
Would that this heart of theirs would be like this always, to fear Me, and to keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them, and with their sons forever.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But who shal geue them soch an herte, yt they maye feare me, & kepe all my comaundementes as longe as they lyue, yt it maye go well with them, and with their childre for euer?

American Standard Version
Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

Bible in Basic English
If only they had such a heart in them at all times, so that they might go in fear of me and keep my orders and that it might be well for them and for their children for ever!

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Oh that there were such an heart in them that they woulde feare me, & kepe all my comaundementes alway, that it myght go well with them, and with their childen for euer?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Ye shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

King James Version (1611)
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would feare me, and keepe my commandements alwayes, that it might bee well with them, and with their children for euer.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
O that there were such a heart in them, that they should fear me and keep my commands always, that it might be well with them and with their sons for ever.

English Revised Version
Oh that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

Berean Standard Bible
If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Who schal yyue `that thei haue siche soule, that thei drede me, and kepe alle my comaundementis in al tyme, that it be wel to hem and to the sones `of hem, with outen ende?

Young's Literal Translation
O that their heart had been thus to them, to fear Me, and to keep My commands all the days, that it may be well with them, and with their sons -- to the age!

Update Bible Version
Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their sons forever!

Webster's Bible Translation
O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

World English Bible
Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!

New King James Version
Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!

New Living Translation
Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever.

New Life Bible
If only they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and live by all My Laws always! Then it would go well with them and with their children forever.

New Revised Standard
If only they had such a mind as this, to fear me and to keep all my commandments always, so that it might go well with them and with their children forever!

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Oh that this their heart might remain in them to revere me, and to keep all my commandments all the days, - that it might he well with them and with their sons unto times age-abiding.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who shall give them to have such a mind, to fear me, and to keep all my commandments at all times, that it may be well with them and with their children for ever?

Revised Standard Version
Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their children for ever!

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!

Contextual Overview

²³ For who is there of all humanity that has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the fire, as we have, and stayed alive? ²⁴ You, go near; and hear everything Adonai our God says. Then you will tell us everything Adonai our God says to you; and we will listen to it and do it.' ²⁵ " Adonai heard what you were saying when you spoke to me, and Adonai said to me, ‘I have heard what this people has said when speaking to you, and everything they have said is good. ²⁶ Oh, how I wish their hearts would stay like this always, that they would fear me and obey all my mitzvot; so that it would go well with them and their children forever. ²⁷ Go, tell them to return to their tents. ²⁸ But you, stand here by me; and I will tell you all the mitzvot, laws and rulings which you are to teach them, so that they can obey them in the land I am giving them as their possession.' ²⁹ "Therefore you are to be careful to do as Adonai your God has ordered you; you are not to deviate either to the right or the left. ³⁰ You are to follow the entire way which Adonai your God has ordered you; so that you will live, things will go well with you, and you will live long in the land you are about to possess. ³¹ (A: iv, S: iii) Then Moshe called to all Isra'el and said to them, "Listen, Isra'el, to the laws and rulings which I am announcing in your hearing today, so that you will learn them and take care to obey them. Adonai our God made a covenant with us at Horev. Adonai did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us — with us, who are all of us here alive today. Adonai spoke with you face to face from the fire on the mountain. At that time I stood between Adonai and you in order to tell you what Adonai was saying; because, on account of the fire, you were afraid and wouldn't go up onto the mountain. He said, א "‘I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves. ב "‘You are to have no other gods before me. You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline — you are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents, also the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot. ג "‘You are not to misuse the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who misuses his name. ד "‘Observe the day of Shabbat, to set it apart as holy, as Adonai your God ordered you to do. You have six days to labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your ox, your donkey or any of your other livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property — so that your male and female servants can rest just as you do. You are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Adonai your God brought you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore Adonai your God has ordered you to keep the day of Shabbat. ה "‘Honor your father and mother, as Adonai your God ordered you to do, so that you will live long and have things go well with you in the land Adonai your God is giving you. ו "‘Do not murder. ז "‘Do not commit adultery. ח "‘Do not steal. ט "‘Do not give false evidence against your neighbor. י "‘Do not covet your neighbor's wife; do not covet your neighbor's house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.' (A: v, S: iv) "These words Adonai spoke to your entire gathering at the mountain from fire, cloud and thick mist, in a loud voice; then it ceased. But he wrote them on two stone tablets, which he gave to me. When you heard the voice coming out of the darkness, as the mountain blazed with fire, you came to me, all the heads of your tribes and your leaders, and said, ‘Here, Adonai our God has shown us his glory and his greatness! We have heard his voice coming from the fire, and we have seen today that God does speak with human beings, and they stay alive. But why should we keep risking death? This great fire will consume us! If we hear the voice of Adonai our God any more, we will die! For who is there of all humanity that has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the fire, as we have, and stayed alive? You, go near; and hear everything Adonai our God says. Then you will tell us everything Adonai our God says to you; and we will listen to it and do it.' " Adonai heard what you were saying when you spoke to me, and Adonai said to me, ‘I have heard what this people has said when speaking to you, and everything they have said is good. Oh, how I wish their hearts would stay like this always, that they would fear me and obey all my mitzvot; so that it would go well with them and their children forever. Go, tell them to return to their tents. But you, stand here by me; and I will tell you all the mitzvot, laws and rulings which you are to teach them, so that they can obey them in the land I am giving them as their possession.' "Therefore you are to be careful to do as Adonai your God has ordered you; you are not to deviate either to the right or the left. You are to follow the entire way which Adonai your God has ordered you; so that you will live, things will go well with you, and you will live long in the land you are about to possess. ³² (A: iv, S: iii) Then Moshe called to all Isra'el and said to them, "Listen, Isra'el, to the laws and rulings which I am announcing in your hearing today, so that you will learn them and take care to obey them. Adonai our God made a covenant with us at Horev. Adonai did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us — with us, who are all of us here alive today. Adonai spoke with you face to face from the fire on the mountain. At that time I stood between Adonai and you in order to tell you what Adonai was saying; because, on account of the fire, you were afraid and wouldn't go up onto the mountain. He said, א "‘I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves. ב "‘You are to have no other gods before me. You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline — you are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents, also the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot. ג "‘You are not to misuse the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who misuses his name. ד "‘Observe the day of Shabbat, to set it apart as holy, as Adonai your God ordered you to do. You have six days to labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your ox, your donkey or any of your other livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property — so that your male and female servants can rest just as you do. You are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Adonai your God brought you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore Adonai your God has ordered you to keep the day of Shabbat. ה "‘Honor your father and mother, as Adonai your God ordered you to do, so that you will live long and have things go well with you in the land Adonai your God is giving you. ו "‘Do not murder. ז "‘Do not commit adultery. ח "‘Do not steal. ט "‘Do not give false evidence against your neighbor. י "‘Do not covet your neighbor's wife; do not covet your neighbor's house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.' (A: v, S: iv) "These words Adonai spoke to your entire gathering at the mountain from fire, cloud and thick mist, in a loud voice; then it ceased. But he wrote them on two stone tablets, which he gave to me. When you heard the voice coming out of the darkness, as the mountain blazed with fire, you came to me, all the heads of your tribes and your leaders, and said, ‘Here, Adonai our God has shown us his glory and his greatness! We have heard his voice coming from the fire, and we have seen today that God does speak with human beings, and they stay alive. But why should we keep risking death? This great fire will consume us! If we hear the voice of Adonai our God any more, we will die! For who is there of all humanity that has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the fire, as we have, and stayed alive? You, go near; and hear everything Adonai our God says. Then you will tell us everything Adonai our God says to you; and we will listen to it and do it.' " Adonai heard what you were saying when you spoke to me, and Adonai said to me, ‘I have heard what this people has said when speaking to you, and everything they have said is good. Oh, how I wish their hearts would stay like this always, that they would fear me and obey all my mitzvot; so that it would go well with them and their children forever. Go, tell them to return to their tents. But you, stand here by me; and I will tell you all the mitzvot, laws and rulings which you are to teach them, so that they can obey them in the land I am giving them as their possession.' "Therefore you are to be careful to do as Adonai your God has ordered you; you are not to deviate either to the right or the left. You are to follow the entire way which Adonai your God has ordered you; so that you will live, things will go well with you, and you will live long in the land you are about to possess.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The language of the original is emphatic: Mee yittain wehayah levavom zeh lahem, literally, "Who will give that there may be such a heart in them?" They refuse to receive such a heart from me, who then can supply it?

O that there: Deuteronomy 32:29, Deuteronomy 32:30, Psalms 81:13-15, Isaiah 48:18, Jeremiah 44:4, Ezekiel 33:31, Ezekiel 33:32, Matthew 23:37, Luke 19:42, 2 Corinthians 5:20, 2 Corinthians 6:1, Hebrews 12:25

keep all: Deuteronomy 11:1, Psalms 106:3, Psalms 119:1-5, Luke 11:28, John 15:14, Revelation 22:14

that it might: Deuteronomy 5:16, Deuteronomy 4:40, Deuteronomy 6:3, Deuteronomy 6:18, Deuteronomy 12:25, Deuteronomy 12:28, Deuteronomy 19:13, Deuteronomy 22:7, Ruth 3:1, Psalms 19:11, Isaiah 3:10, Jeremiah 22:14, Jeremiah 22:15, Ephesians 6:3, James 1:25

Reciprocal: Genesis 6:6 - grieved Exodus 20:6 - showing Deuteronomy 4:10 - fear me Deuteronomy 5:33 - well Deuteronomy 6:13 - fear Joshua 1:8 - observe Joshua 24:24 - General 2 Kings 21:8 - only if they 2 Chronicles 12:14 - to seek Nehemiah 9:16 - hearkened Psalms 78:7 - keep Psalms 78:36 - Nevertheless Psalms 107:8 - Oh that men Psalms 119:4 - General Proverbs 17:16 - seeing Isaiah 58:2 - they seek Jeremiah 7:23 - Obey Jeremiah 11:7 - in the Jeremiah 32:39 - for the Jeremiah 36:3 - may be Jeremiah 42:3 - General Jeremiah 42:6 - that it Ezekiel 12:3 - it may Luke 13:34 - how Revelation 3:15 - I would

Cross-References

Genesis 5:8
In all, Shet lived 912 years; then he died.

Genesis 5:9
Enosh lived ninety years and fathered Kenan.

Genesis 5:11
In all, Enosh lived 905 years; then he died.

Genesis 5:12
Kenan lived seventy years and fathered Mahalal'el.

Genesis 5:17
In all, Mahalal'el lived 895 years; then he died.

Genesis 5:19
After Hanokh was born, Yered lived 800 years and had sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:26
After Lemekh was born, Metushelach lived 782 years and had sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:27
In all, Metushelach lived 969 years; then he died.

Genesis 7:23
He wiped out every living thing on the surface of the ground — not only human beings, but livestock, creeping animals and birds in the air. They were wiped out from the earth; only Noach was left, along with those who were with him in the ark.

Genesis 9:24
When Noach awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

O that there were such an heart in them,.... Not that there is properly speaking such volitions and wishes in God; but, as Aben Ezra observes, the Scripture speaks after the language of the children of men; and may be considered as upbraiding them with want of such an heart, and with weakness to do what they had promised; and, at most, as approving of those things they spoke of as grateful to him, and profitable to them: the words may be rendered, "who will give l that they had such an heart"; not to me, but to them, as Aben Ezra notes; they cannot give it to themselves, nor can any creature give it to them; none but God can, and therefore they ought to have prayed to him to give them an heart to hearken and do; agreeably to which is the Arabic version,

"it is to be wished by them, that such an heart would continue with them;''

which they by their language signified was in them: that they would fear me; which is not naturally in the heart of man, is a gift of God, a part of the covenant of grace, is implanted in regeneration, and is no inconsiderable branch of it; it is opposed to pride, and is consistent with faith and joy, and is increased by views of the grace and goodness of God, and is a distinguishing character of a good man:

and keep all my commandments always; not only one, but all, and not only at some certain times, but continually; and which are to be kept in faith from a principle of love, with a view to the glory of God, and in the strength of Christ; and to this the fear of God is necessary, for where there is no fear of God, there is no regard to his commandments; but where there is a reverential fear of God, there are faith, hope, love, and every other grace; yea, the Spirit, the author of all, who is in the saints, to enable them to walk in the statutes of the Lord, and to keep his judgments and do them; and such keep the commandments of God, not from a slavish fear, but from a sense of divine goodness:

that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever; for the fear of God, and the keeping of his commandments, issue in the good of men, in their own good, their inward peace, and spiritual welfare; in the good of others, their neighbours, servants, and children, by way of example and instruction; and even in the public peace and prosperity of a nation in which they dwell: not that these things are meritorious of eternal life, but are what are approved of by the Lord, and are grateful to him; which is the chief view in the expression of the text.

l מי יתן "quis det", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius; "quis dabit", Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

These verses contain a much fuller narrative of the events briefly described in Exodus 20:18-21. Here it is important to call attention to the fact that it was on the entreaties of the people that Moses had taken on him to be the channel of communication between God and them. God approved Deuteronomy 5:28 the request of the people, because it showed a feeling of their own unworthiness to enter into direct communion with God. The terrors of Sinai had done their work; they had awakened the consciousness of sin.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 5:29. O that there were such a heart in them — Or rather, מי יתן והיה לבבם זה mi yitten vehayah lebabam zeh, Who will give such a heart to them, that they may fear, c. They refuse to receive such a heart from me who then can supply it? If they had not been such perfectly free agents as could either use or abuse their liberty, could God have made the complaint or expressed the earnest desire we find in this verse? He made the human will free; and in spite of all the influence of sin and Satan, he preserves its liberty. Had man no free will, he could neither be punished nor rewarded, because a mere machine, and consequently no more accountable for his actions than the fire for its consuming quality, or the stone for its gravity; the one having burned the house of the righteous, the other having crushed the innocent to death. Deuteronomy 29:4.