Deuteronomy 6:3

Deu 6:3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do [it]; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

Ver. 3. That it may be well with thee.] Respect may be had to the recompense of reward. We may make it our scope, our aim, {σκοπουντων, 2Co 4:18} though not our highest aim; Moses cast an eye when he was on his journey, {απεβλεπε, Heb 11:26} he stole a look from glory, and got fresh encouragement.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6:3 The milk and honey abundant in Canaan represented both agriculture and forage. Compared to the desert fare, Canaan’s food was sumptuous indeed (see Exod 3:8, 17).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Which hath abundance of all things appertaining to man’s life.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 3. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it] Literally, Ye shall hear, O Israel, and thou shalt keep to do them.

1. God is to be heard; no obligation without law to found it on, and no law in religion but from God.

2. The commandment must be understood in order to be obeyed.

3. It must be observed - attentively considered, in order to be understood. And,

4. It must be performed, that the end for which it was given may be accomplished, viz., that GOD may be glorified, and that it may be well with the people.

What is here spoken applies powerfully to every part of the moral law; God has given IT as a rule of life, therefore obedience to it is indispensably necessary, not to the purchase of salvation, for no human merit can ever extend to that, but it is the way by which both the justice and mercy of God choose to conduct men to heaven. But let it be fully understood that no man can walk in the way of obedience but by and under the influence of the grace of God.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(3) That ye may increase mightily . . . in the land.—The position of Israel in the land, and their continuance therein, depended entirely on their fulfilment of the purpose for which they were brought there—the observance of the Law of Jehovah, as it applied to their peculiar situation.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. observe to do] See on Deu_5:1.

that ye may increase mightily] A partial return to the Pl., and, with such a verb, logical and natural. The phrase is not found elsewhere. This therefore may not be a mere editorial echo. But the idea of the multiplication of the people as a Divine blessing is constant in Deut. as in other O.T. writings. In their world of war all Semitic tribes naturally prayed for large numbers. Cf. Doughty on the Arabs: ‘the soul of them is greedy first of their proper subsistence and then of their proper increase.’

the God of thy fathers] Deu_1:21, Deu_12:1, Deu_27:3; of your f., Deu_1:11, Deu_4:1, cp. Deu_29:25. So E, Exo_3:15 and J, Exo_3:16.

unto thee … a land, etc.] The construction is defective: in supplied by R.V. is not in the Heb. LXX adds to give thee, which affords a good connection and is probably original; as the eye of a Heb. scribe may easily have confused the first and second thee’s.

a land flowing with milk and honey] found in J and E and in both the Sg. and Pl. passages of Deut. For a list of the instances, and the meaning of the phrase, see on Exo_3:8. ‘Only where rich wells or running water produce sufficient pasture for the whole year, is it possible always to get fresh milk; and therefore the desert-dweller dreams of such regions in which water and in consequence milk always flows.’ ‘On long marches mothers comfort their weeping children thus: I will give you milk and honey’ (Musil, Ethn. Ber. 154, 158).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it,.... Or them, the commandments given them:

that it may be well with thee; in body and estate:

and that ye may increase mightily; not only in wealth and riches, but chiefly in numbers:

as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee; a promise of increase of numbers was frequently made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; as that their seed should be as the stars of heaven, and as the dust of the earth, and the sand on the sea shore, innumerable; see Gen 15:5 and this especially

in the land that floweth with milk and honey; a very common periphrasis of the land of Canaan, because of the plenty of good things in it; see Exo 3:8.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

In the land - Better: According as the Lord the God of thy fathers promised thee a land flowing with milk and honey.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Hear. The Jews have a particular respect for the seven following verses, which they write on vellum, and recite every day, as a preservative against the devil. (Clarius.) --- To do. It will not suffice to hear nor to learn the law, we must also put it in execution, chap. v. 1. (Worthington)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

3. Promised thee, in the land — As there is no preposition before the word translated land the passage is better read: “For Jehovah, God of thy fathers, promised thee a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

God had promised from the first to the patriarchs that he would make of their posterity a great nation. (Gen_12:1 Gen_17:6 Gen_18:18) But the fulfillment of this promise was conditioned by their continuing as a people in the fear of God, and in obedience to his Law. Everything, then, depended on their hearing what Moses had been commanded to teach them, and observing to do it (cf. Lev_26:9, etc.) In the land, etc. This is to be connected with the clause, "that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily;" the land was to be the scene and sphere of their prosperity and increase. Some would render thus: "As the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee a laud," etc., i.e. a place in which thou mayest prosper and increase; the other, however, is the more natural construction and rendering. There is, indeed, no preposition before "the land" in the Hebrew; but nothing is more common in that language than for the accusative of a noun to be used adverbially to describe the place where anything is done. Milk and honey; emblem of fruitfulness and sweetness; (Son_4:11) proverbially descriptive of Canaan, as rich in pasturage for flocks, and abounding in flowers whence the bees could extract honey (cf. Exo_3:8, Exo_3:17)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

Moses continues to tell the people of Israel Yahweh's words as if the Israelites are one person. (See: Forms of You)

listen to them

Here "listen" means to obey, and "them" refers to Yahweh's commandments. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "listen to Yahweh's commandments, statutes, and decrees" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

keep them

"obey them"

a land flowing with milk and honey

This is an idiom. AT: "a land where plenty of milk and honey flow" or "a land that is excellent for cattle and farming" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

Israel

honey

Yahweh

God

ancestor

promise

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

AND THOU SHALT OBSERVE TO DO IT ‘ASHER YITAV LECHA’ (WHICH WILL BE WELL WITH THEE). He is thus commanding you that you should take care to do what will benefit you. “A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY. Although removed from it, this phrase is connected with the expression to possess it [at the end of Verse 1]. Or it may be that the expression [a Land flowing …] lacks the letter beth, [making it equivalent to ba’aretz — ‘in the Land’ flowing with milk and honey, and thus it is not necessary to say that the phrase a Land flowing … refers to Verse 1; instead, the verse before us enjoins Israel to observe the commandments in the Land] just as in the verse, that was found ‘beith’ (House of) the Eternal [which lacks a beth, making it b’veith — ‘in the House of’ the Eternal].” This is the language of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. And if so, there is also lacking in the phrase and that ye might increase mightily the word bo (“in it”) [so that its meaning would be “and that ye might increase mightily ‘in it,’” that is, in the Land flowing with milk and honey]; or [the missing part may be the word] ba’avuro (“because of it”). But there is no need [to interpret the verse as if letters and words were missing]. For [the word l’ma’an (so that) from the phrase in the preceding Verse 2] and ‘so that’ thy days be prolonged, should be drawn here [to Verse 3], and its meaning is as follows: “‘so that’ it may be well with thee.” Or it may be that the word asher (which) [‘asher’ yitav lecha] itself serves the same purpose [meaning “so that” or “because of”], as in the verse, And he removed her from being queen ‘asher’ she had made an abominable image which means “‘because of’ her having made an abominable image.” Similarly, ‘ba’asher’ thou art his wife means “‘because of’ your being his wife.” And so also Scripture states, which I command thee this day ‘asher’ (so that) it may go well with thee etc., and so that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the Land. And the purport of the verse [here] is as follows: “Hear, therefore, O Israel, and take care to do it so that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Eternal the G-d of thy fathers hath promised to give unto thee a Land flowing with milk and honey etc.;” that is to say, in order that He may do good to you when He gives you a good and large Land, as he said further [in Verse 18], so that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good Land. Similarly, and he gave him a house, and said to him victuals, means “promised to give thee.” [means: “and he said to ‘give’ him victuals”].

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.