Deuteronomy 10:20
in Deuteronomy 10You are to fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; him shalt thou serve; and to him shalt thou cleave, and by his name shalt thou swear.
KJV
Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 10
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.
This site's exposition
Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God
on Deuteronomy 10:20-21
Four things are asked, to fear, to serve, to cleave and to swear, and three of them were already given in these words at 6:13. Cleave is the addition, the verb used of a man and his wife at Genesis 2:24, so the tie asked of Israel is put in the language of a bond that holds. He is thy praise sets the praise on God rather than on the people who give it, and the evidence offered is what thine eyes have seen rather than what the fathers reported.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
); so give him the honour of his omniscience, his sovereignty, his justice, as well as of his necessary existence. Swear by his name, and not by the name of any creature, or false god, whenever an oath for confirmation is called for.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Having chosen him for our God, we must faithfully and constantly abide with him and never forsake him. Cleave to him as one we love and delight in, trust and confide in, and from whom we have great expectations. We are here taught our duty to our neighbour (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God,.... Which includes the whole worship of him, external and internal: him shalt thou serve; heartily and sincerely, according to his revealed will, and him only: and to him shall thou cleave; and not turn aside to follow other gods, and worship them: and swear by his name; and his only, whenever it is necessary to take an oath, which should not be done rashly or on trivial accounts; and never by any creature, but by the living God; see Deu 6:13.
We must adore his majesty, acknowledge his authority, stand in awe of his power, and dread his wrath. This is gospel duty, Rev. xiv. (2.) We must love him, be well pleased that he is, desire that he may be ours, and delight in the contemplation of him and in communion with him.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְהוָ֧ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| תִּירָ֖א | tira' | you will fear | H3372 → | 315 times |
| אֹת֣וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| תַעֲבֹ֑ד | taavod | you will serve | H5647 → | 288 times |
| וּב֣וֹ | uvo | and to him | ||
| תִדְבָּ֔ק | tidbak | you will cleave | H1692 → | 54 times |
| וּבִשְׁמ֖וֹ | uvishmo | and in name his | H8034 → | 864 times |
| תִּשָּׁבֵֽעַ׃ | tishavea' | you will swear oaths | H7650 → | 186 times |
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יְהוָ֧הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
תִּירָ֖אyou will fear
tira'H3372 →315 times
אֹת֣וֹ<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
תַעֲבֹ֑דyou will serve
taavodH5647 →288 times
וּב֣וֹand to him
uvo
תִדְבָּ֔קyou will cleave
tidbakH1692 →54 times
וּבִשְׁמ֖וֹand in name his
uvishmoH8034 →864 times
תִּשָּׁבֵֽעַ׃you will swear oaths
tishavea'H7650 →186 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 4:10“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 6:13–14
Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
- Luke 4:8
But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Joshua 24:14
Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 7:3
Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts…
- James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- Deuteronomy 6:13–14
Through
Luke 4:8But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
it leads to
- Matthew 4:10
“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 6:13
Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
- Matthew 4:10
Through
Deuteronomy 13:4You are to follow the LORD your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice; serve Him and hold fast to Him.
it leads to
- Colossians 1:10
so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
- Colossians 1:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.