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Deuteronomy 31:19

in Deuteronomy 31

Now therefore, write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against them.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

KJV

Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

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This verse in Deuteronomy 31

Commentary

2 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Write ye this song - The song which follows in the next chapter. Things which were of great importance and of common concern were, among the ancients, put into verse, as this was found the best method of keeping them in remembrance, especially in those times when writing was little practiced. Even prose was sometimes sung. The history of Herodotus was divided into Nine books, and each inscribed with the name of one of the Nine Muses, because these books were anciently sung. Homer is reported to have sung his poems through different Greek cities.

This site's exposition

write ye this song for you

on Deuteronomy 31:19-21

The song is commissioned as evidence for a trial that has not opened, and verse 21 says why it will hold, that it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed. Verse 20 names plenty as the occasion of the turning, when they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat, which is the warning of 6:11-12 and 8:11-14 arriving now as a forecast. The song itself is chapter 32, and the New Testament quotes it more often than any other chapter of this book, at Romans 10:19, at Romans 12:19 with Hebrews 10:30, and at Romans 15:10.

The words behind it

20 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וְעַתָּ֗הand therefore

    veatahH6258 →433 times

  • כִּתְב֤וּwrite down

    kitvuH3789 →224 times

  • לָכֶם֙for <the> yourselves

    lakhem

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הַשִּׁירָ֣הthe song

    hashirahH7892 →59 times

  • הַזֹּ֔את<the> this

    hazotH2063 →603 times

  • וְלַמְּדָ֥הּand teach it

    velamedahH3925 →85 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • בְּנֵי־[the] people of

    benei-H1121 →4930 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael

    yisraelH3478 →2507 times

  • שִׂימָ֣הּput it

    simahH7760 →584 times

  • בְּפִיהֶ֑םin mouth their

    befihemH6310 →498 times

  • לְמַ֨עַןso that

    lemaanH4616 →272 times

  • תִּהְיֶה־it may become

    tihyeh-H1961 →3559 times

  • לִּ֜יfor <the> me

    li

  • הַשִּׁירָ֥הthe song

    hashirahH7892 →59 times

  • הַזֹּ֛את<the> this

    hazotH2063 →603 times

  • לְעֵ֖ד<into> a witness

    leedH5707 →70 times

  • בִּבְנֵ֥יon [the] people of

    bivneiH1121 →4930 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Israel

    yisraelH3478 →2507 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Deuteronomy 4:9Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.23 worksHabakkuk 2:2Then the LORD answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it.9 worksIsaiah 30:8Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the days to come, a witness forever and ever.7 worksJeremiah 22:29O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!6 worksDeuteronomy 6:7And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.5 worksDeuteronomy 31:21–22And when many troubles and afflictions have come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants. For I know their inclination, even before I bring them into the land that I swore to give them.”5 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Daniel 2:28But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these:5 worksDeuteronomy 31:26“Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.4 worksDeuteronomy 31:22So that very day Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.4 worksRevelation 1:11saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”4 worksGenesis 31:44Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.”4 worksDeuteronomy 11:19Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.3 worksDeuteronomy 31:30Then Moses recited aloud to the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song from beginning to end:3 worksJohn 12:48There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.3 works2 Samuel 14:3Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.3 worksIsaiah 51:16I have put My words in your mouth, and covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”2 worksMatthew 10:18On My account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.2 worksEzekiel 2:5And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Deuteronomy 6:7

    And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

    it leads to

    • Deuteronomy 11:19

      Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

    • Deuteronomy 4:9–10

      Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as…

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Ephesians 6:4

      Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

    • Psalms 78:4–6

      We will not hide them from their children, but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might, and the wonders He has performed.

    • 1 Peter 3:15

      But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and…

  • Through

    Deuteronomy 11:19

    Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

    it leads to

    • Deuteronomy 6:7

      And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

    • Psalms 34:11

      Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

    • Isaiah 38:19

      The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness.

Where this verse is studied

About Deuteronomy

Moses Comes Down from Mount Sinai, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Moses Comes Down from Mount Sinai, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Deuteronomy: the study guide →Read Deuteronomy 31 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Deuteronomy 31 →