Deuteronomy 4:40
in Deuteronomy 4Keep His statutes and commandments, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And thou shalt keep his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days in the land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, for ever.
KJV
Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 4
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart
on Deuteronomy 4:39-40
Verse 39 asks for more than assent, know therefore this day and consider it in thine heart, and it extends the claim over heaven above and the earth beneath. Jewish liturgy has closed the Aleinu prayer with this clause for many centuries, which is one measure of how the verse has been read. Verse 40 attaches the plain consequence, that it may go well with thee and with thy children after thee, and it ends the address where verse 1 began it, on statutes and commandments to be kept.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
) with this repeated charge: Thou shalt keep his statutes and his commandments which I command thee. What are laws made for but to be observed and obeyed?
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
): That it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee. He reminds them that they were upon their good behaviour, that their prosperity would depend upon their piety. If they kept God's precepts, he would undoubtedly fulfil his promises.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Thou shall keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments,....
The words behind it
26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֞ | veshamarta | and you will keep | H8104 → | 468 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| חֻקָּ֣יו | chukav | statutes his | H2706 → | 127 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מִצְוֹתָ֗יו | mitzvotav | commandments his | H4687 → | 181 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אָנֹכִ֤י | ʾanokhi | I | H595 → | 359 times |
| מְצַוְּךָ֙ | metzavekha | [am] commanding you | H6680 → | 494 times |
| הַיּ֔וֹם | haiyom | this day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| אֲשֶׁר֙ | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יִיטַ֣ב | yitav | it will go well | H3190 → | 117 times |
| לְךָ֔ | lekha | for you | ||
| וּלְבָנֶ֖יךָ | ulevaneikha | and for children your | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אַחֲרֶ֑יךָ | ʾachareikha | after you | H310 → | 715 times |
| וּלְמַ֨עַן | ulemaan | and so that | H4616 → | 272 times |
| תַּאֲרִ֤יךְ | taarikh | you may prolong | H748 → | 34 times |
| יָמִים֙ | yamim | days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה | haadamah | the land | H127 → | 225 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יְהוָ֧ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| נֹתֵ֥ן | noten | [is] about to give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לְךָ֖ | lekha | to you | ||
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַיָּמִֽים׃ פ | haiyamim | the days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֞and you will keep
veshamartaH8104 →468 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
חֻקָּ֣יוstatutes his
chukavH2706 →127 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
מִצְוֹתָ֗יוcommandments his
mitzvotavH4687 →181 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אָנֹכִ֤יI
ʾanokhiH595 →359 times
מְצַוְּךָ֙[am] commanding you
metzavekhaH6680 →494 times
הַיּ֔וֹםthis day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
אֲשֶׁר֙that
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יִיטַ֣בit will go well
yitavH3190 →117 times
לְךָ֔for you
lekha
וּלְבָנֶ֖יךָand for children your
ulevaneikhaH1121 →4930 times
אַחֲרֶ֑יךָafter you
ʾachareikhaH310 →715 times
וּלְמַ֨עַןand so that
ulemaanH4616 →272 times
תַּאֲרִ֤יךְyou may prolong
taarikhH748 →34 times
יָמִים֙days
yamimH3117 →2304 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַ֣אֲדָמָ֔הthe land
haadamahH127 →225 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יְהוָ֧הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָGod your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
נֹתֵ֥ן[is] about to give
notenH5414 →2011 times
לְךָ֖to you
lekha
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הַיָּמִֽים׃ פthe days
haiyamimH3117 →2304 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
Ephesians 6:3“that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.”
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 5:16
Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the…
- Deuteronomy 12:25
Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 6:18
Do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, so that it may be well with you and that you may enter and possess the good land that the LORD your…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 12:28
Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right…
- Deuteronomy 5:16
Through
Deuteronomy 5:16Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the…
it leads to
- Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
- Ephesians 6:1–3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
- Colossians 3:20
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.
- Exodus 20:12
Through
Deuteronomy 6:3Hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers,…
it leads to
- Genesis 22:17
I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.
- Genesis 22:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.