Deuteronomy – Chapter 11

Old Testament32 Verses

Chapter Summary

"Therefore love the Lord thy God and observe his precepts and ceremonies, his judgments and commandments at all times." — so begins Deuteronomy 11. Pharaoh stands at the center of this chapter. Across its 32 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and God's covenant promises. The Church invites us to read this chapter within the whole sweep of salvation history, where every page points toward Christ.

1Therefore love the Lord thy God and observe his precepts and ceremonies, his judgments and commandments at all times.

2Know this day the things that your children know not, who saw not the chastisements of the Lord your God, his great doings and strong hand, and stretched out arm,

3The signs and works which he did in the midst of Egypt to king Pharao, and to all his land,

4And to all the host of the Egyptians, and to their horses and chariots: how the waters of the Red Sea covered them, when they pursued you, and how the Lord destroyed them until this present day:

5And what he hath done to you in the wilderness, til you came to this place:

6And to Dathan and Abiron the sons of Eliab, who was the son of Ruben: whom the earth, opening her mouth swallowed up with their households and tents, and all their substance, which they had in the midst of Israel.

7Your eyes have seen all the great works of the Lord, that he hath done,

8That you may keep all his commandments, which I command you this day, and may go in, and possess the land, to which you are entering,

9And may live in it a long time: which the Lord promised by oath to your fathers, and to their seed, a land which floweth with milk and honey.

10For the land, which thou goest to possess, is not like the land of Egypt, from whence thou camest out, where, when the seed is sown, waters are brought in to water it after the manner of gardens.

11But it is a land of hills and plains, expecting rain from heaven.

12And the Lord thy God doth always visit it, and his eyes are on it from the beginning of the year unto the end thereof.

13If then you obey my commandments, which I command you this day, that you love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul:

14He will give to your land the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil,

15And your hay out of the fields to feed your cattle, and that you may eat and be filled.

16Beware lest perhaps your heart be deceived, and you depart from the Lord, and serve strange gods, and adore them:

17And the Lord being angry shut up heaven, that the rain come not down, nor the earth yield her fruit, and you perish quickly from the excellent land, which the Lord will give you.

18Lay up these words in your hearts and minds, and hang them for a sign on your hands, and place them between your eyes.

19Teach your children that they meditate on them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest on the way, and when thou liest down and risest up.

20Thou shalt write them upon the posts and the doors of thy house:

21That thy days may be multiplied, and the days of thy children in the land which the Lord swore to thy fathers, that he would give them as long as the heaven hangeth over the earth.

22For if you keep the commandments which I command you, and do them, to love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, cleaving unto him,

23The Lord will destroy all these nations before your face, and you shall possess them, which are greater and stronger than you.

24Every place, that your foot shall tread upon, shall be yours. From the desert, and from Libanus, from the great river Euphrates unto the western sea shall be your borders.

25None shall stand against you: the Lord your God shall lay the dread and fear of you upon all the land that you shall tread upon, as he hath spoken to you.

26Behold I set forth in your sight this day a blessing and a curse:

27A blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:

28A curse, if you obey not the commandments of the Lord your God, but revolt from the way which now I shew you, and walk after strange gods which you know not.

29And when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, whither thou goest to dwell, thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Garizim, the curse upon mount Hebal:

30Which are beyond the Jordan, behind the way that goeth to the setting of the sun, in the land of the Chanaanite who dwelleth in the plain country over against Galgala, which is near the valley that reacheth and entereth far.

31For you shall pass over the Jordan, to possess the land, which the Lord your God will give you, that you may have it and possess it.

32See therefore that you fulfil the ceremonies and judgments, which I shall set this day before you.

Important Verses in Deuteronomy 11

Therefore love the Lord thy God and observe his precepts and ceremonies, his judgments and commandments at all times.

Deuteronomy 11:1

If then you obey my commandments, which I command you this day, that you love the Lord your God, and serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul:

Deuteronomy 11:13

Beware lest perhaps your heart be deceived, and you depart from the Lord, and serve strange gods, and adore them:

Deuteronomy 11:16

For if you keep the commandments which I command you, and do them, to love the Lord your God, and walk in all his ways, cleaving unto him,

Deuteronomy 11:22

Historical Context

Deuteronomy addresses the new generation of Israel about to cross the Jordan into Canaan within the broader story of God's covenant people. Chapter 11 of 34 belongs to the early movement of the book, where the narrative or argument is still unfolding. It is a narrative passage recounting concrete events in salvation history with 32 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. Historical attention falls on Pharaoh, the principal figures named in this chapter. It opens with the line: "Therefore love the Lord thy God and observe his precepts and ceremonies, his judgments and commandments at all times." The chapter ends with: "See therefore that you fulfil the ceremonies and judgments, which I shall set this day before you. " The wider setting of Deuteronomy is this: Deuteronomy means 'second law': Moses' final sermons on the plains of Moab, renewing the Sinai covenant for the generation about to enter Canaan. The book's material reflects the era summarized as follows: Traditions from Moses; book discovered in the Temple during King Josiah's reform around 622 BC.

Who Wrote It

Presented as Moses' farewell discourses; compiled and edited by inspired scribes, likely in the 7th century BC

When It Was Written

Traditions from Moses; book discovered in the Temple during King Josiah's reform around 622 BC

Catholic Commentary

The literal sense of Deuteronomy 11 presents a concrete episode in the history of covenant renewal and the call to love God. A pivotal line is verse 1: "Therefore love the Lord thy God and observe his precepts and ceremonies, his judgments and commandments at all times." The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

Catholic exegesis reads Deuteronomy 11 within the unity of Scripture and Tradition. Jesus cited Deuteronomy's command to love God as the greatest commandment (CIC 2083). St. Irenaeus and other Fathers of the Church saw in texts like this a preparation for or reflection of Christ, the center of revelation (CIC 1700).

The moral and spiritual import remains timely: The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.. St. Jerome insisted that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ; this chapter offers material for meditation, examination of conscience, and deeper love of God.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • God binds Himself to His people by covenant, and He never breaks His word.
  • Love of God and love of neighbor sum up the whole law and reveal the very nature of God.

People in This Chapter

Pharaoh1 mention

Reflection for Today

In Deuteronomy Chapter 11, the Church invites us to listen attentively to God's Word within the broader narrative of covenant renewal and the call to love God.

The Second Vatican Council reminded the faithful that Scripture should permeate Catholic spirituality (Dei Verbum, 21-26). Deuteronomy Chapter 11 supports that call by drawing attention to purity of heart and interior conversion within the wider message that Love the Lord your God with all your heart.

As you continue through Deuteronomy, carry this chapter's lesson into your family, parish, and work. Catholic faith is always ecclesial—God speaks to us as members of Christ's Body, not as isolated individuals.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Deuteronomy Chapter 11 about?

Deuteronomy 11 contains 32 verses. It opens with "Therefore love the Lord thy God and observe his precepts and ceremonies, his judgments and commandments at all times." and closes with "See therefore that you fulfil the ceremonies and judgments, which I shall set this day before you. ". The book as a whole is covenant discourses and law.

What is a key verse in Deuteronomy 11?

One of the most significant verses is verse 1: "Therefore love the Lord thy God and observe his precepts and ceremonies, his judgments and commandments at all times." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Deuteronomy Chapter 11?

This chapter mentions Pharaoh.

Who wrote Deuteronomy and when?

Presented as Moses' farewell discourses; compiled and edited by inspired scribes, likely in the 7th century BC. Traditions from Moses; book discovered in the Temple during King Josiah's reform around 622 BC.

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