Deuteronomy 11:18
New International Version
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

New Living Translation
“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.

English Standard Version
“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

Berean Standard Bible
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

King James Bible
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

New King James Version
“Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

New American Standard Bible
“You shall therefore take these words of mine to heart and to soul; and you shall tie them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead.

NASB 1995
“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

NASB 1977
“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.

Legacy Standard Bible
“You shall therefore place these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes.

Amplified Bible
“Therefore, you shall impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul, and tie them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as bands (frontals, frontlets) on your forehead.

Christian Standard Bible
“Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads.

American Standard Version
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.

Contemporary English Version
Memorize these laws and think about them. Write down copies and tie them to your wrists and your foreheads to help you obey them.

English Revised Version
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Take these words of mine to heart and keep them in mind. [Write them down,] tie them around your wrist, and wear them as headbands as a reminder.

Good News Translation
"Remember these commands and cherish them. Tie them on your arms and wear them on your foreheads as a reminder.

International Standard Version
Take these commands to heart and keep them in mind, tying them as reminders on your arm and as bands on your forehead.

Majority Standard Bible
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

NET Bible
Fix these words of mine into your mind and being, and tie them as a reminder on your hands and let them be symbols on your forehead.

New Heart English Bible
Therefore you shall lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul; and you shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for symbols between your eyes.

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

World English Bible
Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul. You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And you have placed these words of mine on your heart and on your soul, and have bound them for a sign on your hand, and they have been for frontlets between your eyes;

Young's Literal Translation
'And ye have placed these my words on your heart, and on your soul, and have bound them for a sign on your hand, and they have been for frontlets between your eyes;

Smith's Literal Translation
And put these words upon your heart and upon your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they were for bands between your eyes.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Lay up these my words in your hearts and minds, and hang them for a sign on your hands, and place them between your eyes.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Place these words of mine in your hearts and minds, and hang them as a sign on your hands, and arrange them between your eyes.

New American Bible
Therefore, take these words of mine into your heart and soul. Bind them on your arm as a sign, and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.

New Revised Standard Version
You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Therefore you shall lay up these commandments in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hands, that they may be a token between your eyes.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And you shall put these commandments in your heart and in your soul and bind them as signs on your hands and they shall be a sign between your eyes.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And ye shall store these words in your heart and in your soul, and ye shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and it shall be fixed before your eyes.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Remember God's Words
18Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 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.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. / 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. / Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ...

Proverbs 3:3
Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 7:1-3
My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you. / Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. / Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

Psalm 119:11
I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

Exodus 13:9
It shall be a sign for you on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the Law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For with a mighty hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.

Exodus 13:16
So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

Jeremiah 31:33
“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Isaiah 59:21
“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit will not depart from you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and grandchildren, from now on and forevermore,” says the LORD.

Psalm 1:2
But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ / This is the first and greatest commandment. / And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ...

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, / so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

James 1:21-25
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. / Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. / For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, ...


Treasury of Scripture

Therefore shall you lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign on your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

ye lay up

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: …

Deuteronomy 32:46
And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.

Exodus 13:9,16
And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt…

a sign

Matthew 23:5
But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

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Deuteronomy 11
1. Another exhortation to obedience
2. by their own experience of God's great works
8. by promise of God's great blessings
16. and by threatenings
18. A careful study is required in God's words
26. The blessing and curse set before them














Fix these words of mine
The Hebrew root for "fix" is "שׂוּם" (sum), which means to place, set, or establish. This implies a deliberate and intentional action, suggesting that God's words are not to be taken lightly or forgotten. In the historical context of ancient Israel, oral tradition was paramount, and the act of fixing words in one's heart and mind was a way to ensure that God's commandments were perpetually present in daily life. This phrase calls believers to a deep commitment to internalize God's teachings, making them an integral part of their identity and worldview.

in your hearts and minds
The heart ("לֵבָב" - levav) in Hebrew culture was considered the seat of emotion, will, and intellect, while the mind encompasses understanding and thought. This dual focus emphasizes the comprehensive nature of devotion required by God. It is not enough to merely know God's words intellectually; they must also penetrate the emotional and volitional aspects of a person's being. Historically, this reflects the holistic approach to faith in ancient Israel, where belief was not compartmentalized but was a total life commitment.

tie them as reminders on your hands
The practice of tying God's words on one's hands is a reference to the tefillin (phylacteries), small boxes containing scripture worn by observant Jews during prayer. The Hebrew word "אוֹת" (ot) means sign or symbol, indicating that these physical reminders serve as tangible expressions of faith. Archaeological findings, such as ancient tefillin from the Qumran caves, highlight the historical authenticity of this practice. This phrase encourages believers to let their actions (symbolized by the hands) be guided by God's commandments, serving as a visible testament to their faith.

and bind them on your foreheads
Binding words on the forehead signifies keeping God's commandments at the forefront of one's thoughts. The Hebrew word "טוֹטָפוֹת" (totafot) refers to frontlets, again pointing to the practice of wearing tefillin. This act symbolizes the constant awareness and mindfulness of God's presence and laws. In a broader scriptural context, it reflects the call to live a life that is continually aligned with divine principles, ensuring that one's thoughts and decisions are consistently influenced by God's truth.

(18) Therefore shall ye lay up these my words.--The same injunctions are found above (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). The Jewish commentator remarks, somewhat sadly, here, that they would remember them in their captivity, if not before. The "therefore" at the commencement of the verse is a simple "and," so that the passage can be read in connection with what precedes: "Ye will perish quickly from off the good land, and ye will lay these my words to your hearts." But the words of Deuteronomy 11:21 seem to show that this is not the primary meaning--only an application suggested, like many other applications of Scripture, by the actual event.

Verses 18-20. - (Cf. Deuteronomy 6:7-9.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Fix
וְשַׂמְתֶּם֙ (wə·śam·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

these
אֵ֔לֶּה (’êl·leh)
Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

words of mine
דְּבָרַ֣י (də·ḇā·ray)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

in your hearts
לְבַבְכֶ֖ם (lə·ḇaḇ·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

and minds,
נַפְשְׁכֶ֑ם (nap̄·šə·ḵem)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

tie
וּקְשַׁרְתֶּ֨ם (ū·qə·šar·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 7194: To tie, gird, confine, compact, in love, league

them
אֹתָ֤ם (’ō·ṯām)
Direct object marker | third person masculine plural
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

as a sign
לְאוֹת֙ (lə·’ō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - common singular
Strong's 226: A signal, as a, flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence

on
וְעַֽל־ (wə·‘al-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

your hands
יֶדְכֶ֔ם (yeḏ·ḵem)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3027: A hand

and bind them
וְהָי֥וּ (wə·hā·yū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

on your foreheads.
בֵּ֥ין (bên)
Preposition
Strong's 996: An interval, space between


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 11:18 Therefore you shall lay up these my (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 11:17
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