Deuteronomy 11:19 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 11:19 Commentary: Discipleship in the Rhythms of Daily Life
Hebrew · 4 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Moses repeat the command to teach children?
Research Summary
- Meaning: Parents are commanded to teach God’s words to their children through ongoing, natural conversation in every daily setting.
- Key words: ve/li.mad.Tem (Piel intensive “teach”), le/dabber (infinitive “by speaking” indicating means), yashav/ halakh/ shakhav/ qum (four infinitives covering all life situations).
- Main debate: Whether the repetition of Deuteronomy 6:7 adds a new nuance (emphasis on post-exodus generation) or is simply a stylistic variation.
- Theological theme: Covenant continuity depends on intentional, everyday discipleship within the family and community.
- Best use: Sermon or small-group study on family discipleship, biblical literacy, or intergenerational faith formation.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
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.
WEB World English Bible 2000
You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
KJV King James Version 1769
And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and ye have taught them to your sons, by speaking of them in thy sitting in thy house, and in thy going in the way, and in thy lying down, and in thy rising up,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And ye shall teach them unto your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou goest on the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Teach 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.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y las enseñaréis á vuestros hijos, hablando de ellas, ora sentado en tu casa, ó andando por el camino, cuando te acuestes, y cuando te levantes:
E as ensinareis a vossos filhos, falando delas, ora sentado em tua casa, ou andando pelo caminho, quando te deites, e quando te levantes:
Vous les enseignerez à vos enfants, et vous leur en parlerez quand tu seras dans ta maison, quand tu iras en voyage, quand tu te coucheras et quand tu te lèveras.
Und lehret sie eure Kinder, daß du davon redest, wenn du in deinem Hause sitzest oder auf dem Wege gehst, wenn du dich niederlegst und wenn du aufstehst;
En leert die uw kinderen, sprekende daarvan, als gij in uw huis zit, en als gij op den weg gaat, en als gij nederligt, en als gij opstaat;
le insegnerete ai vostri figliuoli, parlandone quando te ne starai seduto in casa tua, quando sarai per viaggio, quando ti coricherai e quando ti alzerai;
A nauczajcie ich synów waszych, rozmawiając o nich, gdy usiędziesz w domu twym, i gdy będziesz w drodze, i gdy się układziesz, i gdy wstaniesz.
и учите им сыновей своих, говоря о них, когда ты сидишь в доме твоем, и когда идешь дорогою, и когда ложишься, и когда встаешь;
也要教訓 你們的兒女，無論坐 在家裡，行 在路上，躺下，起來，都要談論；
Teaching them to your children, and talking of them when you are at rest in your house or walking by the way, when you go to sleep and when you get up:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 11:19
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions recognise that this verse restates Deuteronomy 6:7 with deliberate adaptation. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges identifies it as a quotation, slightly varied, moved from the singular address of chapter 6 to the plural address of a new generation. Matthew Henry presses the inner logic: the heart must store God’s words before the mouth can teach them. Lange’s Commentary notes that the repetition anchors the teaching command in the context of remembering God’s past acts, the exodus, the wilderness, the judgment on Korah, so that memory fuels transmission. The fourfold formula (sitting, walking, lying down, rising up) is agreed to cover every ordinary circumstance of life. Teaching is not an event but a continuous, informal conversation woven into family rhythms. The verse’s grammar reinforces this: the verb ve/li.mad.Tem (H3925, Piel stem) indicates intensive, repeated action, and the infinitive le/dabber (‘by speaking’) marks the means by which teaching happens, natural, ongoing talk.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The command to teach God's words to children as a continuous, everyday practice is undisputed and forms the core of the verse's meaning.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Repetition of Deuteronomy 6:7 | Both passages command parents to teach children God's words through daily conversation. | Some scholars see 11:19 as a simple restatement; others argue it intentionally amplifies the command in the context of covenant choice, addressing the whole community corporately. |
| Plural vs singular address | Both passages place the responsibility on the adult generation. | Deuteronomy 6 addresses individuals (singular); 11:19 addresses the whole assembly (plural). Catholic and Orthodox traditions often use this to emphasise community responsibility, while some Protestant traditions focus on the individual household. |
| Method of teaching | Teaching is informal, verbal, and woven into daily life, not formal school settings. | Later Jewish tradition developed formal reading and memorisation practices (Shema, mezuzah). Christian traditions vary: some stress catechetical classes, others emphasise spontaneous conversation. |
| Role of the wider church community | The primary responsibility falls on parents. | Christian traditions interpret “children” broadly or narrowly: some include godparents and the whole church family, while others limit the command to biological children. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Deuteronomy 11:19 sits within Moses’ second major address (chapters 5, 11) as Israel camps on the plains of Moab, poised to enter the promised land. The immediate context (vv 16, 17) carries a stark warning: if hearts are deceived and turn to other gods, the Lord will shut the sky and the land will yield no fruit. Verses 18, 21 then respond with a call to resilience, internalise the words, wear them as signs, teach them to children, write them on doorposts and gates. The promise that follows (vv 22, 25) ties faithful teaching to possession of the land.
This passage deliberately echoes the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4, 9), but the setting is different. There, the command was given in the singular, addressed to each individual parent. Here the plural form speaks to the entire assembly, emphasising corporate responsibility. The repetition appears within a section (chapters 8, 11) that repeatedly calls Israel to remember what God has done: the manna, the wilderness discipline, the rebellion at Horeb, the judgment on Dathan and Abiram. Memory must become the soil in which teaching grows. Without deliberate, daily instruction of the next generation, Israel will forget and follow other gods. The verse therefore functions as a practical hinge between covenant memory and covenantal survival in the land.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note a minor textual variant in verse 19. The Cambridge Bible observes that the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Septuagint (LXX), and some Hebrew manuscripts read “in the house” (ba’/va’) rather than “in thine house.” This does not change the meaning. No other significant textual variants are reported in the consulted sources.
Reception History
This verse has been foundational for Jewish and Christian traditions of family faith formation. The rabbinic tradition made the command concrete through the Shema, recited twice daily, and through the practice of the mezuzah, placing God’s words on doorposts as a constant reminder. The early church read Deuteronomy 11:19 as part of the law that prefigures Christ; Origen and Augustine used it to argue that Christian parents must instruct their children in Scripture continuously, not only in church. During the Reformation, the verse was cited by catechisms and household manuals to insist that fathers and mothers are the primary teachers of the faith. In modern times, it has shaped movements such as family-integrated discipleship and the revival of family worship in many evangelical homes, though it is also interpreted differently across traditions regarding the role of formal religious education.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The content of teaching: “them” refers to all the words God has spoken, his commands, his acts, his warnings. We are not called to teach our opinions but the revelation of the Lord.
- The agents of teaching: parents are the primary teachers. The verse addresses adult Israelites, commanding them to teach their own children. The home, not the sanctuary, is the first classroom.
- The context of teaching: four daily moments, sitting at home, walking on the road, lying down, rising up. Teaching is to happen in the ordinary flow of life, not just in formal settings.
Five-point outline
- Remembering precedes teaching (vv 18, 19a). Before we teach, we must internalise each consider as treasure.
- Teaching is a command, not an option (v 19a). The verb ve/li.mad.Tem is an imperative, a non-negotiable commission.
- Teaching happens through conversation (v 19b, “by speaking”). The method is natural, verbal, and frequent.
- Teaching covers every part of the day (v 19c, d). Sitting, walking, lying down, rising up, no moment is exempt.
- Teaching is a community project. The plural address shows the whole congregation shares this responsibility.
Illustration hooks
- Mealtimes when a child asks why the family prays before eating.
- A walk to school where a child’s question about a bird leads to a conversation about the Creator.
- A bedtime talk in the dark, when a child confesses fear and a parent whispers a Bible promise.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “I don’t know enough Scripture to teach my children, where do I start?”
- “How do I talk about faith with teenagers who seem uninterested?”
- “If my children are grown and gone, is it too late to live this verse?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse calls us to weave faith talk into the fabric of everyday life. Before you discuss, read Deuteronomy 11:1, 25 slowly, noticing how the command to teach (v 19) fits between warnings about forgetting (v 16) and promises for obedience (vv 22, 25).
Discussion questions
- Read Deuteronomy 6:7 and 11:19 side by side. What is identical? What is different? Why do you think Moses repeated the command?
- The Hebrew verb for “teach” (lamad in the Piel stem) means “to cause to learn,” implying an active, ongoing process. How does this contrast with a one-time “religious talk”?
- Verse 19 says teaching happens “when you sit… walk… lie down… rise up.” Which of these four settings do you find easiest for faith conversation? Which is hardest?
- What might it look like to “talk of them” naturally, not as a scripted lesson but as part of ordinary conversation?
- The context (vv 16, 18) warns about hearts being deceived and urges storing God’s words in the heart. How does our own internal condition affect whether we can teach our children?
- In what ways does your church community support families in this command? Are there ways it could do more?
- How might this verse shape the way we pray for or interact with children in the congregation, even if we are not parents?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 4:9 | Only be careful, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children’s children— |
| Deuteronomy 4:10 | the day that you stood before Yahweh your God in Horeb, when Yahweh said to me, “Assemble the people to me, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.” |
| Deuteronomy 6:7 | and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. |
| Psalms 34:11 | Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh. |
| Psalms 78:5 | For he established a covenant in Jacob, and appointed a teaching in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; |
| Psalms 78:6 | that the generation to come might know, even the children who should be born; who should arise and tell their children, |
| Proverbs 2:1 | My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you, |
| Proverbs 4:1 | Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction. Pay attention and know understanding; |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
4 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that Deuteronomy 11:18-21 is a secondary passage, adapted from the earlier singular address in Deuteronomy 6:6-9 into plural form. These verses break the natural connection between verse 17 and 22. The phrase "as the days of the heavens" expresses permanence, reflecting ancient Israel's belief that the heavens were eternal, a view only later apocalyptic literature began to question.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note emphasizes that teaching God's commands is not a formal lesson but a constant, natural part of daily life. Parents must weave instruction into every ordinary activity: sitting at home, traveling, waking, and sleeping. This view sees spiritual training as inseparable from the whole rhythm of family life.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange points out that the real difference between Canaan and Egypt is not their fertility but how each land is watered. Egypt's irrigation depends on human effort, while Canaan drinks rain from heaven, making Israel's constant dependence on God a visible, everyday reality. This geographical contrast serves as a foil for the true religion.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry stresses that the heart must be the treasury where God's word is stored for constant use. Good outward conduct cannot happen unless good thoughts, affections, and principles are first planted within. The inward foundation determines everything else.