Deuteronomy 5:29

KJV

O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

KJV (with Strong's)

O that there were such {H2088} an {H4310} heart {H3824} in them {H5414}, that they would fear {H3372} me, and keep {H8104} all my commandments {H4687} always {H3117}, that it might be well {H3190} with them, and with their children {H1121} for ever {H5769}!

Complete Jewish Bible

Oh, how I wish their hearts would stay like this always, that they would fear me and obey all my mitzvot; so that it would go well with them and their children forever.

Berean Standard Bible

If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever.

American Standard Version

Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Deuteronomy 5:29 encapsulates God's profound and benevolent yearning for His covenant people, Israel: that they would possess an inner disposition of reverent awe and wholehearted devotion, leading them to consistently obey His divine commandments. This heartfelt desire is not merely a wish but reveals God's character as a loving Father who longs for their perpetual flourishing and well-being, extending these blessings to their children for generations to come. It underscores that God's ultimate purpose in giving His Law is the abundant life and lasting prosperity of His people, contingent upon their genuine and enduring faithfulness.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This poignant divine expression immediately follows Moses' powerful reiteration of the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, who are gathered on the plains of Moab, poised to enter the Promised Land. Moses has just recounted the terrifying and awe-inspiring manifestation of God's presence at Mount Horeb (Sinai), where the Law was first delivered. The people, overwhelmed by the divine voice and fire, had pleaded with Moses to serve as an intermediary, fearing they would perish if God continued to speak directly to them. In [Deuteronomy 5:28](/deuteronomy/5-28 "Deuteronomy 5:28 - God's Affirmation of Moses' Intercession"), God affirms their request, acknowledging that "they have well said all that they have spoken." It is in this precise context, having heard their fear and their desire for an intermediary, that God expresses this profound longing for their inner transformation and enduring obedience, revealing His heart's desire for a relationship founded on sustained faithfulness rather than mere terror-induced compliance.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The setting is critically important: the Israelites, having endured forty years of wilderness wandering, are now on the brink of entering Canaan. The generation that experienced the Exodus has largely passed away, and Moses is addressing a new generation, preparing them for life in the land promised to their ancestors. This discourse in Deuteronomy functions as a covenant renewal ceremony, meticulously reminding them of the terms of their unique relationship with Yahweh, their divine Suzerain. In the ancient Near East, covenants between a great king (suzerain) and his vassal states typically included stringent stipulations for loyalty and obedience, with explicit blessings for adherence and severe curses for rebellion. God's expression in [Deuteronomy 5:29](/deuteronomy/5-29 "Deuteronomy 5:29 - God's Desire for Obedience and Blessing") transcends a mere legal contract; it unveils a deeply personal and relational dimension to the covenant, where the divine King desires the willing heart of His people, not just their external conformity. Their future well-being and continued presence in the land were entirely dependent on their faithfulness to this covenant.
* **Key Themes:** [Deuteronomy 5:29](/deuteronomy/5-29 "Deuteronomy 5:29 - God's Desire for Obedience and Blessing") is rich with several foundational themes central to the book of Deuteronomy and the broader Old Testament narrative. Firstly, it profoundly underscores **God's desire for the heart**, emphasizing that true obedience emanates from an internal disposition, not merely outward conformity. This resonates throughout Scripture, as seen in passages like [1 Samuel 16:7](/1_samuel/16-7 "1 Samuel 16:7 - God Looks at the Heart") and [Proverbs 4:23](/proverbs/4-23 "Proverbs 4:23 - Guard Your Heart"). Secondly, the verse highlights the concept of **reverential fear** of the Lord, which is not terror but a profound awe, respect, and humble submission that forms the "beginning of wisdom" ([Proverbs 9:10](/proverbs/9-10 "Proverbs 9:10 - The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom")) and is foundational to genuine obedience. Thirdly, it stresses the imperative for **complete and consistent obedience** ("all my commandments always"), signifying that God desires wholehearted and enduring faithfulness, not partial or temporary adherence. Finally, the verse powerfully articulates the **blessings of obedience**, linking faithfulness directly to present and future prosperity, security, and flourishing for individuals and their descendants, a theme extensively reiterated throughout [Deuteronomy](/deuteronomy/28 "Deuteronomy 28 - Blessings and Curses for Obedience and Disobedience").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Heart (Hebrew, _lêbâb'_):** This term (H3824) refers to the innermost being of a person, encompassing not only emotions but also intellect, will, conscience, and moral character. It is the seat of thought, decision-making, and desire. When God expresses a wish for "such an heart," He is longing for a fundamental, internal orientation of their entire being towards Him, a disposition of genuine willingness and devotion that precedes and motivates outward action. It implies a moral and spiritual inclination towards God's will.
* **Fear (Hebrew, _yârêʼ'_):** While this verb (H3372) can denote terror or dread, in the context of one's relationship with God, it primarily signifies a profound reverence, awe, and respect for His holiness, power, and authority. This "fear" is not paralyzing dread but a humble, worshipful submission that leads to obedience and wisdom. It acknowledges God's supreme sovereignty and the creature's dependence upon Him, fostering a desire to please Him and avoid displeasing Him.
* **Commandments (Hebrew, _mitsvâh'_):** This term (H4687), though singular here, refers collectively to God's divine instructions, statutes, and decrees—the revealed will of God for His people. The emphasis on "all my commandments always" underscores the comprehensive and enduring nature of the obedience God desires. It's not selective or situational but a holistic commitment to His entire revealed word, consistently applied throughout their lives.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"O that there were such an heart in them":** This opening phrase, often translated as a wish or lament, reveals God's divine pathos – His deep emotional yearning. It expresses a heartfelt desire for an internal transformation or disposition within His people that would naturally incline them towards Him. It's not a command but a profound expression of what God wishes for their inner being, highlighting His value for genuine, willing devotion over coerced compliance.
* **"that they would fear me":** This clause specifies the primary characteristic of the desired "heart." The "fear" here is not terror, but a reverent awe and profound respect for God's majesty, holiness, and authority. This internal reverence is the foundational attitude that motivates true obedience and worship, acknowledging God's rightful place as sovereign.
* **"and keep all my commandments always":** This outlines the outward manifestation of the desired heart and fear. "Keep" implies active observance and adherence. The inclusion of "all" stresses the comprehensive nature of the obedience God seeks, not picking and choosing. "Always" emphasizes the consistency and enduring commitment required, indicating a lifelong pattern of faithfulness rather than sporadic or temporary compliance.
* **"that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!":** This final clause reveals God's benevolent motivation and the ultimate outcome of such obedience. God's desire for His people to fear and obey Him is not for His own benefit, but for their good. "Well with them" signifies prosperity, security, peace, and flourishing in all aspects of life – physical, spiritual, and communal. The extension "and with their children for ever" highlights the generational blessings and enduring legacy that flow from covenant faithfulness, emphasizing God's desire for the long-term, perpetual welfare of His people.

#### Literary Devices
Deuteronomy 5:29 powerfully employs several literary devices to convey God's heartfelt message. The most prominent is **Divine Pathos** or **Anthropomorphism**, where God is depicted as expressing a human-like emotion of yearning or lament ("O that there were such an heart in them"). This device makes God relatable and emphasizes His deep, personal investment in His people's well-being and their relationship with Him. The verse also utilizes **Conditional Statement (Implied)**, where the desired outcome ("that it might be well with them...") is implicitly contingent upon the fulfillment of the preceding condition (having a heart that fears and keeps His commandments). This structure underscores the cause-and-effect relationship between obedience and blessing. Furthermore, the use of **Hyperbole** or **Emphasis** in phrases like "all my commandments always" and "for ever" intensifies the scope and duration of the desired obedience and its resulting blessings, highlighting God's desire for complete and perpetual faithfulness and the enduring nature of the promised prosperity.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Deuteronomy 5:29 is a pivotal verse that articulates a core theological truth: God desires a relationship with humanity rooted in genuine, internal devotion rather than mere external conformity. It reveals that God's Law is not an arbitrary burden but a pathway to blessing and flourishing, designed for the ultimate good of His people. This divine yearning for a transformed heart, one that intrinsically desires to fear and obey Him, speaks to the inherent human inability to consistently meet God's perfect standard from a place of pure, unblemished will. It foreshadows the need for a new covenant and a divine intervention that would enable such heartfelt obedience, addressing the very "heart" issue that God laments. This verse underscores God's benevolent character as a Father who longs for the well-being of His children, demonstrating that His commands are expressions of His love and His design for abundant life.

* [Jeremiah 31:33](/jeremiah/31-33 "Jeremiah 31:33 - The New Covenant and the Law on the Heart")
* [Ezekiel 36:26](/ezekiel/36-26 "Ezekiel 36:26 - New Heart and Spirit")
* [Matthew 22:37](/matthew/22-37 "Matthew 22:37 - The Greatest Commandment")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Deuteronomy 5:29 serves as a timeless mirror, reflecting God's unchanging desire for a genuine, heart-level relationship with His people. It challenges us to move beyond superficial compliance or obligation and to cultivate an inner disposition of reverent awe and love for God that naturally expresses itself in obedience. This verse reminds us that God's commands are not burdensome restrictions but divine blueprints for our flourishing, designed to lead us into a life of peace, security, and deep well-being, extending even to future generations. Our greatest joy and fulfillment are found not in pursuing our own desires, but in aligning our hearts with God's, trusting that His ways truly are for our ultimate good. It prompts us to examine our own hearts: Do we truly "fear" the Lord with a reverence that inspires obedience? Do we strive to "keep all His commandments always," or do we pick and choose? God's yearning heart in this verse beckons us to a deeper, more sincere walk of faith, trusting that His path is the only one that leads to true and lasting blessedness.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does God's expressed desire in this verse challenge my understanding of His character and His relationship with humanity?**
* **In what areas of my life do I struggle with "keeping all [His] commandments always," and what might be the underlying "heart" issues that hinder my obedience?**
* **How can I cultivate a deeper "fear" of the Lord that leads to genuine, willing obedience rather than mere external compliance or obligation?**

### FAQ
**Does this verse imply God is limited in His power to change hearts?**

Answer: No, this verse does not imply a limitation on God's power. Rather, it expresses divine pathos and highlights the reality of human free will and responsibility within the covenant relationship. God, in His sovereignty, chooses to relate to humanity in a way that invites their willing participation and obedience. While God certainly has the power to transform hearts (as promised in the New Covenant, see [Ezekiel 36:26](/ezekiel/36-26 "Ezekiel 36:26 - A New Heart and Spirit")), this verse emphasizes His desire for a freely given, genuine response from His people. It underscores that true covenant faithfulness involves a choice of the heart, not just a forced adherence.

**What does "fear me" truly mean in this context?**

Answer: In the context of Deuteronomy 5:29, "fear me" (Hebrew: _yârêʼ_) does not primarily mean terror or dread. Instead, it signifies a profound reverence, awe, and respect for God's holiness, majesty, and authority. It is a humble recognition of His supreme sovereignty and our dependence upon Him. This "fear of the Lord" is consistently portrayed in Scripture as the "beginning of knowledge" ([Proverbs 1:7](/proverbs/1-7 "Proverbs 1:7 - The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Knowledge")) and the foundation for wisdom and true obedience. It leads to a desire to honor God, to submit to His will, and to live in a way that pleases Him, rather than provoking His righteous judgment.

**How does this verse relate to the New Testament emphasis on grace?**

Answer: Deuteronomy 5:29 provides a crucial backdrop for understanding the New Testament's emphasis on grace. It reveals God's perfect standard and His deep desire for a people whose hearts are fully devoted to Him and His commands. However, it also implicitly highlights the human inability to consistently achieve this perfect, heartfelt obedience on their own. The Law, as Paul explains, reveals sin and our inability to keep it perfectly ([Romans 3:20](/romans/3-20 "Romans 3:20 - The Law Reveals Sin")). The New Covenant, established through Christ, addresses this very dilemma. It is by grace, through faith in Jesus, that we are justified, and it is through the indwelling Holy Spirit that God provides the "new heart" ([Ezekiel 36:26](/ezekiel/36-26 "Ezekiel 36:26 - A New Heart and Spirit")) and the power to genuinely desire and walk in obedience, fulfilling the righteous requirements of the Law from a transformed heart, which was God's original yearning in Deuteronomy 5:29 ([Romans 8:3-4](/romans/8-3-4 "Romans 8:3-4 - The Law and the Spirit")).

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Deuteronomy 5:29, with its poignant expression of God's yearning for a perfectly obedient heart, finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the New Covenant He inaugurated. The Law, given at Sinai and reiterated by Moses, revealed God's righteous standard and His desire for a people who would "fear" Him and "keep all [His] commandments always." However, humanity, marred by sin, proved incapable of consistently fulfilling this divine ideal from the heart, demonstrating the inherent need for a deeper transformation ([Romans 3:23](/romans/3-23 "Romans 3:23 - All Have Sinned")). Jesus Christ, as the perfect Lamb of God, perfectly embodied the "heart" God desired, living a life of absolute obedience and reverent fear of the Father, even to the point of death on the cross ([Philippians 2:8](/phillipians/2-8 "Philippians 2:8 - Christ's Obedience to Death")). Through His atoning sacrifice, Christ not only paid the penalty for our failure to keep God's commandments but also secured the promise of a "new heart" for all who believe. Under the New Covenant, God's promise to write His Law on our hearts and put His Spirit within us ([Jeremiah 31:33](/jeremiah/31-33 "Jeremiah 31:33 - The New Covenant") and [Hebrews 8:10](/hebrews/8-10 "Hebrews 8:10 - The New Covenant and the Law on the Heart")) enables believers to genuinely desire and walk in obedience, fulfilling God's ancient yearning. The "well-being" and "children for ever" spoken of in Deuteronomy 5:29 are ultimately realized in the eternal life and spiritual inheritance secured by Christ for all who are adopted into God's family through faith ([John 3:16](/john/3-16 "John 3:16 - God So Loved the World") and [Ephesians 1:3-14](/ephesians/1-3-14 "Ephesians 1:3-14 - Spiritual Blessings in Christ")), a blessing that transcends earthly prosperity and endures for eternity.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Isaiah 48:18

O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:

Ezekiel 33:31

And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee [as] my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, [but] their heart goeth after their covetousness.

Ezekiel 33:32

And, lo, thou [art] unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

Deuteronomy 11:1

¶ Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.

Matthew 23:37

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!

Luke 19:42

Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

Deuteronomy 4:40

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.