The Meaning of Deuteronomy 31:12 Explained

Deuteronomy 31:12

KJV: Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:

YLT: Assemble the people, the men, and the women, and the infants, and thy sojourner who is within thy gates, so that they hear, and so that they learn, and have feared Jehovah your God, and observed to do all the words of this law;

Darby: Gather the people together, the men, and the women, and the children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear Jehovah your God, and take heed to do all the words of this law;

ASV: Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy sojourner that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear Jehovah your God, and observe to do all the words of this law;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Gather  the people  together,  men,  and women,  and children,  and thy stranger  that [is] within thy gates,  that they may hear,  and that they may learn,  and fear  the LORD  your God,  and observe  to do  all the words  of this law: 

What does Deuteronomy 31:12 Mean?

Study Notes

fear
.
fear of the Lord
The "fear of the Lord," a phrase of the O.T. piety, meaning reverential trust, with hatred of evil.

Context Summary

Deuteronomy 31:1-13 - The Great Lawgiver's Parting Instructions
This chapter is a link between sunset and sunrise. God buries His workers, but carries on His work. None are indispensable. Moses is succeeded by Joshua; Stephen by Paul. "The grass withereth"¦ but the word of our God shall stand forever."
The old Lawgiver passes on the assurances on which he had rested. After all, men are but the figureheads of movements which are greater than themselves. God goes before; God destroys; God accompanies and delivers. Let timid souls take courage. When the Good Shepherd puts them forth He precedes them, John 10:4; the iron gates stand open at His summons, and the big stones are rolled from the door of the sepulchers, Acts 12:10; Mark 16:3. "He will not fail thee," etc., reappears in Hebrews 13:5, as the right of all believers. It is for me and thee! [source]

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 31

1  Moses encourages the people
7  He encourages Joshua
9  He delivers the law unto the priests to be read in the seventh year
14  God gives a charge to Joshua
19  and a song to testify against the people
24  Moses delivers the book of the law to the Levites to keep
28  He makes a protestation

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 31:12 mean?

Gather together - the people men and women and little ones and the stranger who [is] within your gates that they may hear that they may learn and to fear Yahweh your God and carefully observe to observe all the words of law this
הַקְהֵ֣ל אֶת־ הָעָ֗ם הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֤ים וְהַנָּשִׁים֙ וְהַטַּ֔ף וְגֵרְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֨עַן יִשְׁמְע֜וּ וּלְמַ֣עַן יִלְמְד֗וּ וְיָֽרְאוּ֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם וְשָֽׁמְר֣וּ לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת כָּל־ דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת

הַקְהֵ֣ל  Gather  together 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: קָהַל  
Sense: to assemble, gather.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָעָ֗ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֤ים  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
וְהַנָּשִׁים֙  and  women 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וְהַטַּ֔ף  and  little  ones 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: טַף 
Sense: children, little children, little ones.
וְגֵרְךָ֖  and  the  stranger 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: גֵּר  
Sense: sojourner.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  who  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ  within  your  gates 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
לְמַ֨עַן  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
יִשְׁמְע֜וּ  they  may  hear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
וּלְמַ֣עַן  that 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
יִלְמְד֗וּ  they  may  learn 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: לָמַד  
Sense: to learn. teach, exercise in.
וְיָֽרְאוּ֙  and  to  fear 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וְשָֽׁמְר֣וּ  and  carefully  observe 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁמַר  
Sense: to keep, guard, observe, give heed.
לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת  to  observe 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
דִּבְרֵ֖י  the  words 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
הַתּוֹרָ֥ה  of  law 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֹּורָה  
Sense: law, direction, instruction.
הַזֹּֽאת  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.