Deuteronomy 11:9
And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.
Original Language Analysis
וּלְמַ֨עַן
H4616
וּלְמַ֨עַן
Strong's:
H4616
Word #:
1 of 16
properly, heed, i.e., purpose; used only adverbially, on account of (as a motive or an aim), teleologically, in order that
תַּֽאֲרִ֤יכוּ
And that ye may prolong
H748
תַּֽאֲרִ֤יכוּ
And that ye may prolong
Strong's:
H748
Word #:
2 of 16
to be (causative, make) long (literally or figuratively)
יָמִים֙
your days
H3117
יָמִים֙
your days
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
3 of 16
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
עַל
H5921
עַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
4 of 16
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
אֲשֶׁר֩
H834
אֲשֶׁר֩
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
6 of 16
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
נִשְׁבַּ֨ע
sware
H7650
נִשְׁבַּ֨ע
sware
Strong's:
H7650
Word #:
7 of 16
to seven oneself, i.e., swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times)
יְהוָ֧ה
which the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֧ה
which the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
8 of 16
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
לַאֲבֹֽתֵיכֶ֛ם
unto your fathers
H1
לַאֲבֹֽתֵיכֶ֛ם
unto your fathers
Strong's:
H1
Word #:
9 of 16
father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application
לָתֵ֥ת
to give
H5414
לָתֵ֥ת
to give
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
10 of 16
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
וּלְזַרְעָ֑ם
unto them and to their seed
H2233
וּלְזַרְעָ֑ם
unto them and to their seed
Strong's:
H2233
Word #:
12 of 16
seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity
זָבַ֥ת
that floweth
H2100
זָבַ֥ת
that floweth
Strong's:
H2100
Word #:
14 of 16
to flow freely (as water), i.e., (specifically) to have a (sexual) flux; figuratively, to waste away; also to overflow
Cross References
Exodus 3:8And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.Deuteronomy 4:40Thou 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.Proverbs 10:27The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.Deuteronomy 9:5Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.Deuteronomy 6:2That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.Deuteronomy 5:16Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.Ezekiel 20:6In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:
Historical Context
The Jordan crossing (Joshua 3-4) would miraculously repeat the Red Sea event, confirming God's continued presence and power. The conquest, though militarily challenging against fortified Canaanite cities, was divinely ordained judgment on Canaanite wickedness (Genesis 15:16—'the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full') and fulfillment of patriarchal promises given 600+ years earlier.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God typically fulfill His promises through human obedience rather than apart from it?
- What 'promised land' blessings in your spiritual life require active faith and effort to possess?
- How do we balance trusting God's sovereignty while taking personal responsibility?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The land Israel will 'go over Jordan to possess' requires active conquest—'possess' (yarash, יָרַשׁ) means to dispossess current inhabitants and take ownership. This wasn't vacant territory but land requiring military action under divine warrant. God had promised the land to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21), but fulfillment required Israel's obedient participation. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility intersect in conquest. God's promise guarantees success, but Israel must still fight. This paradox appears throughout Scripture: God ordains ends AND means.