“That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:”
My Notes
What Does Deuteronomy 29:12 Mean?
"That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath." The covenant ceremony in Moab renews the Sinai covenant with the new generation. The people "pass" (avar — cross over, pass through) into the covenant — the language suggests a physical ceremony, possibly walking between divided pieces (as in Genesis 15:17). You enter the covenant the way you enter a room: by crossing a threshold.
The pairing of "covenant" (berit) and "oath" (alah — sworn curse) means the agreement includes consequences for violation. The covenant isn't just a promise — it's an oath with built-in penalties. You're not just agreeing to terms. You're accepting the curse that falls on you if you break them.
The phrase "which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day" means the covenant is current: not something that happened to your parents at Sinai. This day. With you. The covenant is being made fresh, in the present, with the generation that will enter the land.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What covenant with God are you personally entering — not inheriting but entering?
- 2.What does 'passing into' covenant (crossing a threshold) teach about the decisiveness of the commitment?
- 3.What consequences are you accepting alongside the blessings of the agreement?
- 4.Is your covenant with God inherited from others or personally entered 'this day'?
Devotional
You're entering the covenant today. Not your parents — you. Not at Sinai — here in Moab. This day. With the current generation. The covenant is made fresh for the people who will live in it.
The 'passing into' covenant uses crossing language: you walk through the agreement the way you walk through a doorway. The covenant has an entrance. You cross a threshold. Before the crossing, you're outside the agreement. After the crossing, you're inside it — with all its blessings and all its consequences.
The oath component adds teeth: the covenant isn't just nice words about partnership. It includes an alah — a sworn curse. If you break the covenant, the curse activates. The agreement has enforcement built into its structure. You're not just promising to be faithful. You're accepting the consequences of unfaithfulness before it happens.
The 'this day' makes the covenant present-tense: not a historical document you inherited. Not something that happened to a previous generation. This day. The covenant is being made right now, with you, in your generation's specific circumstances. You're not living under your parents' agreement. You're entering your own.
What covenant are you entering 'this day' — what agreement with God is current, personal, and carrying both blessing and consequence? The covenant of the previous generation isn't automatically yours. You have to enter your own. This day.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God,.... That is, they were all to appear and stand in this…
It appears by the length of the sentences here, and by the copiousness and pungency of the expressions, that Moses, now…
enter into the covenant Lit. pass over intoonly here. Cp. the passing overinto a select and numbered body, Exo 30:13 f.…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture