Deuteronomy 31:13 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 31:13 mean?

Deuteronomy 31:13 explains why children need to hear God’s instruction read aloud. Those who have not yet come to know it can learn to fear the LORD their God, and that learning is to continue throughout Israel’s life in the land they are about to enter.

Moses is speaking to Israel before the people cross the Jordan River. After the instruction to gather the people for the reading, verse 13 draws attention to the children who will grow up in the land. The phrase “as long as ye live” looks beyond the crossing to the years of settlement ahead.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 31:13

• “known” — יָדַע (yadaʿ): This word can mean to know through experience or familiarity. Here, it describes children who have not yet come to know the instruction being read.
• “hear” — שָׁמַע (shamaʿ): This word can mean to listen as well as to hear. In this setting, the children are among the people gathered to listen to the public reading.
• “fear” — יָרֵא (yareʾ): This word can express fear or a sense of reverence and respect. Here, it describes the response to the LORD that the children are to learn.

Why Deuteronomy 31:13 matters

• The reading includes children who are still learning. Verse 12 calls for men, women, children, and foreigners living among the Israelites to be gathered.
• “Fear the LORD” is something the children are to learn, not merely hear named. The verse places hearing before learning in its description of the reading’s purpose.
• The land is still ahead of the people as Moses speaks. “Whither ye go over Jordan to possess it” places the instruction at the threshold of their entry.