Deuteronomy 30:20 (ASV)

Passage

to love Jehovah thy God, to obey his voice, and to cleave unto him; for he is thy life, and the length of thy days; that thou mayest dwell in the land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 30:18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days in the land, whither thou passest over the Jordan to go in to possess it.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed;

Deuteronomy 30:20 to love Jehovah thy God, to obey his voice, and to cleave unto him; for he is thy life, and the length of thy days; that thou mayest dwell in the land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "love", "jehovah", "obey", "voice", "cleave", "life", "length", and "days". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "love" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "I call heaven and earth to witness...", giving immediate footing for "love" and "jehovah". In Deuteronomy context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "love" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.