Deuteronomy 6:17 (DRB)

Passage

Keep the precepts of the Lord thy God, and the testimonies and ceremonies which he hath commanded thee.

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 6:15 Because the Lord thy God is a jealous God in the midst of thee: lest at any time the wrath of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and take thee away from the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 6:16 Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, as thou temptedst him in the place of temptation.

Deuteronomy 6:17 Keep the precepts of the Lord thy God, and the testimonies and ceremonies which he hath commanded thee.

Deuteronomy 6:18 And do that which is pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with thee: and going in thou mayst possess the goodly land, concerning which the Lord swore to thy fathers,

Deuteronomy 6:19 That he would destroy all thy enemies before thee, as he hath spoken.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "keep", "precepts", "lord", "testimonies", "ceremonies", "hath", "commanded", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "keep" and "precepts", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy..." into verse 18's "And do that which is pleasing and...", so "keep" and "precepts" belong inside that flow. In Deuteronomy context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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