Deuteronomy 6:20 (WEB)

Passage

When your son asks you in time to come, saying, “What do the testimonies, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh our God has commanded you mean?”

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 6:18 You shall do that which is right and good in Yahweh’s sight; that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land which Yahweh swore to your fathers,

Deuteronomy 6:19 to thrust out all your enemies from before you, as Yahweh has spoken.

Deuteronomy 6:20 When your son asks you in time to come, saying, “What do the testimonies, the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh our God has commanded you mean?”

Deuteronomy 6:21 then you shall tell your son, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand;

Deuteronomy 6:22 and Yahweh showed great and awesome signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before our eyes;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "asks", "time", "come", "saying", "testimonies", "statutes", "ordinances", and "yahweh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "asks" and "time", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "to thrust out all your enemies from..." into verse 21's "then you shall tell your son We...", so "asks" and "time" 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 "asks" and "time" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.