Which Tense? Deuteronomy 6:5
Question
Sirs,
In Deuteronomy 6: 1-9 I have a question.
Most translations these are commands, such as in Verse 5, which are future to be followed, such as, “Thou SHALT LOVE the LORD…” However, in the Young’s Literal translation it says “and thou HAST LOVED …” – past tense.
This is consistent in Verses 3-9
I can’t decipher what I’m seeing in the Hebrew, so I’m asking an expert what is the tense in the Hebrew?
Thank you for your help.
Lee Johnson
holeejo@gmail.com
Answers
The correct translation is “You shall love the Lord, your God.” The context of the whole passage is a command to love God, followed by a series of actions that we are commanded to do, such as putting on Tefillin (phylacteries).
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team