הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֔ פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּ֖ח אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר הֹוצִֽיאֲךָ֛ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֥ית עֲבָדִֽים׃
In the heart of Moses’ covenantal appeal to Israel, we find a warning that is both urgent and poetic:
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶן תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת־יְהוָה
“Take care, lest you forget the Lord.”
This verse from Devarim 6:12 is not merely a moral admonition — it is a linguistic performance of caution. At its core lies a rare prohibitive construction that binds vigilance to memory, and memory to identity. Through careful attention to form and syntax, we uncover how Biblical Hebrew encodes divine obligation not only as law, but as language.
“Take Care for Yourself” — A Reflexive Imperative of Responsibility
The verse opens with an imperative that stands alone:
הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ
“Take care for yourself,” or “Be watchful.”
The verb הִשָּׁמֶר comes from the root שׁ-מָר, meaning “to guard” or “to be on guard.” In this form — hiphil imperative masculine singular — it functions as a reflexive warning: not just “guard something,” but “guard yourself.” This grammatical nuance reinforces the deeply personal nature of forgetting God: it is not a mistake made in ignorance, but one born of neglect.
| Word | Root | Form | Literal Translation | Grammatical Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הִשָּׁמֶר | שׁ-מָר | Hiphil imperative, m.s. | “Guard yourself” | Used idiomatically for self-awareness and spiritual vigilance. |
This reflexive command sets the tone for what follows: a prohibition against forgetfulness, framed as a matter of national and theological survival. The phrase לְךָ (“for yourself”) adds intensity — this is not a general directive, but a direct charge to the individual within the community.
“Lest You Forget” — A Rare Subjunctive Form of Moral Caution
Following the imperative is a clause of restraint:
פֶן־תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת־יְהוָה
“Lest you forget the Lord.”
The word פֶן introduces a negative subjunctive clause — a structure unique to Biblical Hebrew. Unlike modern languages, which use modal verbs like “might” or “should,” BH often uses פֶן + imperfect to express concern about a potential future action.
| Word | Root | Form | Literal Translation | Grammatical Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| תִּשְׁכַּח | שׁ-כ-ח | Qal imperfect, 2ms | “You will forget” | Appears in a negative subjunctive clause after פֶן. |
The use of תִּשְׁכַּח — “you will forget” — rather than the perfect tense (e.g., “you have forgotten”) emphasizes the danger of forgetting as a possibility, not yet a reality. It is a warning embedded in grammar — not a rebuke, but a preventive measure.
This construction appears elsewhere in contexts of ethical caution:
- פֶן־תִּשְׂאוּ עֵינֵיכֶם אֶל־הַשָּׁמַיִם – “Lest you lift your eyes…” (Devarim 4:19)
- פֶן־יִתְגָּע בְּךָ שְׁאוֹל – “Lest Sheol swallow you” (Mishlei 1:12)
In each case, the subjunctive clause serves as a verbal barrier — a linguistic fence around dangerous behavior. And here in Deuteronomy, it marks the sin of forgetfulness as one of the most insidious threats to covenantal life.
“Who Brought You Out” — Relative Clause as Reminder of Identity
The next phrase anchors the warning in history:
אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִֽיאֲךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים
“Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”
Note the relative clause introduced by אֲשֶׁר, which reaches back to bind the subject (the Lord) to His redemptive act. This is more than a reminder — it is a redefinition of God’s identity through historical action.
| Word | Root | Form | Literal Translation | Grammatical Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הֹוצִֽיאֲךָ | ה-ו-צ-א | Hiphil perfect, 3ms + 2ms suffix | “He brought you out” | Perfect tense used to affirm completed redemption. |
The relative clause is not merely descriptive — it is definitional: the Lord is known not by abstract titles, but by what He did for Israel. To forget Him is not only to neglect worship — it is to erase memory itself, to sever identity from its source.
“From the House of Bondage” — Prepositional Redundancy for Emphasis
The final phrase reads:
מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים
“Out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”
Though redundant in English, the dual prepositions are powerful in Hebrew. The phrase מֵאֶרֶץ… מִבֵּית… uses two distinct prepositional clauses to reinforce the depth of deliverance. Not only did God bring them out of a place — He rescued them from a condition.
| Phrase | Meaning | Grammatical Function |
|---|---|---|
| מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם | “From the land of Egypt” | Geographic liberation |
| מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים | “From the house of bondage” | Spiritual/emotional release |
This double preposition creates a layered expression of freedom: not just movement in space, but transformation of state. The Exodus was not only a historical event — it was a moral foundation. And to forget that foundation is to unravel everything built upon it.
The Word That Guards Memory
In Devarim 6:12, language becomes the guardian of identity. Through the imperative הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ, we hear the call to vigilance — not just over actions, but over the soul. Through the subjunctive פֶן תִּשְׁכַּח, we feel the weight of a sin that has not yet occurred, but must be prevented. And through the relative clause אֲשֶׁר הֹוצִֽיאֲךָ, we are reminded that remembering God is not optional — it is the very ground of existence.
This verse does not simply warn — it instructs us how to speak truth into caution, how to shape ethics through syntax, and how to preserve covenant through the careful use of words.
In the end, the power of Deuteronomy lies not only in its laws, but in its language — and in this line, we see how Hebrew grammar can serve as a wall around the heart, lest it wander too far from the One who brought us forth.