Introduction to Deuteronomy 27:3: Writing the Torah as a Public Act
This verse presents instructions to inscribe the Torah’s words on plastered stones after crossing the Yarden, reinforcing the public and covenantal nature of divine law. The grammatical highlight is the use of infinitive construct phrases combined with purpose clauses, particularly בְּעָבְרֶךָ and לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר. These constructions encode temporal sequence and theological intent. This lesson explores how infinitives frame obedience within the larger drama of covenant and inheritance.
וְכָתַבְתָּ֣ עֲלֵיהֶ֗ן אֶֽת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֛י הַתֹּורָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בְּעָבְרֶ֑ךָ לְמַ֡עַן אֲשֶׁר֩ תָּבֹ֨א אֶל־הָאָ֜רֶץ אֲֽשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֣יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לְךָ֗ אֶ֣רֶץ זָבַ֤ת חָלָב֙ וּדְבַ֔שׁ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֛ר יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽי־אֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ לָֽךְ׃
Analysis of Key Grammatical Features
1. וְכָתַבְתָּ עֲלֵיהֶן – “And you shall write on them”
- וְכָתַבְתָּ – Qal perfect 2ms with vav-consecutive from כ־ת־ב: “and you shall write” (future by narrative sequence)
- עֲלֵיהֶן – preposition + 3fp suffix: “upon them” (referring to the stones)
The vav-consecutive on the perfect form marks sequential future action, typical in Deuteronomic legal instructions. The act of writing here is performative—it establishes legal presence and memorializes covenant stipulations in physical space.
2. אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַתֹּורָה הַזֹּאת – “all the words of this Torah”
- דִּבְרֵי – construct form of דְּבָרִים: “words of”
- הַתֹּורָה הַזֹּאת – definite phrase in apposition: “this Torah”
The use of the construct chain דִּבְרֵי הַתֹּורָה attaches the authority of divine law to a finite, recordable text. The demonstrative adjective הַזֹּאת localizes the content to this specific covenant moment.
3. בְּעָבְרֶךָ – “in your crossing / when you cross over”
- בְּעָבְרֶךָ – preposition + infinitive construct of ע־ב־ר with 2ms suffix: “in the act of your crossing”
This is a classic infinitive construct with preposition, expressing temporal circumstance. It marks the crossing of the Yarden not as incidental but as covenantally loaded. The infinitive expresses simultaneity: as you cross, you must inscribe.
4. לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר תָּבֹא – “so that you may come”
- לְמַעַן – purpose conjunction: “in order that / so that”
- אֲשֶׁר – relative particle: “that”
- תָּבֹא – Qal imperfect 2ms of ב־וֹ־א: “you may come / enter”
This clause is a purpose clause introduced by לְמַעַן. It gives theological weight to the action of writing: obedience enables entry into the promised land. The imperfect verb תָּבֹא underlines intended future result.
5. אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ – “which YHWH your God gives to you”
- נֹתֵן – Qal participle ms of נ־ת־ן: “is giving”
The participle נֹתֵן emphasizes present-continuous action, portraying YHWH as actively engaged in bestowing the land. The phrase weaves divine agency into the grammar of gift and promise.
6. אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַשׁ – “a land flowing with milk and honey”
- זָבַת – feminine participle of ז־ו־ב: “flowing”
This poetic appositive phrase employs participle syntax to depict the land’s abundance. The construct state אֶרֶץ זָבַת tightly connects geography to provision. It reinforces the covenant motif of fruitful inheritance.
7. כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי־אֲבֹתֶיךָ לָךְ – “just as YHWH, the God of your fathers, spoke to you”
- כַּאֲשֶׁר – comparative conjunction: “just as”
- דִּבֶּר – Piel perfect 3ms: “He spoke”
This closing statement ties present commands to past promises, invoking ancestral memory. The use of כַּאֲשֶׁר makes this both a comparison and a covenantal affirmation of continuity. The perfect form דִּבֶּר affirms past fulfillment with future implications.
Theological Purpose Embedded in Grammatical Design
Through infinitive constructs like בְּעָבְרֶךָ and purpose clauses like לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר, this verse links action with consequence and divine purpose. The grammar constructs a moral map: obedience leads to entry, remembrance leads to inheritance, and writing solidifies covenant memory. The participles and construct chains shape the land not only as a destination, but as a promise realized through sacred language.
Grammar as Memory, Land as Promise in Deuteronomy 27:3
This verse uses syntactic precision to fuse history, law, and identity. The infinitive construct acts like a hinge—binding action with inheritance—while purpose clauses affirm that obedience is not a condition of merit but of covenantal alignment. Hebrew grammar, in this passage, is not neutral; it is sacramental.
