Deuteronomy 31:26

Modern

“Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.

Traditional

Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

Literal

“Take this Book of the Law and put it beside the ark of the covenant of YHWH your God, that it may be there as a witness against you.

Latin

Tollite librum istum, et ponite eum in latere arcæ fœderis Domini Dei vestri: ut sit ibi contra te in testimonium.

Hebrew

English

“Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.

beside the ark: Unlike the stone tablets, they must place the scroll of Deuteronomy near the ark of the covenant, not inside it. It was kept in the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle and later in the temple (see 31:9; Exodus 25:16; 26:33).
a witness: Like the song the Israelites were required to sing, the scroll of Deuteronomy served as a constant reminder of Israel's covenant obligations and privileges (see Deuteronomy 31:19; see 31:10, 19).

For a covenant document to remain binding and important, it had to be kept in a place where both sides could easily find it.

The book of Deuteronomy needed to be preserved for future generations. In this way, Israel would continue to remember to submit to the Lord’s rule.

Theme notes and profiles

Deuteronomy 31:19
Now therefore, write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites; have them recite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against them.
2 Kings 22:13–19
“Go and inquire of the LORD for me, for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words in this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book by doing all that is written about us.”
2 Kings 22:8–11
Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
Romans 3:19–20
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Galatians 2:19
For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God.
2 Chronicles 34:14–15
While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses.
1 Kings 8:9
There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they had come out of the land of Egypt.