Deuteronomy 28:13
New International Version
The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.

New Living Translation
If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.

English Standard Version
And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them,

Berean Standard Bible
The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward, if you hear and carefully follow the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am giving you today.

King James Bible
And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

New King James Version
And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.

New American Standard Bible
And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will only be above, and not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God which I am commanding you today, to follow them carefully,

NASB 1995
“The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,

NASB 1977
“And the LORD shall make you the head and not the tail, and you only shall be above, and you shall not be underneath, if you will listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,

Legacy Standard Bible
And Yahweh will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I am commanding you today, to keep and to do,

Amplified Bible
The LORD will make you the head (leader) and not the tail (follower); and you will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen and pay attention to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today, to observe them carefully.

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the LORD your God’s commands I am giving you today and are careful to follow them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the LORD your God’s commands I am giving you today and are careful to follow them.

American Standard Version
And Jehovah will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
LORD JEHOVAH shall make you the head and not the tail, and you shall be above and you shall not be beneath, when you will listen to the commandments of LORD JEHOVAH your God that I command you today, and you keep and do them:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The Lord thy God make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt then be above and thou shalt not be below, if thou wilt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, in all things that I charge thee this day to observe.

Contemporary English Version
Obey the laws and teachings that I'm giving you today, and the LORD your God will make Israel a leader among the nations, and not a follower. Israel will be wealthy and powerful, not poor and weak.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord shall make thee the head and not the tail: and thou shalt be always above, and not beneath: yet so if thou wilt hear the commandments of the Lord thy God which I command thee this day, and keep and do them,

English Revised Version
And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. You will always be at the top, never at the bottom, if you faithfully obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today.

Good News Translation
The LORD your God will make you the leader among the nations and not a follower; you will always prosper and never fail if you obey faithfully all his commands that I am giving you today.

International Standard Version
"The LORD your God will make you the head and not the tail—placing you above and not beneath—if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I'm giving you today to keep and observe.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them;

Literal Standard Version
And YHWH has set you for head and not for tail; and you have been only above, and are not beneath, for you listen to the commands of your God YHWH, which I am commanding you today, to keep and to do,

Majority Standard Bible
The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward, if you hear and carefully follow the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am giving you today.

New American Bible
The LORD will make you the head not the tail, the top not the bottom, if you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I am giving you today, observing them carefully,

NET Bible
The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey his commandments which I am urging you today to be careful to do.

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD will make you the head, and not the tail; you shall be only at the top, and not at the bottom—if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today, by diligently observing them,

New Heart English Bible
The LORD will make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if you shall listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do,

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken to the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

World English Bible
Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail. You will be above only, and you will not be beneath, if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you today, to observe and to do,

Young's Literal Translation
'And Jehovah hath given thee for head, and not for tail; and thou hast been only above, and art not beneath, for thou dost hearken unto the commands of Jehovah thy God, which I am commanding thee to-day, to keep and to do,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Blessings of Obedience
12The LORD will open the heavens, His abundant storehouse, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but borrow from none. 13The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward, if you hear and carefully follow the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am giving you today. 14Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from any of the words I command you today, and do not go after other gods to serve them.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 15:6
When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised, you will lend to many nations but borrow from none; you will rule over many nations but be ruled by none.

Deuteronomy 26:19
that He will set you high in praise and name and honor above all the nations He has made, and that you will be a holy people to the LORD your God, as He has promised.

Deuteronomy 28:1
"Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

Deuteronomy 28:43
The foreigner living among you will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink down lower and lower.

Deuteronomy 28:44
He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail.

Jeremiah 31:7
For this is what the LORD says: "Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations! Make your praises heard, and say, 'O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel!'


Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if that you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do them:

the head

Numbers 24:18,19
And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly…

Isaiah 9:14,15
Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day…

if that thou

Deuteronomy 28:1
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

Deuteronomy 4:6-9
Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people…

Philippians 1:27
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

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Deuteronomy 28
1. The blessings for obedience
15. The curses for disobedience














Verse 13. - They should be manifestly superior to other nations, heading them and being above them, their leader and not their subject or follower (cf. Isaiah 9:13). Note the contrast in vers. 43, 44.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The LORD
יְהוָ֤ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

will make
וּנְתָֽנְךָ֨ (ū·nə·ṯā·nə·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

you the head
לְרֹאשׁ֙ (lə·rōš)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7218: The head

and not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

the tail;
לְזָנָ֔ב (lə·zā·nāḇ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2180: Tail, end, stump

you will only
רַ֣ק (raq)
Adverb
Strong's 7535: But, even, except, howbeit howsoever, at the least, nevertheless

move upward
לְמַ֔עְלָה (lə·ma‘·lāh)
Preposition-l | Adverb | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4605: The upper part, with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top

and never
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

downward,
לְמָ֑טָּה (lə·māṭ·ṭāh)
Preposition-l | Adverb
Strong's 4295: Downward, below, beneath

if
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you hear
תִשְׁמַ֞ע (ṯiš·ma‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

and carefully
לִשְׁמֹ֥ר (liš·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to

follow
וְלַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ (wə·la·‘ă·śō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 6213: To do, make

the commandments
מִצְוֺ֣ת ׀ (miṣ·wōṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 4687: Commandment

of the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God,
אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

which
אֲשֶׁ֨ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

I
אָנֹכִ֧י (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

am giving
מְצַוְּךָ֛ (mə·ṣaw·wə·ḵā)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6680: To lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

you today.
הַיּ֖וֹם (hay·yō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 28:13 Yahweh will make you the head (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 28:12
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