1 Samuel 12:14

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

If you fear the LORD, serving him and obeying him and not rebelling against what he says, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the LORD your God, all will be well.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

אִם־תִּֽירְא֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֗ה וַעֲבַדְתֶּ֤ם אֹתוֹ֙ וּשְׁמַעְתֶּ֣ם בְּקֹל֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א תַמְר֖וּ אֶת־פִּ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וִהְיִתֶ֣ם גַּם־אַתֶּ֗ם וְגַם־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מָלַ֣ךְ עֲלֵיכֶ֔ם אַחַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

Transliteration

ʾim-tîrəʾû ʾet-YHWH wa-ʿăbadtem ʾōtô û-šəmaʿtem bəqōlô wə-lōʾ tamrû ʾet-pî YHWH wihyîtem gam-ʾattem wə-gam-ha-melek ʾăšer mālak ʿălêkem ʾaḥar YHWH ʾĕlōhêkem

Grammar Details

• *ʾim*-*tîrəʾû*: conjunction + qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural - if you fear
• *ʾet*-*YHWH*: direct object marker + proper noun - the LORD
• *wa-ʿăbadtem*: conjunction + qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural - and serve
• *ʾōtô*: direct object marker + 3rd person masculine singular suffix - him
• *û-šəmaʿtem*: conjunction + qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural - and listen
• *bəqōlô*: preposition + noun masculine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix - to his voice
• *wə-lōʾ*: conjunction + negative particle - and not
• *tamrû*: hiphil imperfect 2nd person masculine plural - rebel against
• *ʾet*-*pî*: direct object marker + noun masculine singular construct - the mouth/command of
• *YHWH*: proper noun - LORD
• *wihyîtem*: conjunction + qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural - then you will be
• *gam*-*ʾattem*: adverb + 2nd person masculine plural independent pronoun - both you
• *wə-gam*-*ha-melek*: conjunction + adverb + definite article + noun masculine singular - and also the king
• *ʾăšer*: relative pronoun - who
• *mālak*: qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular - reigns
• *ʿălêkem*: preposition + 2nd person masculine plural suffix - over you
• *ʾaḥar*: preposition - after/following
• *ʾĕlōhêkem*: noun masculine plural + 2nd person masculine plural suffix - your God

Word Meanings

• *tîrəʾû*: you fear/reverence/stand in awe of
• *wa-ʿăbadtem*: and serve/worship/follow
• *û-šəmaʿtem*: and listen/obey/heed
• *bəqōlô*: to his voice/to his command/to his word
• *tamrû*: rebel against/disobey/be contentious with
• *pî*: mouth/command/word
• *ʾaḥar*: after/following/walking behind

Referenced Verses

• Josh 24:14 : 14 Now obey the LORD and worship him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and worship the LORD.
• Josh 24:20 : 20 If you abandon the LORD and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you; he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, though he once treated you well.”
• Ps 81:12-15 : 12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires; they did what seemed right to them. 13 If only my people would obey me! If only Israel would keep my commands! 14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and attack their adversaries.” 15 (May those who hate the LORD cower in fear before him! May they be permanently humiliated!)
• Isa 3:10 : 10 Tell the innocent it will go well with them, for they will be rewarded for what they have done.
• Rom 2:7 : 7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality,
• Lev 20:1-9 : 1 Prohibitions against Illegitimate Family Worship The LORD spoke to Moses: 2 “You are to say to the Israelites,‘Any man from the Israelites or from the resident foreigners who live in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones. 3 I myself will set my face against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people, because he has given some of his children to Molech and thereby defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. 4 If, however, the people of the land shut their eyes to that man when he gives some of his children to Molech so that they do not put him to death, 5 I myself will set my face against that man and his clan. I will cut off from the midst of their people both him and all who follow after him in spiritual prostitution, to commit prostitution by worshiping Molech. 6 Prohibition against Spiritists and Mediums“‘The person who turns to the spirits of the dead and familiar spirits to commit prostitution by going after them, I will set my face against that person and cut him off from the midst of his people. 7 Exhortation to Holiness and Obedience“‘You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. 8 You must be sure to obey my statutes. I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 9 Family Life and Sexual Prohibitions“‘If anyone curses his father and mother he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother; his blood guilt is on himself. 10 If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 11 If a man goes to bed with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness. Both of them must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves. 12 If a man goes to bed with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have committed perversion; their blood guilt is on themselves. 13 If a man goes to bed with a male as one goes to bed with a woman, the two of them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.
• Deut 28:1-9 : 1 The Covenant Blessings“If you indeed obey the LORD your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth. 2 All these blessings will come to you in abundance if you obey the LORD your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field. 4 Your children will be blessed, as well as the produce of your soil, the offspring of your livestock, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed. 6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 7 The LORD will cause your enemies who attack you to be struck down before you; they will attack you from one direction but flee from you in seven different directions. 8 The LORD will decree blessing for you with respect to your barns and in everything you do– yes, he will bless you in the land he is giving you. 9 The LORD will designate you as his holy people just as he promised you, if you keep his commandments and obey him. 10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you belong to the LORD, and they will respect you. 11 The LORD will greatly multiply your children, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil in the land which he promised your ancestors he would give you. 12 The LORD will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do; you will lend to many nations but you will not borrow from any. 13 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. 14 But you must not turn away from all the commandments I am giving you today, to either the right or left, nor pursue other gods and worship them.