How תֵֽלְכ֔וּן Works in Deuteronomy 6:14

A focused form insight on Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun in Deuteronomy 6:14.

Focused term תֵֽלְכ֔וּן ṯê·lə·ḵūn H1980 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun

Deuteronomy 6:14 - BSB

Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.

The Question

How does תֵֽלְכ֔וּן function in Deuteronomy 6:14?

Short Answer

תֵֽלְכ֔וּן is a Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun in Deuteronomy 6:14. The form sharpens the verse as a direct covenant warning. The second-person plural ending keeps the address corporate, while the imperfect form functions in a prohibition shaped by the surrounding command.

What the Form Is Doing

תֵֽלְכ֔וּן appears in Deuteronomy 6:14 as a Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun. It addresses the covenant community as "you" plural and carries the forbidden action inside the command not to follow other gods.

The Qal imperfect second-person plural form occurs in a negative command in Deuteronomy 6:14; the command setting gives the form its warning force.

Why It Matters for Interpretation

The form sharpens the verse as a direct covenant warning. The second-person plural ending keeps the address corporate, while the imperfect form functions in a prohibition shaped by the surrounding command.

The form carries the forbidden action in a covenant warning against following other gods.

Translation Effect

The person and number support the plural address, while the negative command context supplies the prohibition.

The form guide should support the public Bible reading, not replace it with a private rendering.

What It Does Not Prove

Do not derive a full word study, grammar doctrine, or passage theology from V-Qal-Imperf-2mp | Pn alone. The form identifies the occurrence-level action within this warning.

Grammar should serve context, not override it.

Do not treat the Hebrew imperfect as a simple English future in every passage.

Evidence from the Form Guide

The BSB+ row for Deuteronomy 6:14 links the English rendering "follow" with תֵֽלְכ֔וּן, Strong's H1980, and the parsing label V-Qal-Imperf-2mp | Pn.

When teaching Deuteronomy 6:14, connect the second-person plural ending to the corporate address and the negative command to the warning against following other gods.

What It Does Not Prove

Do not derive a full word study, grammar doctrine, or passage theology from V-Qal-Imperf-2mp | Pn alone. The form identifies the occurrence-level action within this warning.
Grammar should serve context, not override it.
Do not treat the Hebrew imperfect as a simple English future in every passage.
Do not use the stem label by itself to settle a theological claim.