לְאַֽהֲבָה֙ (lə·’a·hă·ḇāh) in Deuteronomy 30:20: Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular
לְאַֽהֲבָה֙ (lə·’a·hă·ḇāh) in Deuteronomy 30:20
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Deuteronomy 30:20 links the English rendering "and that you may love" with לְאַֽהֲבָה֙, Strong's H157, and the morphology label Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf | 3fs.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form clarifies that love for the Lord is part of the verse's covenant-response chain, joined to obeying His voice and holding fast to Him.
How To Communicate It
In explanation, this form can help readers see that Deuteronomy 30:20 presents love as covenant allegiance expressed alongside obedience and clinging to the Lord.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not make an attached prefix carry more interpretive weight than the sentence gives it.
- Do not treat the attached suffix as a complete theology of the participant; let the verse identify the relationship.
- Do not detach the infinitive from the preposition or clause that governs its force.
- Do not make the Qal stem prove that love is simple, shallow, or merely inward.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Qal
Infinitive
Not marked
Not marked
Not marked
Construct
Prep-l
Third person feminine singular
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular
The infinitive phrase supports the clause's purpose, circumstance, or repeated pattern; the surrounding preposition and sentence clarify the force.
This form carries the BSB rendering "and that you may love" within Deuteronomy 30:20. Deuteronomy 30 gathers covenant return, the nearness of the command, love for the Lord, obedience, and the call to choose life.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The covenant-response sequence in Deuteronomy 30:20: loving the Lord, obeying His voice, and holding fast to Him
The prefixed lamed on a Qal infinitive construct, within the exhortation to choose life
It expresses the love response that belongs to the life-and-cleaving appeal of the verse, not an isolated emotion detached from obedience.
It does not define the whole doctrine of love, perseverance, or covenant life by itself; the verse and passage supply those boundaries.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The form carries the love phrase in a climactic covenant appeal where love, obedience, holding fast, life, and promise are joined.
Lamed-prefixed Qal infinitive construct in a covenant-response sequence. expresses the dependent love response coordinated with obedience and holding fast. Attached to the exhortation to choose life in Deuteronomy 30:20. Governed by the prefixed lamed and the surrounding command/exhortation syntax. The infinitive phrase should be read with the whole sequence, not as a detached word-study claim.
What response belongs to choosing life in this verse? Loving the Lord, along with obeying His voice and holding fast to Him.
Direct: The lamed-prefixed infinitive directly supports an English purpose or result phrase such as "that you may love" or "to love."
A lamed infinitive can express purpose, result, or complement depending on the sentence; Deuteronomy 30:20 ties it to the call to choose life. The Qal stem names the verbal stem but does not define the depth of covenant love by itself. The attached suffix is recorded in the morphology data, but the phrase's meaning is governed by the covenant-response context.
Qal means love is simple or basic: Qal identifies the stem; Deuteronomy 30 defines the covenant response in context. lamed infinitive always means purpose in the same way: The lamed infinitive forms the dependent phrase, but the surrounding exhortation decides the exact force. grammar alone proves a doctrine of perseverance: The form marks the love phrase; the passage and canon must govern larger theological claims.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Deuteronomy 30:20 links the English rendering "and that you may love" with לְאַֽהֲבָה֙, Strong's H157, and the morphology label Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf | 3fs.
H157 is represented here by the lemma אָהַב. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "and that you may love" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
The lamed prefix and infinitive construct create a dependent verbal phrase. In Deuteronomy 30:20, the phrase belongs to the call to choose life and is coordinated with obeying the Lord and holding fast to Him.
Deuteronomy 30 gathers covenant return, the nearness of the command, love for the Lord, obedience, and the call to choose life.
The form fits Deuteronomy's covenant pattern: redemption is remembered, the command is heard, and obedience is taught as life before the Lord.
When teaching Deuteronomy 30:20, use this form to show that love for the Lord is woven into the verse's call to life, obedience, and covenant attachment.
Do not derive a full theology of love, perseverance, or human ability from Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf | 3fs alone. The form marks the dependent love phrase in this occurrence.