לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת (la·‘ă·śō·wṯ) in Deuteronomy 6:1: Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת (la·‘ă·śō·wṯ) in Deuteronomy 6:1
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Deuteronomy 6:1 links the English rendering "to follow" with לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת, Strong's H6213, and the parsing label Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form shows that the instruction in Deuteronomy 6:1 is aimed at practiced obedience. The grammar marks the purpose phrase, while the verse supplies the covenant setting.
How To Communicate It
Explain this as a lamed-prefixed infinitive that points toward the response expected from the taught command. That helps readers connect instruction with obedience without overloading the form.
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 detach the infinitive from the preposition or clause that governs its force.
- Do not use the stem label by itself to settle a theological claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Qal
Infinitive
Not marked
Not marked
Not marked
Construct
Prep-l
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
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 "to follow" within Deuteronomy 6:1. Deuteronomy 6 presses covenant instruction into ordinary life: loving the Lord, remembering redemption, teaching the next generation, and walking in obedience.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The purpose phrase rendered "to follow" in Deuteronomy 6:1
The phrase follows the statement that the Lord commanded Moses to teach Israel His commandments, statutes, and ordinances.
It uses a lamed-prefixed Qal infinitive to express the obedience-oriented purpose of the instruction.
It does not make the infinitive carry the whole theology of obedience, and it does not turn one English rendering into every possible sense of H6213.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The form ties the teaching of the Lord's commands to the purpose of obedient practice.
Lamed-prefixed infinitive of purpose. points toward the response expected from the instruction. Attached to the instruction Moses is commanded to teach. Governed by the commandment-and-statutes clause in Deuteronomy 6:1. The lamed plus infinitive supports purpose, but the verse supplies the covenant meaning.
What is the instruction aiming toward? It is aimed toward following or doing what the Lord commanded.
Direct: The lamed-prefixed infinitive directly supports the English purpose phrase "to follow."
A lamed-prefixed infinitive can express purpose or result; Deuteronomy 6:1 gives it an obedience-oriented purpose. The English "follow" should be read from this occurrence and not treated as the only possible rendering of the lemma.
Infinitive proves obedience doctrine by itself: The infinitive marks the purpose phrase; the passage supplies the covenant command and response. Qal means simple action: Qal names the stem here; context, lexeme, and syntax explain the force.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Deuteronomy 6:1 links the English rendering "to follow" with לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת, Strong's H6213, and the parsing label Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf.
H6213 is represented here by the lemma עָשָׂה. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "to follow" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
The lamed-prefixed Qal infinitive connects the teaching command to the expected response, expressed in English as "to follow."
Deuteronomy 6 presses covenant instruction into ordinary life: loving the Lord, remembering redemption, teaching the next generation, and walking in obedience.
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 6:1, connect the infinitive phrase to the movement from instruction to obedient practice.
Do not derive a full word study, grammar doctrine, or passage theology from Prep-l | V-Qal-Inf alone. The form identifies the occurrence-level purpose phrase.