1 Kings 3:14

3:14 If you follow my instructions¹ by obeying² my rules and regulations, just as your father David did,³ then I will grant you long life.”⁴

1 Kings 6:12

6:12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow⁵ my rules, observe⁶ my regulations, and obey all my commandments,⁷ I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David.⁸

1 Kings 9:4-5

9:4 You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations.⁹ 9:5 Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently,¹⁰ just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’¹¹

Exodus 19:5

19:5 And now, if you will diligently listen to me¹² and keep¹³ my covenant, then you will be my¹⁴ special possession¹⁵ out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine,

Deuteronomy 15:5

15:5 if you carefully obey¹⁶ him¹⁷ by keeping¹⁸ all these commandments that I am giving¹⁹ you today.

Zechariah 3:7

3:7 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘If you live²⁰ and work according to my requirements, you will be able to preside over my temple²¹ and attend to my courtyards, and I will allow you to come and go among these others who are standing by you.

¹tn Heb “walk in my ways.”

²tn Or “keeping.”

³tn Heb “walked.”

⁴tn Heb “I will lengthen your days.”

⁵tn Heb “walk in.”

⁶tn Heb “do.”

⁷tn Heb “and keep all my commandments by walking in them.”

⁸tn Heb “I will establish my word with you which I spoke to David your father.”

⁹tn Heb “As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, by doing all which I commanded you, [and] you keep my rules and my regulations.” Verse 4 is actually a lengthy protasis (“if” section) of a conditional sentence, the apodosis (“then” section) of which appears in v. 5.

¹⁰tn Heb “I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever.”

¹¹tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”

¹²tn Heb “listen to my voice.” The construction uses the imperfect tense in the conditional clause, preceded by the infinitive absolute from the same verb. The idiom “listen to the voice of” implies obedience, not just mental awareness of sound.

¹³tn The verb is a perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the idea in the protasis of the sentence: “and [if you will] keep.”

¹⁴tn The lamed preposition expresses possession here: “to me” means “my.”

¹⁵tn The noun is סְגֻלָּה (sÿgullah), which means a special possession. Israel was to be God’s special possession, but the prophets will later narrow it to the faithful remnant. All the nations belong to God, but Israel was to stand in a place of special privilege and enormous responsibility. See Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Ps 135:4; and Mal 3:17. See M. Greenburg, “Hebrew sÿgulla: Akkadian sikiltu,” JAOS 71 (1951): 172ff.

¹⁶tn Heb “if listening you listen to the voice of.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “carefully.” The idiom “listen to the voice” means “obey.”

¹⁷tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 15:4.

¹⁸tn Heb “by being careful to do.”

¹⁹tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB); NAB “which I enjoin you today.”

²⁰tn Heb “walk,” a frequent biblical metaphor for lifestyle or conduct; TEV “If you [+ truly CEV] obey.” To “walk” in the ways of the Lord is to live life as he intends (cf. Deut 8:6; 10:12-22; 28:9).

²¹sn The statement you will be able to preside over my temple (Heb “house,” a reference to the Jerusalem temple) is a hint of the increasingly important role the high priest played in the postexilic Jewish community, especially in the absence of a monarchy. It also suggests the messianic character of the eschatological priesthood in which the priest would have royal prerogatives.