“May the Lord bless you and keep you,” says the famous Rabbinic Blessing (Numbers 6:24). “The Lord is your keeper” is the key sound bite and basic thrust of Psalm 121. Yet at the same time, how many times does the Hebrew Bible tell us to “keep” God’s commands? All sorts of familiar passages give us multiple, versatile meanings to the Hebrew verb shamar, including keep, guard, observe, preserve, and “take heed / be careful to.” It’s a handy verb for a Bible reader to keep in mind when we consider what our translation options are.
The verb shamar is used approximately 468 times in the Hebrew Bible, including 65 times in Deuteronomy, and 21 times in Psalm 119 alone. 284 times the King James Version uses the word “keep” to translate this verb. At least 41 times (often in Deuteronomy), the verb is used in a form (technically called Nifal imperative) where it means “be careful to” or literally “watch yourself” (King James: “Take heed” or “Beware”) followed by another verb, usually “to do” God’s commands. Be on your guard! Watch yourself! Make sure you do this!
“Keep,” “watch,” or “guard” works for the majority of passages where we find this verb shamar. Adam’s assignment in the Garden of Eden was to “work” the land and “keep” it, to watch and attend to its needs (Genesis 2:15). A flaming sword “guards” the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). Cain asks, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) When Joseph dreams that his whole family will bow to him, his father “kept the matter in mind” (Genesis 37:11). Ecclesiastes 3:6 says there is “a time to keep,” which serves as the opposite of “throw away.”
God’s people are to “keep” covenants (16 times), days, and commands (118 times). In all three of these, the choice of words seems to emphasize that one must be on guard to make sure that the action continues to happen. “Keep” is the verb used in Deuteronomy 5:12’s version of the fourth commandment. We are commanded to “keep” the Sabbath (nine times), the Passover (Exodus 12:17), and the entire month of Abib (Deuteronomy 16:1). God calls Israel to “Observe what I command you” (Exodus 34:11, followed by a number of specific laws) and “Keep my statutes” (Leviticus 19:19, followed by a similar list).
“Keeping” also means guarding, protecting, and preserving, whether it be flocks (Genesis 30:31), human souls (Psalm 41:2), or valuables for safekeeping (Exodus 22:7-10). The Passover is designated as a night of “watching” or vigil (Exodus 12:42). David cries, “Preserve me, O God!” (Psalm 16:1) Psalm 116:6 declares, “The Lord preserves the simple.”
The participle “one who keeps” is regularly used for “guard” (as opposed to “lookout,” which is usually tzōpeh). It is also used for the “keeper” with whom David left his sheep (1 Samuel 17:20), and the “keeper” of the baggage in 1 Samuel 17:22. Closely related to shamar, and often used in the same breath, is the noun mishmereth (used 78 times), a word frequently used in the expression “to keep a charge” (24 times in the book of Numbers alone), which is a duty or an obligation beyond God’s law, such as the unwritten duties of the priesthood.
Shamar is sometimes used for self-discipline, guarding our way (eight times), or restraining ourselves from danger or evil. The verb is used for restraining a violent ox in Exodus 21:29-36. God orders soldiers to keep themselves from embezzling sacred goods during war (Joshua 6:18), and to keep themselves from anything gross that would cause God to turn away from them (Deuteronomy 23:9). David declares that he has kept himself from iniquity (2 Samuel 22:24 = Psalm 18:24, composed probably before his sin with Bathsheba). In Psalm 39:1, David resolves to “guard” his ways and his mouth. Proverbs 7:5 says that wisdom will “keep” a young man from the exotic temptress. Proverbs 21:23 says, “Whoever guards (shamar) their mouth and tongue, keeps (shamar) themselves from trouble.”
The watchful side of “keep” may also involve observing while we watch. Eli “observed” Hannah’s mouth silently praying (1 Samuel 1:12). God asks Job whether he has ever “observed” how deer give birth (Job 39:1). Ecclesiastes 11:4 declares that whoever “watches” for the perfect wind conditions will never plant crops. Amasa fails to “observe” the sword in Joab’s hand (2 Samuel 20:10), and dies as a result.
So many meanings, that all flow from this one verb “keep”! Many of those meanings can be seen in Psalm 121, which proclaims that YHWH is our keeper, the One who watches over us, guards, and protects us. We humans have a different kind of keeping to perform. Our job is to keep God’s commands, to be watchful, and to keep or preserve ourselves from going astray. “May the Lord bless you and keep you!”
