obey

«obey» in Mova's judaism dictionary: To do what a person, rule or law tells you to do — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (obey, obeys, obeyed, obeying)

meaning for a pupil

To do what a person, rule or law tells you to do. tree →

sense in the lessons

In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In the Torah, to obey is to listen to God's voice and do what is commanded, with "hear" and "do" tied closely together. Interpretation: Israel's answer at Sinai, "we will do, and obey" (na'aseh v'nishma), is famous. Tradition praises doing before fully understanding. In the primary lessons: In citizenship and safety lessons: obey the rules of the road, obey a lifeguard's whistle, obey safety signs and the law. In stories: soldiers obey orders, servants obey a king, a dog obeys commands. Also in science: objects «obey the laws of physics». Lessons also teach that you should never obey someone who tells you to do something harmful or secret — tell a trusted adult.

examples

• And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the hearing of the people; and they said: 'All that the LORD hath spoken will we do, and obey.' (Torah EXO.24.7, JPS 1917) tree →
• The word of God is in them as they burst forth, and as they return; they obey the divine command, rushing along as a whirlwind, returning to prostrate themselves at his throne. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887) tree →
• Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (Prophets 1SA.15.22, JPS 1917) tree →
• The sons of the stranger dwindle away before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me. (Prophets 2SA.22.45, JPS 1917) tree →
• As soon as they hear of me, they obey me; the sons of the stranger dwindle away before me. (Writings PSA.18.45, JPS 1917) tree →
• Dogs can learn to obey commands like «sit». tree →
• We must obey the school rules. tree →
• Always obey the lifeguard's whistle. tree →
• Drivers must obey the speed limit. tree →
• The soldiers obeyed the general's orders. tree →
• If a stranger tells you to keep a secret, do not obey — tell an adult. tree →
• Everything on Earth obeys the law of gravity. tree →
• "Master, I obey," said the genie. tree →

note

Regular verb: obeyed (keep the «y»). Noun: «obedience»; adjective: «obedient». Opposite: «disobey». «Obey» is stronger than «listen to»: it means you actually do what you are told.

In the corpora

• Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
• The sons of the stranger dwindle away before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
• As soon as they hear of me, they obey me; the sons of the stranger dwindle away before me.
• A false witness shall perish; but the man that obeyeth shall speak unchallenged.
• "Strong-willed" means defiant, refusing to obey.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «obey» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.