Question: Exodus 18:20:

> 
> **וְהִזְהַרְתָּ֣ה** אֶתְהֶ֔ם אֶת־הַחֻקִּ֖ים וְאֶת־הַתּוֹרֹ֑ת **וְהוֹדַעְתָּ֣**
>  לָהֶ֗ם אֶת־הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ יֵ֣לְכוּ בָ֔הּ וְאֶת־הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר
>  יַעֲשֽׂוּן׃
> 
> 
> My translation - somewhat "exaggerated" to point the nuances, here:
> 
> 
> You shall **warn** them about the statutes and laws and **make them know** about the path that they should walk in, and the work that they should do.
> 
> 
> 

Why is a different verb (see the bolded words) used regarding each different area? It seems that there is some nuance in the meaning of the objects following each verb that necessitates a different verb.

Answer: 
The [Malbim](http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=40081&st=&pgnum=275) says that this is the usual split of "עשה" and "לא תעשה". 

The form of "אזהרה" always comes regarding "לא תעשה" (since you **warn** someone of something that he shouldn't do). These too he splits into "חקים" which are "לא תעשה" for **physical actions**, and "תורות" which are "לא תעשה" of **thoughts and teachings** (pride, forgetting *Hashem*, etc.).

And for the "עשה", equivalently, "תודיע להם את הדרך" is parallel to the **thoughts and teachings** ("דרכי הנפש"), while "המעשה אשר יעשון" is the **physical actions** of "עשה".

By the way, the Malbim strongly opposes the view alluded to in Joseph's answer (that many verses in the Torah are formed in such a way that the second part is the equivalent, or slightly amplified version, of the first). His principle is:

> 
> * מפרש דברי אלהים באופן **שלא ימצא בשום מקום כפל ענין במלות שונות**.‏
> * **שכל מלה הבאה במאמר, מוכרחת לבא במאמר ההוא,** על פי כללי הלשון והבדלי הנרדפים.‏
> * שלא נמצא מאמר ריק מרעיון נשגב.‏
> 
> 
>
The usage of diffrent verbs in this posuk seems to be a reflection of [Synonymous Parallelism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_poetry#Parallelism) found in the Hebrew Bible in which each element of the second part of the verse or strophe are synonyms/explanations of the idea of its first part. 

You shall warn them (A)  

about the statutes (B)  

and laws (C)

make them know (A)  

about the path that they should walk in (B)  

and the work that they should do (C)