Deuteronomy Chapter 6 — Loving the Lord Your God
Moses instructs the Israelites to love God with their whole being and to diligently teach His commandments to their children throughout their lives.
1Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land that you go over to possess;
2that you might fear the LORD your God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you—you, your son, and your son’s son, all the days of your life; and that your days may be prolonged.
3Hear therefore, Israel, and observe to do it, that it may be well with you, and that you may increase mightily, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
4Hear, Israel: The LORD is our God. The LORD is one.
5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.
6These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart;
7and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
8You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
9You shall write them on the door posts of your house and on your gates.
10It shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you, great and goodly cities which you didn’t build,
11and houses full of all good things which you didn’t fill, and cisterns dug out which you didn’t dig, vineyards and olive trees which you didn’t plant, and you shall eat and be full;
12then beware lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
13You shall fear the LORD your God; and you shall serve him, and shall swear by his name.
14You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are around you,
15for the LORD your God among you is a jealous God, lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.
16You shall not tempt the LORD your God, as you tempted him in Massah.
17You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he has commanded you.
18You shall do that which is right and good in the LORD’s sight, that it may be well with you and that you may go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore to your fathers,
19to thrust out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken.
20When your son asks you in time to come, saying, “What do the testimonies, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God has commanded you mean?”
21then you shall tell your son, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand;
22and the LORD showed great and awesome signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before our eyes;
23and he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he swore to our fathers.
24The LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are today.
25It shall be righteousness to us, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
“Hear, Israel: The LORD is our God. The LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.”
Known as the Shema, these verses represent the central confession of faith for the people of Israel.
Deuteronomy 6:7
“and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
This verse establishes the importance of passing religious instruction to the next generation through every aspect of daily life.
Chapter Summary
In Deuteronomy 6, Moses delivers the central tenets of Israel's covenant with God. He introduces the Shema, declaring that the Lord is one and commanding the people to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength. Moses emphasizes that these commandments must be internalized and taught diligently to children through daily conversation and visible signs on their homes. He warns the Israelites that when they enter the prosperous land promised to their ancestors, they must not forget the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt. The chapter concludes by explaining how parents should answer when their children ask about the meaning of God's laws, instructing them to recount the story of the Exodus and explain that the statutes are for their own well-being and preservation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Shema is the declaration found in verses 4 and 5, stating that the Lord is one and calling for total love and devotion to Him. It is considered a cornerstone of Israelite faith and practice.
They were commanded to keep the words in their hearts, talk about them daily with their families, and use physical reminders like symbols on their hands and doorposts.
Moses warns the people not to forget God once they are settled in the land and enjoying its abundance, such as cities they did not build and vineyards they did not plant.
Parents are instructed to explain that the laws were given by the God who rescued them from slavery in Egypt to ensure their ongoing prosperity and preservation.
Study Note
The practice of binding signs on the hand and head mentioned in verse 8 eventually led to the development of tefillin used in Jewish prayer.
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