Deuteronomy 6

Deuteronomy 6 is part of the long address that Moses delivered to Israel in the land of Moab. Having restated the Ten Commandments in the preceding chapter, Deuteronomy 5, Moses explains in this chapter how those commandments are to be kept in the heart and passed on to the next generation.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 The commandments, statutes, and judgments were given so that Israel would keep them from generation to generation in the land they were about to enter. If they keep them, they will increase mightily in a land flowing with milk and honey.
• Verses 4–9 Beginning with "Hear, O Israel," the passage confesses that the LORD is one. It then commands Israel to love the LORD with all the heart, soul, and might. These words are to be taught diligently to the children, bound on the hand and between the eyes, and written on the doorposts of the house and on the gates.
• Verses 10–15 Moses warns that when Israel receives cities it did not build and wells it did not dig, and eats and is full, it must not forget the LORD who brought it out of Egypt. He further exhorts the people not to follow the gods of the surrounding nations.
• Verses 16–19 Israel is not to tempt the LORD as it did at Massah, but is to do what is right and good. The Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) combines verses 18 and 19 into a single verse.
• Verses 20–25 When a son later asks the meaning of the commandments, the parent is to tell him how the LORD rescued their ancestors, who had been slaves in Egypt, with signs and wonders.

Key Verses

• Deuteronomy 6:4–5 "Hear, O Israel … thou shalt love the LORD thy God." Judaism calls this passage the Shema (Hebrew for "hear") and recites it daily. Jesus quoted it as the first commandment.
• Deuteronomy 6:7 "Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children." This verse is frequently cited as a basis for religious instruction in the home.
• Deuteronomy 6:16 "Ye shall not tempt the LORD." Jesus quoted this verse when he was tempted in the wilderness.

People and Places

• The LORD: The God who brought Israel out of Egypt, described as "a jealous God."
• Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: The patriarchs to whom the LORD swore to give the land.
• Pharaoh: The king of Egypt who held Israel in bondage.
• Egypt: The land where Israel lived in slavery.
• Massah: The place where, after the Exodus, the people tempted the LORD by complaining that there was no water (Exodus 17).

Points for Reflection

• "One" in verse 4: The Korean Revised Version renders the phrase "the LORD, who alone is one," while the New Korean Revised Version renders it "the LORD, the only one." Scholars are divided over whether the word means that God is numerically one or expresses exclusive loyalty, meaning that the LORD alone is the one Israel is to serve. Christianity accepts this verse as a confession of monotheism and explains it in conjunction with the doctrine of the Trinity.
• The practice in verses 8–9: Judaism observes this command literally. Small boxes containing passages of Scripture (the "phylacteries" of Matthew 23:5) are bound on the hand and forehead, and a small case containing Scripture (the mezuzah) is affixed to the doorpost. Protestants generally read these verses as a call to keep God's word close to everyday life.
• "Righteousness" in verse 25: The Lutheran and Reformed traditions read this verse within the distinction between law and gospel. Another interpretation, noting that the account of salvation in verses 20–23 precedes the commandments, understands the righteousness spoken of here as the response of obedience offered within the covenant by a people already redeemed.
• Connections with the New Testament: Verses 4–5 are quoted as the greatest commandment in Mark 12:29–30, Matthew 22:37, and Luke 10:27 (Mark 12:28–34). Jesus drew on verses 13 and 16 in answering Satan during the temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:7, 4:10).

In the Korean Church

• Deuteronomy 6:6–9 is known as the Shema passage. It is frequently cited in sermons emphasizing religious instruction in the home and family worship, as well as in Sunday school teaching, and some churches run educational programs that bear the name "Shema."
• It is widely used as a sermon text in May, which is observed as Family Month in Korea, including on Children's Sunday.