Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

6:1-2 commandment . . . statutes . . . rules. See 5:31. fear the Lord. A common command in Deuteronomy. See 4:10; 5:29; 6:13, 24; 8:6; 10:12, 20; 13:4; 14:23; 17:19; 28:58; 31:12, 13. Cf. note on Prov. 1:7.

6:3 milk and honey. This description of the land is added incentive to obedience. See also 11:9; 26:9, 15; 27:3; 31:20.

6:4 Hear, O Israel. This verse is called the Shema from the Hebrew word for "Hear." The Lord our God, the Lord is one (see ESV footnote). The Lord alone is Israel's God, "the only one." It is a statement of exclusivity, not of the internal unity of God. This point arises from the argument of ch. 4 and the first commandment. While Deuteronomy does not argue theoretically for monotheism, it requires Israel to observe a practical monotheism (cf. 4:35). This stands in sharp contrast to the polytheistic Canaanites.

6:5 love. See 4:37. all. That the Lord alone is Israel's God leads to the demand for Israel's exclusive and total devotion to him. heart . . . soul . . . might. All Israelites in their total being are to love the Lord; "this is the great and first commandment" (Matt. 22:38). In Matt. 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27, Jesus also includes "mind." In early Hebrew, "heart" included what we call the "mind". "Might" indicates energy and ability.

6:6 on your heart. Cf. 4:39. The demand is for a heart that totally loves the Lord. Deuteronomy anticipates the new covenant, when God's words will be truly and effectively written on the heart (Jer. 31:31-34; also Deut. 30:6-8).

6:7-9 The two pairs of opposites (sit/walk, lie down/rise) suggest any and every time, place, and activity. bind them . . . write them. Many Jews have fulfilled these commands literally with phylacteries (v. 8) and mezuzot (v. 9), i.e., boxes bound on the arm and forehead or attached to doorposts containing vv. 4-5 and other Scripture verses. See also 11:18-20.

6:10-12 that you did not. This repetition stresses the nature of the land as a good gift of God. All these things took time, effort, or a waiting period before they were finished or bore fruit. eat and are full. The land will be bountiful and satisfying. But such a gift is not without its risks, notably forgetfulness. To forget is less a memory problem than a moral one, a parallel to disobedience (8:11).

6:13 fear. See v. 2 and note on vv. 1-2. Jesus quotes this verse in his refusal to bow down to Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:10; Luke 4:8), demonstrating that he was God's perfect Son, whereas Israel had failed its wilderness tests. See also Deut. 6:16 and 8:3.

6:14-15 other gods. Deuteronomy's great fear--Israel's potential apostasy--is reiterated (cf. 4:16-19; 8:11-20). jealous. See 4:24 and note on 4:23-24.

6:16 You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. Testing God is an act of disobedience and a lack of trust in him. Israel's behavior at Massah (see Ex. 17:7) was a constant pattern in the wilderness (Num. 14:22). Jesus quoted this verse in his wilderness temptations (Matt. 4:7; Luke 4:12).

6:20-24 What is the meaning . . . ? This hypothetical question (cf. Ex. 12:26) elicits an answer that the law is set in the context of salvation from Egypt (see also the preface to the Ten Commandments, Deut. 5:6).

6:25 be righteousness for us. See also 24:13. This need not mean "righteousness as merited legal status," which would clash with God's gracious initiative (6:20-24; cf. 7:6-8). In context, the words mean "righteousness as the right response of obedience to God's covenant."