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Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:13

Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God - Thou shalt respect and reverence him as thy Lawgiver and Judge; as thy Creator, Preserver, and the sole object of thy religious adoration. And serve him - Our blessed Lord, in Matthew 4:10 ; Luke 4:8 , quotes these words thus: And him Only ( αυτῳ μονῳ ) shalt thou serve. It appears, therefore, that לבדו lebaddo was anciently in the Hebrew text, as it was and is in the Septuagint, ( αυτῳ μονῳ ), from which our Lord quoted it. The Coptic... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:14

Ye shall not go after other gods - The object of religious worship among every people, whether that object be true or false, is ever considered as the pattern or exemplar to his worshippers. Christians are termed the followers of God; they take God for their pattern, and walk - act, as he does. Hence we see the meaning of the terms in this verse: Ye shall not go after - ye shall not take false gods for your patterns. The Canaanites, Greeks, Romans, etc., were a most impure people, because... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:15

A jealous God - Jehovah has betrothed you to himself as a bride is to her husband. Do not be unfaithful, else that love wherewith he has now distinguished you shall assume the form of jealousy, and so divorce and consume you. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:16

Ye shall not tempt the Lord - Ye shall not provoke him by entertaining doubts of his mercy, goodness, providence, and truth. As ye tempted him in Massah - How did they tempt him in Massah? They said, Is the Lord among us or not? Exodus 17:1-7 . After such proofs as they had of his presence and his kindness, this was exceedingly provoking. Doubting God's kindness where there are so many evidences of it, is highly insulting to God Almighty. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:17

Ye shall diligently keep, etc. - On this and the following verse see the note on Deuteronomy 6:3 . read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:20

And when thy son asketh thee, etc. - "Here," as Mr. Ainsworth justly remarks, "followeth a brief catechism, containing the grounds of religion." What mean the testimonies, etc. - The Hebrew language has no word to express to mean or signify, and therefore uses simply the substantive verb what is, i. e., what mean or signify, etc. The seven thin ears Are, i. e., signify, seven years of famine. This form of speech frequently occurs. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:10

Verse 10 10.And it shall be, when the Lord thy God. Since wealth and prosperity for the most part blind men’s minds, so that they do not sufficiently attend to modesty and moderation, but rather grow wanton in their lusts, and intoxicate themselves with pleasures, God prescribes against this error by anticipation. For not without cause does he admonish them to beware lest they forget God, when they shall have been liberally and luxuriously treated by Him, but because he knew this to be a common... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:13

Verse 13 13.Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God. Hence it is more evident why He has just declared that there is One God, viz., that He alone may be undividedly worshipped; for unless our minds are fixed on Him alone, religion is torn, as it were, into divers parts, and this is soon followed by a labyrinth of errors. But, first, he calls for reverence, and then for the worship which may testify and demonstrate it. “Fear” contains in it the idea of subjection, when men devote themselves to God,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:14

Verse 14 14.Ye shall not go after. In this passage Moses commands the people not to turn away from the simple service of God, although examples of superstition may present themselves to their sight on every side. For this was a very destructive temptation, that none could be anywhere found who subscribed to the doctrine of the Law, although the respective nations had some religion, or at any rate the name of it existing among them. Since, therefore, these various forms of worship were so many... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:16

Verse 16 16.Ye shall not tempt the Lord. Since the doctrine here should undoubtedly be referred to the First Commandment, we gather from it that this is the main foundation of piety, to give to Him what is His own, and to diminish nothing from the prerogative which He claims. As we have already seen, unbelief was the fountain and cause of the tempting in Massah, for when the people neither relied on God’s providence nor rested on His paternal love, they burst forth into impatience, and at... read more

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