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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 6:4-16

Here is, I. A brief summary of religion, containing the first principles of faith and obedience, Deut. 6:4, 5. These two verses the Jews reckon one of the choicest portions of scripture: they write it in their phylacteries, and think themselves not only obliged to say it at least twice every day, but very happy in being so obliged, having this saying among them, Blessed are we, who every morning and evening say, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. But more blessed are we if we duly... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 6:4

Hear, O Israel ,.... These are the words of Moses, stirring up the people to an attention to what he was about to say of this great and momentous article, the unity of God, to prevent their going into polytheism and idolatry. From one of the words here used, the Jews call this section Kiriathshema, which they oblige themselves to read twice a day, morning and evening F14 Mist. Beracot, c. 1. sect. 1, 2. ; the last letter of the first word in this verse, "Shema", meaning "hear", and the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:4

Hear, O Israel - אחד יהוה אלהינו יהוה ישראל שמע shema Yisrael , Yehovah Eloheinu , Yehovah achad . These words may be variously rendered into English; but almost all possible verbal varieties in the translation (and there can be none other) amount to the same sense: "Israel, hear! Jehovah, our God, is one Jehovah;" or, "Jehovah is our God, Jehovah is one;" or, "Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone;" or, "Jehovah is our God, Jehovah who is one;" or, "Jehovah, who is our God, is the one... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:4

Verse 4 4.Hear, O Israel. When Moses proclaims that God is One, the statement is not confined to His sole essence, which is incomprehensible, but must be also understood of His power and glory, which had been manifested to the people; as though he had said, that they would be guilty of rebellion unless they abode in the One God, who had laid them under such obligations to Himself. Therefore he not only calls him Jehovah, but at the same time infers that He is the God of that people whom he... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Deuteronomy 6:4

These words form the beginning of what is termed the “Shema” (“Hear”) in the Jewish Services, and belong to the daily morning and evening office. They may be called “the creed of the Jews.”This weighty text contains far more than a mere declaration of the unity of God as against polytheism; or of the sole authority of the revelation that He had made to Israel as against other pretended manifestations of His will and attributes. It asserts that the Lord God of Israel is absolutely God, and none... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Deuteronomy 6:4

Deuteronomy 6:4. Hear, O Israel! The passage contained in this and the following verse, the Jews reckoned one of their choicest portions of Scripture. They wrote it on their phylacteries, (or slips of parchment bound on their foreheads, their necks, their breasts, or wrists,) and thought themselves not only obliged to repeat it twice every day, but very happy in being so obliged; having this saying among them, “Blessed are we who, every morning and evening, say, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 6:1-25

The power of love (6:1-25)No matter how strong their determination to do right, the people would be unable to keep God’s law unless they first had a strong and genuine love for God himself. Love for him would give them the inner power to walk in his ways (6:1-5). As well as keeping God’s commandments themselves, they had to teach their children to do likewise. Their family life was to be guided by the knowledge of God’s law. Their house was to be known as a place where people loved God’s law... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Deuteronomy 6:4

Hear. In the Hebrew text this word ( sham'a) has the last letter majuscular (i.e. larger than the others) as also the last letter of the last word ( 'echad ), to emphasize "the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:38 . Mark 12:29 , Mark 12:30 ). These two letters taken together make 'ed = "a witness", because God is a witness and looketh on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7 ). In Hebrew. shem'a yisrael yeh6va elheynu yehova. echad = "Hear, O Israel, Jehovah (the Self and ever existing One), our... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:4

"Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah; and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Ver. 4, 5. The Lord our God is one Lord, &c.— As polytheism was the great error of the world, the Jewish religion and laws were calculated to strike at the root of that epidemical evil. Therefore, the first and fundamental article of their creed is, that, as there is but one supreme God, Jehovah, the self-existent and everlasting; so he alone is to be the object of worship, in opposition to the many idols and false gods which were worshipped by the heathen nations. For this purpose, Le... read more

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