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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 6:10

And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land ,.... The land of Canaan, on the borders of which they now were, and were just going into: which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee ; of his own free favour and good will, without any merit and desert of theirs, and in which would be found great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not ; large and capacious, delightfully situated, well built, and strongly... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 6:11

And houses full of all good things which thou filledst not ,.... Not only full of good, convenient, and rich household furniture, but of the fruits of the earth, of corn, and wine, and oil, and also, perhaps, of gold and silver: and wells digged which thou diggedst not ; which in those hot and dry countries were in much esteem, and of great worth; see Genesis 26:18 , vineyards and olive trees which thou plantedst not ; which Canaan abounded with much more than Egypt, where there... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 6:12

Then beware lest thou forget the Lord ,.... To love, fear, and worship him, and keep his commands; creature enjoyments being apt to get possession of the heart, and the affections of it; Proverbs 30:9 . which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage ; into a land abounding with all the above good things, and therefore under the highest obligations to remember the Lord and his kindnesses, and to serve and glorify him: Exodus 20:2 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 6:13

Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him ,.... Serve him through fear; not through slavish fear, a fear of hell and damnation; but through filial fear, a reverential affection for that God that had brought them out of a state of bondage into great and glorious liberty, out of Egypt into Canaan's land, out of a place of misery into a land of plenty; and therefore should fear the Lord and his goodness, and from such a fear of him serve him, in every part of worship, public and private,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 6:14

Ye shall not go after other gods ,.... To serve and worship them, and swear by them; and which indeed are no gods, only nominal and fictitious ones; idols which are nothing in the world, and ought to have no veneration and adoration given them; to go after them is to worship them, and this is to depart from the true God, and go a whoring after false deities: of the gods of the people which are round about you ; the gods of the Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, Philistines, and Egyptians;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 6:15

For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you ,.... He was near to them, in the midst of them, his tabernacle being placed between their camps; and was a God jealous of his honour and glory in matters of worship, and would resent any affront given him in that way: lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee ; there being nothing more apt to stir up his wrath than idolatry: and destroy thee from off the face of the earth ; suffer them to be carried captive out of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:12

Beware lest thou forget the Lord - In earthly prosperity men are apt to forget heavenly things. While the animal senses have every thing they can wish, it is difficult for the soul to urge its way to heaven; the animal man is happy, and the desires of the soul are absorbed in those of the flesh. God knows this well; and therefore, in his love to man, makes comparative poverty and frequent affliction his general lot. Should not every soul therefore magnify God for this lot in life? "Before I... read more

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

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