Deuteronomy 6
Deuteronomy Chapter 6, Explained
Moses gives the great confession of Israel's faith, the Shema: Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD, and you shall love him with all your heart, soul, and might. These words are to fill the home, be taught to children, and marked on hand, brow, doorpost, and gate. Moses warns that in the coming abundance Israel must not forget the God who redeemed them from Egypt or test him as at Massah.
Key verses from Deuteronomy 6
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:”
Deuteronomy 6:4
“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
Deuteronomy 6:5
What happens in Deuteronomy 6
Moses sets out the commandments Israel is to keep in the land, that they may fear the LORD and their days be prolonged. He speaks the words that would become Israel's daily confession: Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD, and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and might. These words are to be in the heart, taught diligently to children, spoken at home and on the way, bound on the hand and between the eyes, and written on doorposts and gates.
Moses warns that when God brings them into a land of cities they did not build and wells they did not dig, they must beware of forgetting the LORD who brought them out of slavery. They must not go after other gods, nor tempt God as at Massah. When children ask the meaning of these commands, parents are to tell the story of redemption from Egypt.
Where Deuteronomy 6 sits
This chapter contains the Shema, from the Hebrew word hear, Israel's central declaration of faith and love for the one God, recited daily by devout Jews to this day. Delivered as Israel prepares to enter a prosperous land, it addresses the peculiar danger of comfort: that abundance not built by their own hands would tempt them to forget the God who gave it. Jesus draws directly on this chapter.
Themes in Deuteronomy 6
The one LORD and whole hearted love. The Shema declares God is one and demands love with heart, soul, and might, the entire person. Faith is not a compartment but the orientation of a whole life toward the one true God. This total, undivided love is the foundation of everything else Israel is called to be.
Faith passed to children. These words are to be taught diligently, spoken at home and on the road, from waking to sleeping. Faith is handed down through ordinary, constant conversation. God intends each generation to receive the story and the love from parents who live and speak it daily.
Remember in abundance. The gravest danger is not the wilderness but the good land, where full houses and dug wells tempt Israel to forget the God who gave them. Prosperity can erode gratitude. Moses warns that comfort is a subtler test of loyalty than hardship ever was.
How Deuteronomy 6 points to Jesus
When asked which is the first commandment of all, Jesus answered by quoting this chapter directly: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. He named the Shema the greatest commandment, so the confession of Deuteronomy 6 stands at the center of his own teaching. In his wilderness temptation Jesus also drew his defense from this chapter, answering the tempter with its words: you shall fear the Lord your God and serve him, and you shall not tempt the Lord your God as at Massah. Where Israel forgot God in abundance and tested him in the desert, Christ loved the Father perfectly and trusted him fully, embodying the whole hearted devotion the Shema commands and enabling his people to love God through him.
A thought to carry
Ask whether your love for God engages your whole self or only a corner of your life. And notice where comfort has quietly dulled your gratitude. Let the Shema realign you, and remember the God who gave you everything you did not build. Teach it to those who come after you.
A prayer. Hear my heart, O LORD, for you are one, and I would love you with all that I am. Guard me from forgetting you in the days of plenty. Teach me to pass this love to those who follow. Amen.
Want to sit with this chapter for yourself? Read all of Deuteronomy 6 in the King James Version, then open The Living Bread to ask any question about it and pray with others, free.
Questions people ask about Deuteronomy 6
Why is the Shema so central to Israel and to Jesus?
Because it names the foundation of everything: God is one, and he is to be loved with the whole person, heart, soul, and might. All other commands flow from this single, total devotion. Jesus affirmed it as the greatest commandment of all, quoting it directly. To love the one God completely is the first calling of every person, and the New Testament shows Christ living it out perfectly on our behalf.
Why warn against forgetting God specifically in prosperity?
Because comfort is a subtler danger than hardship. In the wilderness Israel depended on God daily, but in a land of cities they did not build and wells they did not dig, they could imagine they needed him less. Moses warns that full houses can empty the heart of gratitude. The remedy is remembrance, telling the story of redemption so that abundance leads to thanksgiving rather than forgetfulness.
Every chapter in Deuteronomy
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