Hear, O Israel:This phrase serves as a call to attention, emphasizing the importance of the message that follows. It is a direct address to the nation of Israel, highlighting their identity as God's chosen people. The use of "hear" implies not just listening but also understanding and obeying. This call to attention is reminiscent of other biblical passages where God seeks to communicate vital truths to His people, such as in
Isaiah 1:2 and
Psalm 81:8.
The LORD our God:
This phrase identifies the speaker as Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. The use of "our God" signifies a personal and communal relationship between God and the Israelites. It underscores the covenant established at Sinai, where God declared, "I will be your God, and you will be my people" (Exodus 6:7). This relationship is foundational to Israel's identity and mission in the world.
The LORD is One:
This declaration is a profound statement of monotheism, affirming that Yahweh is the sole, indivisible God. In the ancient Near Eastern context, where polytheism was prevalent, this assertion set Israel apart from surrounding nations. It emphasizes God's uniqueness and unity, rejecting any division or multiplicity of deities. This concept is echoed in the New Testament, where Jesus affirms the greatest commandment, citing this verse inMark 12:29. The oneness of God also points to the unity within the Godhead, a theme further developed in Christian theology concerning the Trinity.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
MosesThe author of Deuteronomy, delivering God's commandments to the Israelites.
2.
IsraelThe nation chosen by God, to whom the commandments and teachings are directed.
3.
The LORD (YHWH)The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature.
4.
ShemaThe traditional Jewish declaration of faith, beginning with this verse, emphasizing the oneness of God.
5.
Promised LandThe land of Canaan, which the Israelites are preparing to enter, where they are to live out these commandments.
Teaching Points
The Oneness of GodThe declaration of God's oneness is foundational to the faith. It calls believers to recognize and worship God as the sole, supreme authority in their lives.
Call to Listen and ObeyThe word "Hear" (Hebrew: "Shema") implies not just listening but also obeying. Believers are called to actively respond to God's commandments.
Covenant RelationshipThis verse underscores the special relationship between God and Israel, which extends to all believers through Christ. It invites us to live in faithful obedience to God.
Foundation for Love and WorshipUnderstanding God's oneness is crucial for genuine love and worship. It demands our total devotion and allegiance.
Unity in the Body of ChristJust as God is one, believers are called to unity in the body of Christ, reflecting the oneness of God in their relationships and community.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 6:4?
2.How can we implement "The LORD is one" in our daily worship practices?
3.What does Deuteronomy 6:4 reveal about God's nature and uniqueness?
4.How does Deuteronomy 6:4 connect to Jesus' teaching in Mark 12:29?
5.How can acknowledging God's oneness influence our relationships with others?
6.In what ways can families teach children the truth of Deuteronomy 6:4?
7.What does "The LORD is one" in Deuteronomy 6:4 imply about the nature of God?
8.How does Deuteronomy 6:4 support the concept of monotheism in Christianity?
9.Why is Deuteronomy 6:4 considered a central declaration of faith in the Bible?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Deuteronomy 6?
11.Are they all in agreement?
12.What are common Muslim questions and their answers?
13.What are the core beliefs of Orthodox Judaism?
14.Do Christians worship three separate Gods?What Does Deuteronomy 6:4 Mean
Hear, O Israel“Hear, O Israel…” (Deuteronomy 6:4) opens with a summons that is both urgent and affectionate. God calls for more than casual listening—He asks for wholehearted attention that leads to obedience.
•Deuteronomy 5:1 records Moses saying, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances I proclaim…”—the same pattern of hearing that demands response.
•Isaiah 55:3 echoes, “Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, that your soul may live,” showing that life itself is tied to listening.
• In the New Testament,Romans 10:17 reminds us, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ,” linking this command to saving faith.
When God says “Hear,” He is inviting His people into an ongoing dialogue grounded in trust and obedience.
The LORD“…the LORD…” centers the focus on the covenant name of God, the One who revealed Himself to Moses inExodus 3:14 as the eternal “I AM.”
•Deuteronomy 4:35 declares, “You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.”
•Psalm 100:3 affirms, “Know that the LORD is God. It is He who has made us, and we are His.”
These verses underscore that the LORD is self-existent, sovereign, and personal. He is not an abstract force but the living God who acts, speaks, and redeems.
Our God“…our God…” highlights relationship. The LORD is not merely “a” God or even “the” God in distant terms; He is “our” God—personally bound to His people.
•Exodus 19:5–6 sets the stage: “If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession… a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
•Jeremiah 31:33 looks ahead, “I will be their God, and they will be My people.”
•1 Peter 2:9 reflects the same privilege for believers today: “You are a chosen people… that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you.”
Covenant language assures us that God claims us as His own, providing identity, security, and purpose.
The LORD is One“…the LORD is One.” This brief statement proclaims God’s unique, unrivaled unity.
•Isaiah 44:6 states, “I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no god.”
•1 Corinthians 8:4–6 affirms, “There is no God but one… yet for us there is but one God, the Father… and one Lord, Jesus Christ.”
•John 10:30 records Jesus saying, “I and the Father are one,” revealing that divine unity embraces the distinct persons of Father and Son without compromising oneness.
This oneness is the bedrock of biblical monotheism and the foundation for understanding the triune nature of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit perfectly united, never divided.
summaryDeuteronomy 6:4 calls God’s people to listen intently, centers their gaze on the self-revealing LORD, reminds them of a covenant relationship that makes Him “our” God, and proclaims His absolute, indivisible oneness. To hear is to obey; to know the LORD is to trust; to belong to Him is to find identity; and to confess His oneness is to worship Him alone.
(4, 5)
Hear, O Israel . . .--These two verses are styled by our Lord "the first and great commandment" in the Law. The first words of the Talmud concern the hours when this form should be recited in daily morning or evening prayer--"Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah" The unity of Jehovah, as opposed to the belief in "gods many and lords many," is the key-note of the Jewish faith. "
Weworship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity." But this truth, though visible in the Old Testament by the light of the New, was not explicitly revealed until it came forth in history, when the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world, and both sent the Holy Spirit to represent Him in the Church.
Verses 4-25. - THE FIRST AND GREAT COMMANDMENT. "In the fear of Jehovah all true obedience is rooted (vers. 2, 3); for this is the first and most intimate fact in the relation of Israel and Jehovah (
Deuteronomy 5:26). But where the supreme fear of Jehovah hinders men from allowing self to preponderate in opposition to God, there will be no stopping at this renunciation of self-will, though this comes first as the negative form of the ten commandments also shows, but there will come to be a coalescence of the human with the Divine will; and this is love, which is the proper condition of obedience, as the ten commandments also indicate (
Deuteronomy 5:10)" (Baumgarten).
Verse 4. -
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord. This is an affirmation not so much of the
moneity as of the
unity and
simplicity of Jehovah, the alone God. Though Elohim (plu.), he is one. The speaker does not say, "Jehovah is alone God," but "Jehovah our Elohim is one Jehovah" (comp. for the force of
אֶחָד,
Exodus 26:6, 11;
Ezekiel 37:16-19). Among the heathen there were many Baals and many Jupiters; and it was believed that the deity might be divided and communicated to many. But the God of Israel, Jehovah, is one, indivisible and incommunicable. He is the Absolute and the Infinite One, who alone is to be worshipped, on whom all depend, and to whose command all must yield obedience (cf.
Zechariah 14:9). Not only to polytheism, but to pantheism, and to the conception of a localized or national deity, is this declaration of the unity of Jehovah opposed. With these words the Jews begin their daily liturgy, morning and evening; the sentence expresses the essence of their religious belief; and so familiar is it to their thought and speech that, it is said, they were often, during the persecution in Spain, betrayed to their enemies by the involuntary utterance of it.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Hear,שְׁמַ֖ע(šə·ma‘)Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8085:To hear intelligentlyO Israel:יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל(yiś·rā·’êl)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478:Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his descThe LORDיְהוָ֥ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israelour God,אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ(’ĕ·lō·hê·nū)Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 430:gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlativethe LORDיְהוָ֥ה ׀(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israelis One.אֶחָֽד׃(’e·ḥāḏ)Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259:United, one, first
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OT Law: Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear Israel: Yahweh is our God (Deut. De Du) 
