My Notes
What Does Deuteronomy 6:4 Mean?
The Shema — Israel's foundational confession of faith: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD." Six Hebrew words (Shema Yisrael YHWH Eloheinu YHWH Echad) that define the entire theological identity of the Jewish people. One God. One LORD. The confession that everything else in the faith depends on.
The word "hear" (shema) means more than auditory reception. It means to listen with intention, to obey, to respond. The Shema isn't an informational statement; it's a call to action. Hear doesn't mean "take note." It means "align your entire life around this reality."
The word "one" (echad) has generated centuries of theological discussion. It can mean numerically one (there's only one God) or unified one (God is a unified whole). Jewish theology emphasizes the former; Christian theology sees the latter as compatible with Trinitarian understanding. Either way, the assertion is exclusive: there is one LORD, and no other.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does 'hear' (shema — listen with your whole life) demand beyond intellectual acknowledgment?
- 2.How does the oneness of God produce the totality of the love command that follows?
- 3.Where is your devotion divided among multiple 'lords' despite confessing one?
- 4.What does it mean that Jesus considered this the greatest commandment — and what follows from that for you?
Devotional
Hear, O Israel. The LORD our God is one LORD. Six words in Hebrew. The most important sentence in the Jewish faith. The theological foundation of everything that follows in the Bible — and the prayer every Jewish person recites morning and evening.
The command to hear is the command to live: shema doesn't mean passively register the information. It means orient your entire existence around the reality that follows. The LORD your God is one. Therefore: love him with everything (verse 5). Therefore: teach it to your children (verse 7). Therefore: bind it on your hands and between your eyes (verse 8). Everything that flows from the Shema depends on whether you heard it — really heard it, life-changingly heard it.
The oneness of God is the theological bedrock. If there's one God, your worship is undivided. If there's one LORD, your loyalty is exclusive. If the LORD your God is one, then nothing else is God and no one else is Lord. The confession eliminates every competitor. It simplifies your worship to its most essential form: one God, all of you.
Jesus calls this the greatest commandment (Mark 12:29-30) — and he quotes the Shema as the preface before the command to love. The love that follows is only possible because of the oneness that precedes it. You can't love God with all your heart if your heart is divided among multiple gods. The oneness of God produces the totality of love. One God demands one devotion.
This is the prayer Jesus prayed every morning. The words Mary taught him as a child. The confession that shaped his entire self-understanding. Before "the Word was God" (John 1:1), there was "The LORD our God is one LORD." The second completes the first. The Shema is still the foundation.
Is God one in your life? Or is your devotion divided among multiple lords?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Hear, O Israel,.... These are the words of Moses, stirring up the people to an attention to what he was about to say of…
These words form the beginning of what is termed the “Shema” (“Hear”) in the Jewish Services, and belong to the daily…
Here is, I. A brief summary of religion, containing the first principles of faith and obedience, Deu 6:4, Deu 6:5. These…
The Essential Creed and Duty of Israel, with enforcement of them. Known from its initial word as The Shĕma-(Hear), this…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture