Femte MosebokenKapitel 6

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This is the commandment—the statutes and ordinances—that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, so that you may follow them in the land you are crossing over to possess,

so that you may fear the LORD your God by keeping all his statutes and commandments that I am commanding you—you, your children, and your children's children—all the days of your life, and so that your days may be long.

Hear then, Israel, and be careful to obey, so that it may go well with you and you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you.

Hear, Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

These words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Impress them on your children. Speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Bind them as a sign on your hand, and let them be as bands on your forehead.

Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give you—great and fine cities you did not build,

houses full of every good thing you did not provide, hewn cisterns you did not carve out, vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied,

be careful not to forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Fear the LORD your God, serve him only, and take your oaths in his name.

Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you,

for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. His anger would blaze against you, and he would wipe you from the face of the earth.

Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you tested him at Massah.

Be sure to keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and the decrees and statutes he has commanded you.

Do what is right and good in the eyes of the LORD, so that it may go well with you and you may enter and take possession of the good land the LORD promised on oath to your fathers,

driving out all your enemies before you, as the LORD has said.

In days to come, when your child asks you, "What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God commanded you?"

tell your child: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

Before our very eyes the LORD sent signs and wonders, great and terrible, against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household.

But he brought us out from there to lead us in and give us the land he had promised on oath to our fathers.

The LORD commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God, for our lasting good and to keep us alive, as is the case today.

And it will be righteousness for us if we are careful to keep this whole commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us."

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Sammanfattning2

Kapitel 6

Main Theme: Moses exhorts Israel to wholehearted love and obedience toward God as the foundation for life in the promised land.

Content: The chapter opens with the Shema—Israel's confession of faith that the Lord is one—followed by the command to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength. These words are to be taught to children, bound as signs on the body (tefillin), and written on the doorposts (mezuzah). Moses warns against forgetting God when enjoying prosperity in Canaan, against idolatry, and against putting God to the test. When children ask about the meaning of the commands, parents are to recount the story of the exodus from Egypt.

Key Words/Images:

Shema ("Hear, O Israel"): The central confession of faith affirming God's unity and calling for undivided loyalty (v. 4).
Tefillin and mezuzah: Physical reminders of God's words—bound on the hand and forehead, written on doorposts—that are to shape every aspect of life (vv. 8–9).
"A land flowing with milk and honey": A picture of the promised land's abundance and the fulfillment of God's promise (v. 3).
Faith instruction: The command to teach the commands to children and answer their questions with the story of salvation (vv. 7, 20–25).

Historisk kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Deuteronomy 6

Key Concepts

This chapter contains several Hebrew words and expressions with deep theological significance. The word שְׁמַע (shema) in verse 4 means "hear" or "listen," but in Hebrew thought it implies not only passive hearing, but active response and obedience. The expression יְהוָה אֶחָד (YHWH echad) – "the Lord is one" – is a central monotheistic statement that distinguishes Israelite faith from the surrounding polytheism. The word echad can mean both "one" (numerically) and "unique/only."

In verse 5, three terms are used to describe human wholeness: לְבָב (levav, "heart") refers in Hebrew anthropology not primarily to emotions, but to the seat of will and thought; נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) denotes the whole life-spirit or person; and מְאֹד (me'od, "strength/might") can also be translated as "resources" or "all you have." Together, they express total commitment.

Events and Customs

Verses 8–9 command physical reminders of the law. The expression טֹטָפֹת (totafot) in verse 8, translated as "bands" or "signs," was later interpreted literally in Jewish tradition as tefillin (phylacteries) – small leather boxes containing scripture passages that are bound on the arm and forehead. The word מְזוּזֹת (mezuzot) in verse 9 refers to doorposts, giving rise to the custom of attaching small containers with scripture passages to doorframes. Archaeological finds of early mezuzot from the Hellenistic and Roman periods show that these practices developed over centuries.

Verse 16 mentions מַסָּה (Massah), which means "testing" or "temptation." This refers to the event described in Exodus 17:1–7, where the people demanded water and "put the Lord to the test" by asking if He was among them. The place name serves as a warning against doubting God's presence and care.

Places

The chapter describes the promised land in verses 10–11 with its large and good cities, houses full of all good things, dug wells, vineyards, and olive groves. This reflects the Canaanite urban culture that the Israelites were to inherit. Archaeological excavations in Canaan have revealed advanced water cisterns carved into rock, as well as extensive agricultural installations with wine presses and olive presses from the Bronze Age. The description emphasizes that the Israelites were to inherit an established civilization they had not built themselves.

Chapter-Specific Findings

The Shema passage (verses 4–9) has been found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (Qumran scrolls), including in tefillin fragments from the first century BCE. These findings show that the text was already being used liturgically at that time. The Greek translation (Septuagint) of the Shema became central to the Jewish diaspora and is quoted by Jesus in the New Testament (Mark 12:29–30) as the greatest commandment.

Personer3

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Nyckelord10

Lord — A title used to refer to God, the almighty Creator.
Command — Instructions or orders given by God to His people.
Love — A deep devotion and care for God and His commands.
Heart — Symbolizes a person's inner being, including thoughts, feelings, and will.
Soul — The spiritual and immortal part of a human being, connected to their identity and relationship with God.
Strength — To show commitment and perseverance in faith and obedience to God's commands.
Teaching — Instruction and guidance about God's ways and commands.
Signs — Symbols that represent God's promises and presence.
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