The big picture
Deuteronomy 6 opens in verse 1 with “Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 13 with “Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.”, and closes in verse 25 with “And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, land, commanded, statutes, commandments. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Deuteronomy · King James Version · 25Deuteronomy 6:1-7
1–7: These are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the…
Deuteronomy 6:1–7 opens with “Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God…” and reaches “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Parents teaching the words of the Shema to children at home, on the road, at bedtime, and in the morning, with particular weight carried by LORD, command, commandments.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou…” The verse names God rather than leaving the action without a source. Watch whether the next line continues, answers, or contrasts that action.
Deuteronomy 6:1-7
King James Version1Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
2That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
3Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD :
5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deuteronomy 6:8-14
8–14: Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as…
Deuteronomy 6:8–14 opens with “And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between…” and reaches “Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Parents teaching the words of the Shema to children at home, on the road, at bedtime, and in the morning, with particular weight carried by LORD, full, gods.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” The line’s distinctive content terms include gates, house, posts. Its relationship to verses 8 and 10 shows what work it does in this passage.
Deuteronomy 6:8-14
King James Version8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
10And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
11And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
12Then beware lest thou forget the LORD , which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
13Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
14Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
Deuteronomy 6:15-21
15–21: (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the…
Deuteronomy 6:15–21 opens with “(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled…” and reaches “Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Parents teaching the words of the Shema to children at home, on the road, at bedtime, and in the morning, with particular weight carried by LORD, commanded, Egypt.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and…” The verse names God rather than leaving the action without a source. Watch whether the next line continues, answers, or contrasts that action.
Deuteronomy 6:15-21
King James Version15(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
16Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
17Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.
18And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD : that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,
19To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.
20And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?
21Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:
Deuteronomy 6:22-25
22–25: The LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon…
Deuteronomy 6:22–25 opens with “And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all…” and reaches “And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Parents teaching the words of the Shema to children at home, on the road, at bedtime, and in the morning, with particular weight carried by LORD, commanded, alive.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before…” Naming Egypt and Pharaoh keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Deuteronomy 6:22-25
King James Version22And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:
23And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.
24And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.
25And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Deuteronomy 6:1 begins with “Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither…”
Where the chapter turns
Deuteronomy 6:12 forms a natural hinge: “Then beware lest thou forget the LORD , which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”
The final note
Deuteronomy 6:25 leaves the reader with “And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, land, commanded, statutes, commandments, Egypt help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What repeated description explains the judgment?
The earth is corrupt and filled with violence, especially in verses 11-13.
What does obedience look like here?
Detailed preparation, gathering provisions and constructing what God commands.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.
