Throughout the book, moses is teaching the people of israel what god has called him to teach. The single most important belief in judaism is the belief in monotheism, the. Chapters 14 of the book set the stage by recounting key moments in israels journey from mount horeb sinai to the plains of moab, across the jordan from the longpromised land. For jews deuteronomy contains the decalogue and the shema hear, o israel, the lord our god is one 6. One traditional rendering is, hear, o israel, the lord our god, the lord is one. The original book of deuteronomy seems to have consisted of the reformoriented law code proper chaps.
A a gods anger for their unbelief and disobedience. The first line of the shema, hear o israel, the lord is our god, the lord is one shema yisrael adonai eloheinu adonai ehad deuteronomy 6. Deuteronomy 6 new international version niv love the lord your god. Feb 27, 2016 the main message of monotheism and obedience to the one true god of abraham remains intact in the torah. It is a book of teachings about faith and life to be passed on to future generations. You will also find options for commentaries on deuteronomy that help pastors, teachers, and readers with application of the bible, commentaries that approach the scripture versebyverse, classic christian commentaries, and much more. Moses charges them to keep gods commandments themselves. In the book of judges we see even the great samson marry a philistine woman.
The book of deuteronomy was cast in the form of ancient near eastern suzeraintyvassal treaties of the second millennium b. Moses embraces the task of persuasion as enthusiastically as he embraces the task of instruction. The book of deuteronomy begins by saying, these are the words which moses spoke to all israel beyond the jordan in the wilderness. General precepts, instructions to be given to their children. The book is designed to have three large sections, as you can see in our video on deuteronomy see above. Peter craigies the book of deuteronomy was one of the first of the commentaries in the new international commentary of the old testament nicot, having been published in 1976. Deuteronomy 6 commentary albert barnes notes on the whole. Commentary on deuteronomy 6 love the lord your god. The first verse encapsulates the monotheistic essence of judaism. For that reason, the ot elsewhere ascribes the bulk of deuteronomy and other pentateuchal legislation to moses see, e. Each page of this fourth volume in the commentators bible series contains several verses from the book of deuteronomy, surrounded by both the 1917 and 1985 jps translations, and by new contemporary english translations of the major commentators. Deuteronomy 6 commentary old testament matthew henry.
Deuteronomy 6 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. Deuteronomy 6 english standard version esv the greatest commandment. This longawaited commentary on the fifth and final book of the torah marks the brilliant completion to the highly acclaimed series. These are the words 1, a note about the length of the journey 2, the timing of moses speech 34, the site repeated 5, the command to leave horebsinai 68, moses need for leadership. The book of deuteronomy the new international commentary. Deuteronomy chapter 6 coffmans commentary of the new. And shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house thou shalt have religion at home, as well as in the temple and tabernacle. Granted, many parts of deuteronomy are straightforward and dont require extensive exegesis, but i definitely expected more on structure. The fourth volume in the acclaimed english edition of miqraot gedolot. These words are the opening sentence in jewish services. A messianic jewish devotional commentary jeffrey enoch feinberg on.
The book of deuteronomy was an endeavor by means of a dramatic use of the last words of mosesbased, not improbably, upon an actual tradition of a concluding address delivered by the great leader to his peopleto reaffirm the fundamental principles of israels religion namely, loyalty to yhwh and the repudiation of all false gods and to. Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand as at that time there were few written copies of the whole law, and the people had it read to them only at the feast of tabernacles, god seems to have appointed, at least for the present, that some select sentences of the law, that were most weighty and comprehensive, should literally be written upon their gates and walls, or. Moses taught the people all that, and that only, which god. Deuteronomy 6 commentary old testament matthew henry st. An entry into the jewish bible harperone, 1987, 7677. At the end of the day, the meaning between these options isnt drastically different. Chapters of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to the israelites by moses on the plains of moab, shortly before they. This commandment, called by christ the first and great commandment matthew 22. From the earliest days, the jews understood these verses as literal requirements. Chapters of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to the israelites by moses on the plains of moab, shortly before they enter the promised land.
Download a three year torah reading schedule three year torah reading cycle commentary on genesis commentary on exodus commentary on leviticus commentary on numbers commentary on deuteronomy purchase a hardcopy. The last volume of this series, genesis, is expected to be published in the spring of 2018. This key principle is attested to in this fundamental verse, known as the shema, which is recited twice each day by jews. Nov 04, 2012 2 as the beginning of a longer prayer comprised of deut 6. In the sight of the nations for though the generality of heathen, in the latter ages, did, through inveterate prejudices, condemn the laws of the hebrews, yet it is certain the wisest heathen did highly approve of them, so that they made use of divers of them, and translated them into their own laws and constitutions. Although weve already spoken of it a bit, the focus of deuteronomy chapter 6. It happened in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. The great design of god in giving his laws is, that the people may fear and obey him, that they may continue in peace and prosperity, and be mightily increased, deuteronomy 6. Jun 01, 2003 this may come as a surprise given the fact that it is a jewish commentary. It emphasizes gods love, justice, and transcendence.
Deuteronomy 6 niv love the lord your god these are the. All of the commentary found here can be purchased, consolidated in hardcopy format as individual softcover books, one for each book of the torah, or. Free bible commentary on deuteronomy in simple english. Deuteronomy is the last act of the jewish peoples drama before becoming a nation in its own land, and it forms the context of all that follows. This milestone commentary by jack lundbom is intended for any and all readers who want to better know and understand the key pentateuchal book of deuteronomy, which has had a huge influence on both judaism and christianity over the centuries. There is also a serious syntactic difficulty with this interpretation. It is said in the morning blessings, in the musaf amidah of shabbat and holidays, when the torah is taken out of the ark on shabbat and holidays, as a bedtime prayer, as part of the deathbed confessional.
The parental responsibility to provide correct guidance in leading their children is so important that god emphasizes it in deuteronomy 6 immediately after moses recounts the giving of the ten commandments and the formal ratification of what we know as the old covenant. But i did not find the rich exegesis that i would have expected. The best deuteronomy commentaries are listed below. David guzik commentary on deuteronomy 6, where moses reminds israel of the commandment and gives them a warning not to disobey. Deuteronomy 6 esv the greatest commandment now this.
These are the words that moses spoke to all israel beyond the jordan 1. Gods special leader is replaced by gods written revelation. Note, it requires a great deal of care and pains to keep up religion in the power of it in our hearts and lives. While that is true, deuteronomy is also a book of preaching. Now, in chapter 6, he gives the israelites the commandment that. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates jewish prayer deuteronomy 6. But i have been to enough catholic and jewish services to know that the. Unlike some of the commentaries in the nicot, craigies is, in my estimation, one that is primarily beneficial for the beginning student. The main message of monotheism and obedience to the one true god of abraham remains intact in the torah. The book also includes an introduction, a glossary of terms, a list of names used in the text. The shema is at the heart of jewish faith, but the rest of us speaking as a goy myself.
First published 500 years ago as the rabbinic bible, the biblical commentaries known as miqraot gedolot have inspired and educated generations of hebrew readers. This book stresses the covenant between god and israel, summed up in deuteronomy 26. Deuteronomy 6 moses reminds israel of the commandment and the warning a. There are a number of other commentaries on the book of deuteronomy that are worth consulting. It has been altered and interpolated over the centuries since the. Deuteronomy is the source of the concept that religious life should be based on a sacred book and its study. In the mind of many jewish people, this verse alone disqualified the new testament. The single most important belief in judaism is the belief in monotheism, the oneness of god. The jps torah commentary is known as one of the most authoritative and respected commentaries on the bible and is widely used in jewish and christian seminaries. Commentary on deuteronomy 6 love the lord your god tough.
Interestingly deuteronomy is the first book of the torah to actually speak of. The medieval jewish commentator abravanel says that this repetition was necessary since the whole of 1. Commentaries emphasize that the book of deuteronomy is a book of instruction. Deuteronomy, commentary by derek leman the hebrew nerd. It is unfortunate to characterize the ot as law and the nt as grace martin luther. The israelites had already discovered the practical implications when they celebrated the exodus in song.
The book itself ascribes most of its content to moses see 1. Hear, o israel is a jewish prayer, and is also the first two words of a section of the torah, and is the title better known as the shema of a prayer that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening jewish prayer services. In the unique system of gematriya, in which every hebrew letter is assigned a numerical value, the word echad, which means one and. Deuteronomy describes itself as a book of guidelines from yhwh for life torah in 29. The biblical book whose law and theology most directly shaped later judaism. As the biblical book that deals most explicitly with beliefs and attitudes, it plays a major role in jewish theology. Wright, david payne, and if you can find it used or in a library, the one by j.
With the book of deuteronomy, the entire biblical project becomes lucid and reaches its culmination. Chapter 6 begins a new unit in deuteronomy that runs until 11. Among the jews however, it is the name given to the square piece of parchment, inscribed with deuteronomy 6. Devarim deuteronomy chapter 6 parshah vaetchanan torah. The parental responsibility to provide correct guidance in leading their children is so important that god emphasizes it in deuteronomy 6 immediately after moses recounts the giving of the ten commandments and the formal ratification of what we know as the old covenant childtraining in the way of god is correct parental leadership. Among the torahs books, it is the most vigorous and clear advocate of monotheism and of the ardent, exclusive loyalty that israel owes god deuteronomy 4. Levenson, a jewish scholar, writes eloquently in this book about the sinai covenant and its continuing significance for today. Significantly, it was to the book of deuteronomy that the son of god himself turned for the material with which he frustrated and defeated the prince of evil on the occasion of the. The words moses spake to israel in the plains of moab, the promise of canaan. The book of deuteronomy, permeated as it is with covenant language.
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