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 in Mark 12:29. The oneness of God also points to the unity within the Godhead, a theme further developed in Christian theology concerning the Trinity.

1. Moses
The author of Deuteronomy, delivering God's commandments to the Israelites.

2. Israel
The 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. Shema
The traditional Jewish declaration of faith, beginning with this verse, emphasizing the oneness of God.

5. Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which the Israelites are preparing to enter, where they are to live out these commandments.The Oneness of God
The 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 Obey
The word "Hear" (Hebrew: "Shema") implies not just listening but also obeying. Believers are called to actively respond to God's commandments.

Covenant Relationship
This 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 Worship
Understanding God's oneness is crucial for genuine love and worship. It demands our total devotion and allegiance.

Unity in the Body of Christ
Just as God is one, believers are called to unity in the body of Christ, reflecting the oneness of God in their relationships and community.(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. "We worship 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 ...


Hear,
שְׁמַ֖ע‪‬ (šə·ma‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

O Israel:
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

The LORD
יְהוָ֥ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

our God,
אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ (’ĕ·lō·hê·nū)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

the LORD
יְהוָ֥ה ׀ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

is 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)