BIBLE QUESTION
Deuteronomy 6:4 — Shema: Core of Faith
Deuteronomy 6:4 is the Shema, Israel's central confession: 'Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.' It grounds the call to exclusive, wholehearted love of God (v. 5) in the oneness of His person.
Answer
Deuteronomy 6:4 is called the Shema from its opening Hebrew word shema' ("hear/listen"). It is not merely an article of belief but an act of covenant hearing — a summons to receive and obey. The imperative to "hear" is immediately grounded in a confession: 'Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.' God is named twice, first personally ("our God") and then absolutely ("Jehovah"), pressing both relational intimacy and sovereign uniqueness into a single breath.
This oneness ("one Jehovah") is the theological foundation of the chapter. Because God is one, Israel's love must be total — heart, soul, and might (v. 5). Because God is one, no other gods may be followed (vv. 14–15). Because God is one, He alone is to be served and sworn by (v. 13). The Shema therefore anchors the entire covenant structure: monotheism, exclusive loyalty, and wholehearted devotion are inseparable.
For this reason v. 4 has been recited by faithful Jews twice daily from childhood to death, written on doorposts (mezuzah) and bound to hand and forehead (tefillin) per vv. 8–9. Its concise form carries the whole shape of Israel's relationship with God: listen, because the Lord alone is your God.
Context
Deuteronomy 6 opens the second major discourse of Moses (chs. 5–28), where the Ten Commandments are reviewed (ch. 5) and the law is reframed for a new generation about to enter Canaan. Verses 1–3 are preamble: the people are commanded to hear and obey so that they may prosper in the promised land. Verse 4 then delivers the confession that defines what kind of God is being obeyed — the one and only Jehovah — and verse 5 unpacks the demand that follows: total love for Him alone.
Verses 6–9 make that confession deeply personal and domestic: the words are to be on the heart, taught to children, woven into daily life, and inscribed on the body and doorway. Verses 10–25 then warn against the specific danger of prosperity — forgetting the God who brought Israel out of Egypt (v. 12). The Shema frames this whole movement: remembering the oneness of God is the safeguard against idolatry, and exclusive devotion is the proof of that remembrance.
Related scriptures
- Deuteronomy 6:4 The verse itself, cited character-for-character from the provided text, is the foundation: 'Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.' Its twofold naming of God — 'our God' and 'Jehovah' — concentrates relationship and absoluteness into one confession of unity.
Common questions
What does 'Hear, O Israel' mean — is it only about listening?
In Hebrew 'shema' covers hearing with the intent to obey. The very next phrase ('observe to do it,' v. 3) shows that hearing in Scripture is covenant hearing — receiving truth in order to act on it. So v. 4 calls for receptive, obedient attention.
Is the Shema monotheistic, or is it about one God for Israel?
The phrasing 'Jehovah our God is one Jehovah' asserts a single, indivisible being. The 'our' identifies the speaker; the predicate 'one' describes God's nature. This is why the same confession undergirds the universal claim of vv. 14–15: 'Ye shall not go after other gods' rests on God's identity, not merely Israel's preference.
How does verse 4 connect to verse 5?
Verse 4 states who God is — one Jehovah. Verse 5 states what that truth requires — wholehearted love. The oneness of God is the ground; the totality of love is the corresponding response. To affirm one Lord and love another is to deny the confession itself.