---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Deuteronomy 6"
description: "CHAPTER 6   :-. MOSES EXHORTS
ISRAEL TO HEAR
GOD AND TO KEEP
HIS COMMANDMENTS. 1-9. Now these are the commandments,
the statutes, and the judgments, which"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy/6"
---

CHAPTER 6

. MOSES EXHORTS
ISRAEL TO HEAR
GOD AND TO KEEP
HIS COMMANDMENTS.

**1-9. Now these are the commandments,
the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to
teach you, that ye might do them . . . whither ye go to possess
it**—The grand design of all the institutions prescribed to
Israel was to form a religious people, whose national character
should be distinguished by that fear of the Lord their God which
would ensure their divine observance of His worship and their
steadfast obedience to His will. The basis of their religion was an
acknowledgment of the unity of God with the understanding and the
love of God in the heart ([Deuteronomy 6:4](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/6/4);
[Deuteronomy 6:5](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/6/5)). Compared with the
religious creed of all their contemporaries, how sound in principle,
how elevated in character, how unlimited in the extent of its moral
influence on the heart and habits of the people! Indeed, it is
precisely the same basis on which rests the purer and more spiritual
form of it which Christianity exhibits ([Matthew 22:37](../../../kjv/matthew/22/37);
[Mark 12:30](../../../kjv/mark/12/30); [Luke 10:27](../../../kjv/luke/10/27)).
Moreover, to help in keeping a sense of religion in their minds, it
was commanded that its great principles should be carried about with
them wherever they went, as well as meet their eyes every time they
entered their homes. A further provision was made for the earnest
inculcation of them on the minds of the young by a system of parental
training, which was designed to associate religion with all the most
familiar and oft-recurring scenes of domestic life. It is probable
that Moses used the phraseology in [Luke 10:27](../../../kjv/luke/10/27) merely in a figurative way, to signify assiduous, earnest,
and frequent instruction; and perhaps he meant the metaphorical
language in [Deuteronomy 6:8](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/6/8) to be taken in
the same sense also. But as the Israelites interpreted it literally,
many writers suppose that a reference was made to a superstitious
custom borrowed from the Egyptians, who wore jewels and ornamental
trinkets on the forehead and arm, inscribed with certain words and
sentences, as amulets to protect them from danger. These, it has been
conjectured, Moses intended to supersede by substituting sentences of
the law; and so the Hebrews understood him, for they have always
considered the wearing of the *Tephilim,* or frontlets, a
permanent obligation. The form was as follows: Four pieces of
parchment, inscribed, the first with [Deuteronomy 6:8](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/6/8); the second with [Deuteronomy 6:8](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/6/8); the third with [Deuteronomy 6:8](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/6/8); and the fourth with [Deuteronomy 6:8](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/6/8), were enclosed in a square case or box of tough skin, on
the side of which was placed the Hebrew letter (*shin*), and
bound round the forehead with a thong or ribbon. When designed for
the arms, those four texts were written on one slip of parchment,
which, as well as the ink, was carefully prepared for the purpose.
With regard to the other usage supposed to be alluded to, the ancient
Egyptians had the lintels and imposts of their doors and gates
inscribed with sentences indicative of a favorable omen [WILKINSON];
and this is still the case, for in Egypt and other Mohammedan
countries, the front doors of houses (in Cairo, for instance) are
painted red, white, and green, bearing conspicuously inscribed upon
them such sentences from the Koran, as "God is the Creator,"
"God is one, and Mohammed is his prophet." Moses designed
to turn this ancient and favorite custom to a better account and
ordered that, instead of the former superstitious inscriptions, there
should be written the words of God, persuading and enjoining the
people to hold the laws in perpetual remembrance.

**20-25. when thy son asketh thee in
time to come, saying**—The directions given for the instruction
of their children form only an extension of the preceding counsels.

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy/6#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Deuteronomy 6"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy/6#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy/6","name":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Deuteronomy 6","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy/6#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"CHAPTER 6   :-. MOSES EXHORTS\nISRAEL TO HEAR\nGOD AND TO KEEP\nHIS COMMANDMENTS. 1-9. Now these are the commandments,\nthe statutes, and the judgments, which","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy/6#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy/6"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy/6#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible","name":"Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy","name":"Deuteronomy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy/6","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/deuteronomy/6","name":"6"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]}
```