Deuteronomy 6:4
Deuteronomy 6 :4
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
— NIV
Speaker: Moses
Context
The Shema, the central declaration of Jewish faith, part of Moses's final instructions to Israel.
Deuteronomy 6:4
The Shema (שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל) - the most important prayer in Judaism and the central affirmation of Jewish monotheism.
Significance
The Shema is:
- Recited twice daily in Jewish prayer (morning and evening)
- The first prayer taught to Jewish children
- Traditionally the last words a Jew speaks before death
- Inscribed in mezuzot (doorpost scrolls) and tefillin (phylacteries)
The Hebrew
Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד
- Shema - Hear/Listen (imperative)
- Yisrael - Israel (the people)
- Adonai - LORD (spoken instead of YHWH)
- Eloheinu - Our God
- Echad - One
Theological Import
The declaration “the LORD is one” (YHWH echad) affirms:
- Monotheism against polytheism
- God’s uniqueness and incomparability
- The unity of God’s nature
- Israel’s exclusive loyalty to YHWH