Hear, O Israel
The Hebrew word for "hear" is "Shema," which means to listen, to heed, or to obey. This is not merely a call to auditory reception but an invitation to active engagement and response. The phrase "O Israel" identifies the audience as the chosen people of God, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Historically, this call to attention is significant as it underscores the covenant relationship between God and Israel. It is a reminder of their identity and their unique role as God's people, set apart to be a light to the nations.

The LORD
The term "LORD" in all capital letters is a translation of the Hebrew name "YHWH" (Yahweh), the personal name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). This name signifies God's eternal, self-existent nature and His covenantal faithfulness. In the context of Deuteronomy, it emphasizes God's unchanging character and His sovereign authority over Israel. The use of this name is a reminder of God's intimate relationship with His people and His commitment to them.

our God
The phrase "our God" indicates a personal and communal relationship. The Hebrew word for God here is "Elohim," a plural form that denotes majesty and power. This plurality within unity hints at the complexity of God's nature, which Christians understand more fully in the doctrine of the Trinity. The possessive "our" signifies that God is not a distant deity but one who is actively involved in the lives of His people, guiding, protecting, and providing for them.

the LORD is One
The declaration "the LORD is One" is a profound theological statement affirming the monotheistic essence of the Hebrew faith. The Hebrew word for "one" is "echad," which can denote a compound unity. This oneness speaks to God's indivisibility and uniqueness, setting Him apart from the polytheistic beliefs of surrounding nations. For conservative Christians, this verse is foundational, affirming the belief in one God who is sovereign over all creation. It calls believers to exclusive devotion and love for God, as further expounded in the following verses of Deuteronomy 6.

(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)