But for the love of God to be of the right kind, the commandments of God must be laid to heart, and be the constant subject of thought and conversation. "Upon thine heart:" i.e., the commandments of God were to be an affair of the heart, and not merely of the memory (cf. Deuteronomy 11:18). They were to be enforced upon the children, talked of at home and by the way, in the evening on lying down and in the morning on rising up, i.e., everywhere and at all times; they were to be bound upon the hand for a sign, and worn as bands (frontlets) between the eyes (see at Exodus 13:16). As these words are figurative, and denote an undeviating observance of the divine commands, so also the commandment which follows, viz., to write the words upon the door-posts of the house, and also upon the gates, are to be understood spiritually; and the literal fulfilment of such a command could only be a praiseworthy custom or well-pleasing to God when resorted to as the means of keeping the commandments of God constantly before the eye. The precept itself, however, presupposes the existence of this custom, which is not only met with in the Mahometan countries of the East at the present day (cf. A. Russell, Naturgesch. v. Aleppo, i. p. 36; Lane, Sitten u. Gebr. i. pp. 6, 13, ii. p. 71), but was also a common custom in ancient Egypt (cf. Wilkinson, Manners and Customs, vol. ii. p. 102).

(Note: The Jewish custom of the Medusah is nothing but a formal and outward observance founded upon this command. It consists in writing the words of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-20 upon a piece of parchment, which is then placed upon the top of the doorway of houses and rooms, enclosed in a wooden box; this box they touch with the finger and then kiss the finger on going either out or in. S. Buxtorf, Synag. Jud. pp. 582ff.; and Bodenschatz. Kirchl. Verfassung der Juden, iv. pp. 19ff.)

Deuteronomy 6:15 Parallel Commentaries

is a jealous

Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Exodus 20:5 You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God...

Amos 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

1 Corinthians 10:22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

lest

Deuteronomy 7:4 For they will turn away your son from following me, that they may serve other gods...

Deuteronomy 11:17 And then the LORD's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain...

Numbers 32:10-15 And the LORD's anger was kindled the same time, and he swore, saying...

2 Chronicles 36:16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets...

Psalm 90:7,11 For we are consumed by your anger, and by your wrath are we troubled...

destroy

Genesis 7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights...

Exodus 32:12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains...

1 Kings 13:34 And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.

Amos 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth...