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Deuteronomy Chapter
Six
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 6
In
this chapter Moses proceeds on in his exhortations to the people of Israel, to
attend to the commandments of God, that it might be well with them, Deuteronomy 6:1,
and begins with a principal and fundamental article of religion, which deserved
their first and chief regard, the unity of God, and the love of him, Deuteronomy 6:4,
which they were carefully to instinct their children in, and ever to be mindful
of themselves, Deuteronomy 6:6,
and when they were come into the land of Canaan, and into a plentiful enjoyment
of all good things in it, they are exhorted to be careful not to forget the
Lord, their kind benefactor; but to fear him, serve him, and not go after other
gods, since he is jealous of his honour and worship, Deuteronomy 6:10
and not to tempt him, as they had done, but diligently keep, his commandments,
that it might be well with them in that land, Deuteronomy 6:16,
and when their children inquired the reason and meaning of such testimonies,
statutes, and judgments, that were enjoined them, they were to give them the
history of their case in Egypt, their deliverance from thence, the wonders that
were wrought for them, and the introduction of them into the good land of
Canaan; and to let them know that these commands were some of them in
commemoration of these blessings; and by these they were laid under obligation
to regard them all, and the rather, since they were not only for the glory of
God, but for their own good, Deuteronomy 6:20.
Deuteronomy 6:1 “Now this is
the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them
in the land which you are crossing over to possess,
YLT
1`And this [is] the command,
the statutes and the judgments which Jehovah your God hath commanded to teach
you, to do in the land which ye are passing over thither to possess it,
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments,.... Not the
ten commandments repeated in the preceding chapter, but all others, whether
moral, ceremonial, or judicial, afterwards declared; for what Moses now did was
only to give a repetition and fresh declaration of such laws as he had before
received, and delivered to the people; and so the Targum of Jonathan thus
paraphrases this clause,"this is a declaration of the commandments,
statutes, and judgments:"
which the Lord your God commanded to teach you; that is,
which he commanded him, Moses, to teach them, though not fully expressed, as
may be learned from Deuteronomy 4:1.
that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it; this is often
observed, to imprint upon their minds a sense of their duty, even of obedience
to the laws of God, which they were carefully and diligently to perform in the
land of Canaan they were going into, and by which they were to hold their
possession of it.
Deuteronomy 6:2 2 that
you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His
statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your
grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
YLT
2so that thou dost fear
Jehovah thy God, to keep all His statutes and His commands, which I am
commanding thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all days of thy life,
and so that thy days are prolonged.
That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God,.... Being
taught to know the greatness of his being, and the nature of his mind and will,
and the manner of his worship; and not with a slavish fear, but with a filial
one, a reverential affection for God; being instructed in their duty, as of
children, to their God and Father; see Deuteronomy 5:29.
to keep all his statutes, and his commandments, which I command
thee; not in his own name, but in the name, and by the authority of
God, whose minister and messenger he was; and all, having the stamp of divine
authority on them, were to be observed and kept, and not one to be neglected or
departed from:
thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; a man and his
children, and grandchildren; he was to take care that they kept all the
commandments of the Lord as long as he lived, and had any concern with them:
and that thy days may be prolonged; long life being reckoned
a very great outward mercy; a long enjoyment of, and continuance in the land of
Canaan, is chiefly designed, which is usually expressed when this is observed;
see Deuteronomy 4:26.
Deuteronomy 6:3 3 Therefore
hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with
you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of
your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’[a]
YLT
3`And thou hast heard, O
Israel, and observed to do, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest
multiply exceedingly, as Jehovah, God of thy fathers, hath spoken to thee, [in]
the land flowing with milk and honey.
Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it,.... Or them,
the commandments given them:
that it may be well with thee; in body and estate:
and that ye may increase mightily; not only in wealth and
riches, but chiefly in numbers:
as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee; a promise of
increase of numbers was frequently made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; as that
their seed should be as the stars of heaven, and as the dust of the earth, and
the sand on the sea shore, innumerable; see Genesis 15:5 and
this especially
in the land that floweth with milk and honey; a very common
periphrasis of the land of Canaan, because of the plenty of good things in it;
see Exodus 3:8.
Deuteronomy 6:4 4 “Hear,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one![b]
YLT
4`Hear, O Israel, Jehovah
our God [is] one Jehovah;
Hear, O Israel,.... These are the words of Moses, stirring
up the people to an attention to what he was about to say of this great and
momentous article, the unity of God, to prevent their going into polytheism and
idolatry. From one of the words here used, the Jews call this section
Kiriathshema, which they oblige themselves to read twice a day, morning and
eveningF14Mist. Beracot, c. 1. sect. 1, 2. ; the last letter of the
first word in this verse, "Shema", meaning "hear", and the
last letter of the last word in it, "Echad", meaning "one",
are greater than ordinary; which seems designed to excite the attention to what
is contained in this passage:
the Lord our God is one Lord; the doctrine of which
is, that the Lord, who was the covenant God and Father of his people Israel, is
but one Jehovah; he is Jehovah, the Being of beings, a self-existent Being,
eternal and immutable; and he is but one in nature and essence; this appears
from the perfection of his nature, his eternity, omnipotence, omnipresence,
infinity, goodness, self-sufficiency, and perfection; for there can be but one
eternal, one omnipotent, one omnipresent, one infinite, one that is originally
and of himself good; one self, and all sufficient, and perfect Being; and which
also may be concluded from his being the first cause of all things, which can
be but one; and from his relations to his creatures, as their King, ruler,
governor, and lawgiver. And for this purpose these words are cited in Mark 12:29 but then
they no ways contradict the doctrine of a trinity of persons in the unity of
the divine essence, the Father, Word, and Holy Spirit, which three are one; the
one God, the one Jehovah, as here expressed; see 1 John 5:7 and so
the ancient Jews understood this passage. In an ancient book of theirs it is
saidF15Zohar in Gen. fol. 1, 3. Jehovah, Elohenu, Jehovah (i.e.
Jehovah, our God, Jehovah); these are the three degrees with respect to this
sublime mystery; "in the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and
the earth"; and againF16Ib. in Exod. fol. 18. 3, 4. , Jehovah,
Elohenu, Jehovah, they are one; the three forms (modes or things) which are
one; and elsewhereF17Ib. in Numb. fol. 67. 3. it is observed, there
are two, and one is joined to them, and they are three; and when the three are
one, he says to (or of) them, these are the two names which Israel heard,
Jehovah, Jehovah, and Elohenu (our God) is joined unto them; and it is the seal
of the ring of truth, and when they are joined they are one in one unity; which
is illustrated by the three names the soul of man is called by, the soul,
spirit, and breath; and elsewhere they sayF18Tikkune Zohar, Correct.
47. fol. 86. 2. the holy blessed God, and his Shechinah, are called one; see John 10:30.
Deuteronomy 6:5 5 You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
strength.
YLT
5and thou hast loved Jehovah
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might,
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God,.... Which is
the first and chief commandment in the law, the sum and substance of the first
table of it; and includes in it, or at least has connected with it, knowledge
of God, esteem of him, delight in him, faith and trust in him, fear and worship
of him, and obedience to him, which when right springs from it. God is to be
loved because of the perfections of his nature, and the works of his hand, of
nature, providence, and grace; and because of the relations he stands in to
men, and especially to his own people; and because of his peculiar love to
them; and, indeed, he is to be loved by all men for his care of them, and
blessings of goodness bestowed on them; the manner in which this is to be done
follows:
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
might; with a superlative love, above all creatures whatever; with the
whole of the affections of the heart, with great fervency and ardour of spirit,
in the sincerity of the soul, and with all the strength of grace a man has,
with such love that is as strong as death. Jarchi interprets loving God with
all the heart, that is, with thy heart not divided about God, a heart not
divided between God and the creature; "all thy might" he interprets
of mammon or substance; and, indeed, that is one way in which men may show
their love to God, by laying out their substance in his service, and for the
support of his cause and interest in the world. Aben Ezra by "the heart"
understands knowledge, and by the "soul" the spirit of man that is in
his body, and by might perfect love in the heart.
Deuteronomy 6:6 6 “And
these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
YLT
6and these words which I am
commanding thee to-day have been on thine heart,
And these words, which I command thee this day,.... To
hearken to, observe, and take notice of, that God is one, and is to be loved in
the strongest manner that possibly can be:
shall be in thine heart; on the table of the
heart, as the Targum of Jonathan; see 2 Corinthians 3:3,
be cordially received, have a place in the affections of the heart, and be
retained in mind and memory.
Deuteronomy 6:7 7 You
shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you
sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you
rise up.
YLT
7and thou hast repeated them
to thy sons, and spoken of them in thy sitting in thine house, and in thy
walking in the way, and in thy lying down, and in thy rising up,
And thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children,.... Care and
diligence are to be used, and pains taken, to instruct children, as soon as
they are capable, in the knowledge of God, and of his commandments; that they
are to love him, fear him, serve, and worship him; this is to bring them up in
the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Ephesians 6:4, it
may be rendered "thou shalt whet or sharpen them"F19ושננ־תאם "et acues ea", Vatablus, Piscator. , the
words or commandments; it is expressive of diligence and industry in teaching,
by frequent repetition of things, by inculcating them continually into their
minds, endeavouring to imprint them there, that they may be sharp, ready, and
expert in them:
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house; at the time
of meals, or at leisure hours, or even when employed in any business in the
house which will admit of it; every opportunity should be taken to instil the
knowledge of divine things into their tender minds:
and when thou walkest by the way; in a journey, and any of
his children with him; or for diversion, in the garden, field, or vineyard;
occasion may be taken on sight of any of the works of creation to lead into a
discourse concerning God, his nature, perfections, and works, and the
obligations his creatures lie under to love, fear, and serve him: and when thou
liest down, and when thou risest up; at the time of going to bed, and rising
from it; which, as they are seasons of prayer to God, may be improved in
instruction of children.
Deuteronomy 6:8 8 You
shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between
your eyes.
YLT
8and hast bound them for a
sign upon thy hand, and they have been for frontlets between thine eyes,
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand,.... As a man ties
anything to his hand for a token, that he may remember somewhat he is desirous
of; though the Jews understand this literally, of binding a scroll of
parchment, with this section and others written in it, upon their left hand, as
the Targum of Jonathan here interprets the hand:
and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes; and which the
same Targum interprets of the Tephilim, or phylacteries, which the Jews wear
upon their foreheads, and on their arms, and so Jarchi; of which See Gill on Matthew 23:5.
Deuteronomy 6:9 9 You
shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
YLT
9and thou hast written them
on door-posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thine house, and on
thy gates. To put them in mind of them when they went out and came in, that
they might be careful to observe them; this the Jews take literally also, and
write in a scroll of parchment this section with some passages; and, as the
Targum of Jonathan here, fix them in three places, over against the bed
chamber, upon the posts of the house, and on the gate at the right hand of it;
and this is what they call the Mezuzah; and the account given of it is this. In
a parchment prepared for the purpose, they write the words in Deuteronomy 6:4 and
then roll up the parchment, and write on it "Shaddai"; and put it
either into a cane (or reed), or else into a like hollow piece of wood, and so
fasten it to the wall on the posts of the door at the right hand of entrance;
and thus, as often as they go in and out, they make it a part of their devotion
to touch this parchment, and kiss itF20Buxtorf. Synag. Jud. c. 31.
p. 582, &c. Leo Modena's History of the Rites and Customs of the Jews, par.
1. c. 2. p. 5, 6. .
Deuteronomy 6:10 10 “So
it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land
of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you
large and beautiful cities which you did not build,
YLT
10`And it hath been, when
Jehovah thy God doth bring thee in unto the land which He hath sworn to thy
fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to thee -- cities great
and good, which thou hast not built,
And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee
into the land,.... The land of Canaan, on the borders of which they now were,
and were just going into:
which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob, to give thee; of his own free favour and good will, without any merit and
desert of theirs, and in which would be found
great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not; large and
capacious, delightfully situated, well built, and strongly fortified, without
any pains or expense of theirs; all ready for them to take possession of, and
dwell in; and so should no longer reside in tents or booths, as they had for
forty years past, but in spacious and noble cities.
Deuteronomy 6:11 11 houses
full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did
not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten
and are full—
YLT
11and houses full of all good
things which thou hast not filled, and wells digged which thou hast not digged,
vineyards and olive-yards which thou hast not planted, and thou hast eaten, and
been satisfied;
And houses full of all good things which thou filledst not,.... Not only
full of good, convenient, and rich household furniture, but of the fruits of
the earth, of corn, and wine, and oil, and also, perhaps, of gold and silver:
and wells digged which thou diggedst not; which in
those hot and dry countries were in much esteem, and of great worth; see Genesis 26:18,
vineyards and olive trees which thou plantedst not; which Canaan
abounded with much more than Egypt, where there were but few vines and olive
trees, though of both these there were more where the Israelites lived than
elsewhere; See Gill on Genesis 47:11 and
these therefore might be such as they had seen in Egypt, in that part of it in
which they dwelt, Goshen, which was in the Heracleotic nome, and that StraboF21Geograph.
l. 17. p. 556. says only produced perfect olives, and fruit bearing trees, but
the rest of Egypt wanted oil; and this home is the same which the Arabs now
call the province of Fium, of which Leo AfricanusF23Descriptio Africae,
l. 8. p. 722. says, it produces a large quantity of olives; so that this might
be observed for the encouragement of the Israelites:
when thou shalt have eaten and be full; having such
plenty of good things the land would furnish them with.
Deuteronomy 6:12 12 then
beware, lest you forget the Lord who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
YLT
12`Take heed to thyself lest
thou forget Jehovah who hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of a
house of servants;
Then beware lest thou forget the Lord,.... To love,
fear, and worship him, and keep his commands; creature enjoyments being apt to
get possession of the heart, and the affections of it; Proverbs 30:9.
which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage; into a land abounding with all the above good things, and
therefore under the highest obligations to remember the Lord and his
kindnesses, and to serve and glorify him: Exodus 20:2.
Deuteronomy 6:13 13 You
shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.
YLT
13Jehovah thy God thou dost
fear, and Him thou dost serve, and by His name thou dost swear;
Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him,.... Serve him
through fear; not through slavish fear, a fear of hell and damnation; but
through filial fear, a reverential affection for that God that had brought them
out of a state of bondage into great and glorious liberty, out of Egypt into
Canaan's land, out of a place of misery into a land of plenty; and therefore
should fear the Lord and his goodness, and from such a fear of him serve him,
in every part of worship, public and private, enjoined; this passage Christ
refers to Matthew 4:10.
and shalt swear by his name; when they made a
covenant with any, or were called to bear a testimony for the decision of any
controversy which could not be otherwise finished; or whenever they took an
oath on any account, which should never be taken rashly or on any trivial
account, and much less falsely; it should be taken not in the name of any idol,
or of any other but the true and living God; the Targum of Jonathan is,"in
the name of the Word of the Lord, in truth ye shall swear.'
Deuteronomy 6:14 14 You
shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all
around you
YLT
14ye do not go after other
gods, of the gods of the peoples who [are] round about you;
Ye shall not go after other gods,.... To serve and worship
them, and swear by them; and which indeed are no gods, only nominal and
fictitious ones; idols which are nothing in the world, and ought to have no
veneration and adoration given them; to go after them is to worship them, and
this is to depart from the true God, and go a whoring after false deities:
of the gods of the people which are round about you; the gods of
the Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, Philistines, and Egyptians; all of which had
their peculiar deities.
Deuteronomy 6:15 15 (for
the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of
the earth.
YLT
15for a zealous God [is]
Jehovah thy God in thy midst -- lest the anger of Jehovah thy God burn against
thee, and He hath destroyed thee from off the face of the ground.
For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you,.... He was
near to them, in the midst of them, his tabernacle being placed between their
camps; and was a God jealous of his honour and glory in matters of worship, and
would resent any affront given him in that way:
lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee; there being
nothing more apt to stir up his wrath than idolatry:
and destroy thee from off the face of the earth; suffer them
to be carried captive out of their own land, and to be scattered among the
nations of the world, and be utterly destroyed.
Deuteronomy 6:16 16 “You
shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him
in Massah.
YLT
16`Ye do not try Jehovah your
God as ye tried in Massah;
Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God,.... By
striving with him or against him, by murmuring at or complaining of his
providential dealings with them, or by requiring a sign of him, or miracles to
be done by him; this is another passage used by Christ to repel the temptations
of Satan, Matthew 4:7,
as tempted him in Massah; a place so called from
the Israelites tempting the Lord there, Exodus 17:7, the
Targum of Jonathan adds, with ten temptations; see Numbers 14:21.
Deuteronomy 6:17 17 You
shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God,
His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.
YLT
17ye do diligently keep the
commands of Jehovah your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes which He
hath commanded thee,
You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God,.... Not only
the ten commands, but all others:
and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded
thee; those of a judicial and ceremonial kind.
Deuteronomy 6:18 18 And
you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess
the good land of which the Lord swore to
your fathers,
YLT
18and thou hast done that
which is right and good in the eyes of Jehovah, so that it is well with thee,
and thou hast gone in and possessed the good land which Jehovah hath sworn to
thy fathers,
And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the
Lord,.... And what is such appears from the declaration of his mind
and will in the commandments he has given, and obeying which is therefore doing
what is right and good; for his commandment is holy, just, and good, being
agreeable both to his nature and will, Romans 7:12 that it
may be well with thee; as it is with those that fear God, and keep his
commandments:
and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the
Lord sware unto thy fathers; to give to them and to their posterity,
even the land of Canaan; but if they did not what was right and good in the
sight of God, they might expect to be kept out of it, as their immediate
parents were, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy 6:19 19 to
cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.
YLT
19to drive away all thine
enemies from thy presence, as Jehovah hath spoken.
To cast out all thine enemies from before thee,.... This the
Lord promised, and as it seems with an oath, that he would do for them; drive
out their enemies, and make way for the settlement of them in their country:
as the Lord hath spoken; see Genesis 15:18.
Deuteronomy 6:20 20 “When
your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the
testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?’
YLT
20`When thy son asketh thee
hereafter, saying, What [are] the testimonies, and the statutes, and the
judgments, which Jehovah our God hath commanded you?
And when thy son asketh thee in time to come,.... Or
"tomorrow"F24מחר
"cras", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus. ; that is, in later times, as
Jarchi interprets it; any time after this, and particularly after they were
come into the land of Canaan, when the several laws, statutes, and ordinances
appointed, would take place and be obeyed:
what mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the
judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you? what is the
reason of the various rites, customs, and usages, the observance of which is
directed to, such as the feasts of passover, pentecost, tabernacles,
sacrifices, and other duties of religion?
Deuteronomy 6:21 21 then
you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand;
YLT
21then thou hast said to thy
son, Servants we have been to Pharaoh in Egypt, and Jehovah bringeth us out of
Egypt by a high hand;
In
order to lead him into the spring and original of them, and to acquaint him
with the goodness of God, which laid them under obligation to observe them:
we were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; were brought into
bondage and slavery to Pharaoh king of Egypt, into whose country their
ancestors came, and where they resided many years, and at length were reduced
to the utmost servitude and misery:
and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; by the
exertion of his mighty power, which the Egyptians and their king could not
withstand, as a token of his care and kindness to us; by the ties of which we
are bound in gratitude to observe his commands. The Targum of Jonathan
is,"the Word of the Lord brought us, &c.'and it was Christ the Son of
God that was from first to last concerned in that affair, even from the
appearance to Moses in the bush to Israel's coming out of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 6:22 22 and
the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against
Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household.
YLT
22and Jehovah giveth signs
and wonders, great and sad, on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before
our eyes;
And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and sore,.... Meaning
the ten plagues, which were signs of the power of God, marvellous works, great,
above the power of nature, and very sore or "evil"F25ורעים "et pessima", V. L. Junius & Tremellius;
"et noxia", Tigurine version; "et mala", Pagninus,
Montanus, Piscator. ; very distressing to the Egyptians; for they came and lay
heavy
upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our
eyes; upon the king, his courtiers, and the whole land, and which were
done publicly in the sight of the people of Israel, as well as the Egyptians;
and there were some then living, though at that time when wrought under twenty
years, who saw with their own eyes what were done to them, and could never
forget them. Here also the Targum of Jonathan has it,"and the Word of the
Lord sent signs, &c'
Deuteronomy 6:23 23 Then
He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of
which He swore to our fathers.
YLT
23and us He hath brought out
thence, in order to bring us in, to give to us the land which He had sworn to
our fathers.
And he brought us out from thence,.... By means of those
miraculous plagues, even out of a state of bondage and misery: and in order
that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto
our fathers; to bring them into the land of Canaan, give it to them, and put
them in the possession of it; and so fulfil his promise and his oath made to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Deuteronomy 6:24 24 And
the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it
is this day.
YLT
24And Jehovah commandeth us
to do all these statutes, to fear Jehovah our God, for good to ourselves all
the days, to keep us alive, as [at] this day;
And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes,.... Some of
which were designed on purpose to commemorate the wonderful deliverance out of
Egypt, as particularly the passover; and all of them they were obliged in
gratitude to obey, in consideration of such great favours bestowed upon them:
to fear the Lord our God, for our good always: as it is
always for the good of men, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, to fear the Lord;
for there is no want to them that fear him, nor will the Lord withhold good
things from them; see Psalm 34:9,
that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day; in bodily
health and strength, and in the enjoyment of the good land, and all the
blessings and benefits of it.
Deuteronomy 6:25 25 Then
it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these
commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded
us.’
YLT
25and righteousness it is for
us, when we observe to do all this command before Jehovah our God, as He hath
commanded us.
And it shall be our righteousness,.... Or a mercy, benefit,
and blessing to us; or this shall be reckoned our righteousness, and that by
which we shall be justified:
if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our
God, as he hath commanded us; in order to have such a justifying
righteousness, a man must keep all the commandments of God, not one excepted;
and that perfectly, without the least breach of them in thought, word, or deed;
and that before the Lord, in his sight, not as it may appear to a man himself,
or to others, but as it appears to God, who sees the heart, and weighs all
actions; and a man must keep them in the manner the Lord has commanded, even
with all his heart, soul, and strength, as in Deuteronomy 6:5 and
this is not possible for a sinful man to do; and therefore righteousness cannot
be by the law. Only Christ could thus keep all the commandments of God, and his
obedience is our righteousness; and he only is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone that believes, and to him we must seek for it.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)