deuteronomy-6:16-23

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:16

Ye shall not tempt the Lord - Ye shall not provoke him by entertaining doubts of his mercy, goodness, providence, and truth. As ye tempted him in Massah - How did they tempt him in Massah? They said, Is the Lord among us or not? Exodus 17:1-7 . After such proofs as they had of his presence and his kindness, this was exceedingly provoking. Doubting God's kindness where there are so many evidences of it, is highly insulting to God Almighty. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:17

Ye shall diligently keep, etc. - On this and the following verse see the note on Deuteronomy 6:3 . read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:20

And when thy son asketh thee, etc. - "Here," as Mr. Ainsworth justly remarks, "followeth a brief catechism, containing the grounds of religion." What mean the testimonies, etc. - The Hebrew language has no word to express to mean or signify, and therefore uses simply the substantive verb what is, i. e., what mean or signify, etc. The seven thin ears Are, i. e., signify, seven years of famine. This form of speech frequently occurs. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:16

Verse 16 16.Ye shall not tempt the Lord. Since the doctrine here should undoubtedly be referred to the First Commandment, we gather from it that this is the main foundation of piety, to give to Him what is His own, and to diminish nothing from the prerogative which He claims. As we have already seen, unbelief was the fountain and cause of the tempting in Massah, for when the people neither relied on God’s providence nor rested on His paternal love, they burst forth into impatience, and at... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Deuteronomy 6:20

Verse 20 20.And when thy son asketh thee. The sole point which Moses urges in these verses is, that the people should testify their gratitude by obeying the Law, and that the same religion, (232) which he commands the fathers to teach, should descend to their posterity. The sum is, that there was good reason why all the precepts of the Law should be observed, since by them it was that God desired His people, after their deliverance, to shew forth their sense of His loving-kindness. Again,... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Deuteronomy 6:10-25

The Israelites were at the point of quitting a normal, life for a fixed and settled abode in the midst of other nations; they were exchanging a condition of comparative poverty for great and goodly cities, houses and vineyards. There was therefore before them a double danger;(1) a God-forgetting worldliness, and(2) a false tolerance of the idolatries practiced by those about to become their neighbors.The former error Moses strives to guard against in the verses before us; the latter in... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Deuteronomy 6:15-17

Deuteronomy 6:15-17. Is a jealous God among you Hebrew, In the midst of you; to see and observe all your ways, and your turnings aside to other gods. Ye shall not tempt Not provoke him, as the following instance explains. Sinners, especially presumptuous sinners, are said to tempt God; that is, to make a trial of God, whether he be so wise as to see their sins, so just, and true, and powerful, as to take vengeance on them, concerning which they are very apt to doubt, because of the... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Deuteronomy 6:1-25

The power of love (6:1-25)No matter how strong their determination to do right, the people would be unable to keep God’s law unless they first had a strong and genuine love for God himself. Love for him would give them the inner power to walk in his ways (6:1-5). As well as keeping God’s commandments themselves, they had to teach their children to do likewise. Their family life was to be guided by the knowledge of God’s law. Their house was to be known as a place where people loved God’s law... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Deuteronomy 6:16

Ye, &c. Quoted by the Lord to Satan, and changed to sing, by adaptation. See Matthew 4:7 . tempt = try: by questioning Jehovah's presence. This was the point in Matthew 4:7 . as = according as. read more