Deuteronomy 6:5

“You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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Moses sums up Israel's faith: YHWH is one, and he is loved with the whole selfWho God Is Hear, Israel: keep these words on your heart and repeat them to your children every dayThe Word of God Listen, Israel: love God with all your heart, soul and strengthLove God's words are repeated to children at home and on the roadParents and Children

With the Hebrew beneath

You shall loveוְאָהַבְתָּYHWHאֵת יְהוָהyour Elohimאֱלֹהֶיךָwith allבְּכָלyour heartלְבָבְךָand with allוּבְכָלyour soulנַפְשְׁךָand with allוּבְכָלyour strength.מְאֹדֶךָ

Quotation · Matthew 22:37

Go to Matthew 22:37

Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5. Where the Hebrew says “with all your strength,” Matthew says “with all your mind.”

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ὁ δὲ ἔφη αὐτῷ Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ σου

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ

Septuagint (Deuteronomy 6:5-6 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς δυνάμεως σου. καὶ ἔσται τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, ὅσα ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαί σοι σήμερον, ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ σου·

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 5 consecutive words: “Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Quotation · Luke 10:27

Go to Luke 10:27

The expert in the law quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 with four terms (heart, soul, strength and mind), and joins it to Leviticus 19:18.

Formula: Ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τί γέγραπται “what is written in the law?” (Luke 10:26)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ἰσχύϊ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ σου καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 8 consecutive words: “Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Deuteronomy 6:5, word by word

You shall loveאָהַבְתָּahavta

love God

The love between God and his people.

Where else “ahavta” appears

YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears

your Elohimאֱלֹהֶיelohe

Elohim

The one true God, the Creator; the word is plural but means one.

Where else “elohe” appears

your heartלְבָבְlevav

heart

The deepest part of a person: where they think, desire and decide.

Where else “levav” appears

your soulנַפְשְׁnafsh

soul

A person's innermost self: what they feel and desire.

Where else “nafsh” appears

your strengthמְאֹדֶmeode

strength

All that one is and has: one's strength, one's whole capacity.

Where else “meode” appears

Translation note

Jesus said that this is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38; Mark 12:30).

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Matthew 22:37

Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5. Where the Hebrew says “with all your strength,” Matthew says “with all your mind.”

See them side by side

Deuteronomy 6:5

⁵You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Matthew 22:37

³⁷And he said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

Quotation · Luke 10:27

The expert in the law quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 with four terms (heart, soul, strength and mind), and joins it to Leviticus 19:18.

See them side by side

Deuteronomy 6:5

⁵You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Luke 10:27

²⁷And he answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

The context

4Hear, Israel: YHWH our Elohim, YHWH is one.

5 · This verse (above)

6These words that I am commanding you today shall be on your heart.

Read all of Deuteronomy 6

How to use it