VALLEY VIEW UNIVERSITY

School of Theology and Missions

Intermediate Hebrew

Topic:

Syntactical Analysis of Deuteronomy 6:4

‫ֹלהינּו י ְהוָ ֥ה ׀ א ֶָחֽד ׃‬

֖ ֵ ‫ְׁשמע י ְִׂש ָר ֵ ֑אל י ְהוָ ֥ה ֱא‬
ַ֖

A Research Term Paper

Submitted in Partial Fulfilment

Of the Requirement for the Degree

Bachelor of Arts in Theological Studies

By

AGYEMANG DUAH

21
Background

Deuteronomy 6 is one of the most important lessons for Israel, showing the

meaning of the entire book of Deuteronomy. According to Deuteronomy 6:5, the Israelites

must love the Lord their God with all their heart and strength. In 6:3, Moses told the

Israelites to "listen." The Hebrew word Shema is repeated in the next verse, and indeed the

entirety of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is part of the worship called a scheme. But the word "listen"

also means "follow".

After the revelation of the Lord, the Israelites were commanded to keep and obey

the commandments of love. Love is more than a feeling or a feeling; shows it in action. In

other words, the people of Israel must love God with justice and with love for God and

others. However, The Law is the first book in the Torah that speaks of God's love. The

previous books mostly talked about keeping God's commandments. While the Law

contained "fear of the Lord," it also included love as an attitude that prompted the Israelites

to obey. From high commandments to love, the text gets into practical terms. You should

take these words seriously. You need to "repeat" your child. We should talk about them at

home and outside, as we sleep and wake up (Deuteronomy 6:7). From, this verse, Jews

learned to read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 every morning when they wake up and before they go

to bed at night. Key ideas continue in Chapter 6, Chapters 8-9.1

The Jews wrote this on their bodies (or on a piece of tape attached to their

foreheads, necks, chests, or wrists) and thought they should not repeat themselves twice a

day, but were happier doing so; There is a saying: “We are happy, every morning and

evening we say, O Israel, listen, the Lord our God is one; an eternal and eternal perfection,

self-existent and self-sufficient. 2d, He is the only living God, He is the only one He is God,

1
Benson, Benson Bible Commentary, Bible Hub.com 2023
He is one. A firm belief in the true truth of the self will enable them, starting from this

error, to oppose all idolatry that teaches that there are many gods. The first words of the

Talmud relate to the time when you should read this text in your daily prayers in the

morning or the evening, "O people of Israel, listen: our God is the Lord, the Lord." Do not

believe in God alone. "God and lord is the central theme of many" Jewish faiths. “We

worship the triune God and the triune God."2

Methods for Approaching the Text.

This term paper uses a syntactical analysis of Deuteronomy 6:4, which is written in

Hebrew below:

‫ֹלהינּו י ְהוָ ֥ה ׀ א ֶָחֽד ׃‬

֖ ֵ ‫ְׁשמע י ְִׂש ָר ֵ ֑אל י ְהוָ ֥ה ֱא‬
ַ֖

‫ַָּׁשמי ִם וְאֵ ֥ת הָאָ ֶֽרץ׃‬

֖ ַ ‫ֱֹלהים אֵ ֥ת ה‬
֑ ִ ‫ָּברא א‬
֣ ָ ‫ְּבראִׁש ֖ ית‬
ֵ In Deuteronomy 6:4 ‫ְׁשמע‬
֖ ַ which is transliterate

as (shama) is a verb which means “to hear”. ‫ְׁשמע‬

֖ ַ in Qal imperative from and is in the

masculine singular verb. It means to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention,

obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.). In Deuteronomy 6:4, God commanded the people

of Israel to hear and listing to His commandments and His statutes.

Continuity of the syntax will have the style of language and meaning of sentences.

The conclusion of the whole will capture what the text says or the verse says and its

application at this time to maintain the line of equity.

General Features of the Verse

‫ֹלהינּו י ְהוָ ֥ה ׀ א ֶָחֽד ׃‬

֖ ֵ ‫ְׁשמע י ְִׂש ָר ֵ ֑אל י ְהוָ ֥ה ֱא‬
ַ֖

2
Ellicott, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Bible Hub.com, 2023.
 In late Hebrew, ‫ י ְִׂש ָר ֵאל‬is a proper name, masculine and of a people Israel. ‫י ְִׂש ָר ֵאל‬

is also a proper name, the masculine second name of Jacob which means "God strives",

another name for Jacob and his desc. From Sarah and 'el; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a

symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity: Israel.

‫ יְהָֹוה‬which is transliterated as Yhovah (yeh-ho-vaw'): (the) self-Existent or

Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God Jehovah, the Lord. It is the proper name of

the God of Israel. ‫יהוה‬ was regarded as a woman ineffable called by the Jews ‫הֵַּׁש ם‬ and by

the Samaritans ‫ׁשימא‬. The pronunciation Jehovah was unknown until 1520 when it was

introduced by Galatinus;

In the Biblical Hebrew ‫ יְהָֹוה‬is the proper name, of the deity Yahweh, the proper

name of the God of Israel. From hayah; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish

national name of God -- Jehovah, the Lord. ‫יהוה‬ is also used with several predicates, to form

sacred names of holy places of Yahweh ‫ יראה‬.‫ יהוה‬seems to shew that as a prefix, in

comparing the proper name, ֺ‫י ְהו‬ is the oldest and the latest form and that ֺ‫יו‬ is intermediate,

belonging to the earlier post-exilic period until the time of Chronicles; occasional copyists'

mistakes being taken into account. No, but we will serve the Lord: This was the response

Joshua wanted: a commitment but made with a full understanding of the consequences.

‫' אֱלהִים‬elohiym (el-o-heem') is a Noun Masculine which means angels,

exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), (very) great, judges, mighty.  ‫ אֱלהִים‬is a noun masculine

plural (feminine 1Kings 11:33; on number of occurrences of ‫אֱֹל‬ ,‫ ֱאלוַֺּה‬ ,‫אֵל‬