Deuteronomy 6 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 6:8, 6:25
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Deuteronomy 6
The Greatest Commandment
Love the Lord Your God
Verse 6:1 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:1 This is the commandment, the statutes and judgments, that YHWH your God commanded me to teach you to practice in the land you are crossing into to possess,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:1 These are the commandments, ordinances, and judgments that the Lord our God commanded me to teach you to practice in the land you are entering to inherit,
Classification & Notes
Different
Greek has our God rather than your God and plural commandments rather than the collective singular commandment.
Verse 6:2 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:2 so that you may fear YHWH your God, keeping all His statutes and commandments that I command you—you, your son, and your grandson—all the days of your life, and so that your days may be long.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:2 so that you may fear the Lord your God, keeping all His ordinances and commandments that I command you today—you, your sons, and your grandsons—all the days of your life, so that you may live long.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek adds today and pluralizes the descendants. Both extend obedience across generations.
Verse 6:3 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:3 Listen, Israel, and take care to practice them, so that it may go well with you and you may multiply greatly, as YHWH, the God of your fathers, promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:3 Listen, Israel, and take care to practice them, so that it may go well with you and you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek supplies to give, connecting the land explicitly to the promise. Hebrew leaves the land phrase loosely attached.
Verse 6:4 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:4 Hear, Israel: YHWH our God, YHWH is one.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:4 These are the ordinances and judgments the Lord commanded the Israelites in the wilderness when they came out of Egypt: Hear, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek prefixes a complete historical and legislative introduction absent from Hebrew. The confession itself affirms the Lord's oneness in both; Hebrew can also be construed YHWH is our God, YHWH alone. The added introduction does not change the confession's theological assertion.
Rabbinic: Rashi reads Israel's present confession toward the future universal acknowledgment of the one God, citing Zephaniah 3:9 and Zechariah 14:9.
Source: Rashi on Deuteronomy 6:4
Saints: Jesus cites the Shema before the command to love God in Mark 12. Mark's reception affirms divine oneness and links love of God with love of neighbor.
Source: Mark 12:28–34
Verse 6:5 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:5 You shall love YHWH your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Greek has heart, not mind, in this edition. Hebrew meʾod, literally muchness, allows the wider sense of one's total resources; Greek dynamis emphasizes capacity or strength.
Rabbinic: Rashi reads love as willing obedience, soul as loyalty even at the cost of life, and meod as possessions or whatever measure God apportions.
Source: Rashi on Deuteronomy 6:5
Saints: Augustine teaches that rightly loving a neighbor includes directing that neighbor toward wholehearted love of God. His wording follows the Gospel’s heart, soul, and mind formulation; this is Christian reception of the love command, not a separate translation of Deuteronomy.
Verse 6:6 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:6 These words I command you today shall be upon your heart.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:6 These words I command you today shall be in your heart and in your soul.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek adds and in your soul and uses in rather than upon.
Rabbinic: Rashi says the commands should be received with the freshness of something newly given, rather than treated as an obsolete decree.
Source: Rashi on Deuteronomy 6:6
Verse 6:7 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:7 Impress them on your children and speak of them when you sit in your house, walk on the road, lie down, and rise.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:7 Teach them to your children and speak of them when you sit at home, walk on the road, lie down, and rise.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Hebrew's sharpening or impressing image becomes Greek instruction; the daily settings agree.
Verse 6:8 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:8 Bind them as a sign upon your hand, and let them be frontlets between your eyes.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:8 Fasten them as a sign upon your hand, and let it be immovable before your eyes.
Classification & Notes
Disparate
Hebrew names frontlets and locates them between the eyes; Greek describes something immovable before the eyes. This changes the explicit formulation of the sign while retaining the hand-sign command.
Verse 6:9 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:9 Write them on the doorposts of your houses and of your gates.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Greek uses plural address and houses where Hebrew uses singular address and house.
Warning Against Forgetting God
Verse 6:10 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:10 When YHWH your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you—great and good cities you did not build,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you—great and good cities you did not build,
Classification & Notes
Same
The patriarchal promise and unbuilt cities agree.
Verse 6:11 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:11 houses full of good things you did not fill, hewn cisterns you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—and you eat and are satisfied,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:11 houses full of good things you did not fill, hewn cisterns you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—and you eat and are satisfied,
Classification & Notes
Same
Both enumerate the resources received without producing them.
Verse 6:12 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:12 be careful not to forget YHWH, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:12 be careful not to forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek adds your God and uses slavery rather than slaves in the house expression.
Verse 6:13 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:13 Fear YHWH your God, serve Him, and swear by His name.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:13 Fear the Lord your God, worship Him, hold fast to Him, and swear by His name.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek adds hold fast to Him, reinforcing the allegiance commanded in this paragraph. The selected Greek does not contain only here; New Testament adaptations must not be inserted into this column.
Saints: Matthew 4:10 adapts this command in Jesus' refusal to worship Satan, explicitly saying alone. That Gospel wording is not imported into the selected Deuteronomy text.
Source: Matthew 4:8–10
Verse 6:14 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:14 Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples around you,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:14 Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the nations around you,
Classification & Notes
Same
The prohibition on adopting neighboring worship agrees.
Verse 6:15 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:15 for YHWH your God among you is a jealous God, lest YHWH your God's anger burn against you and He destroy you from the face of the earth.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:15 for the Lord your God among you is a jealous God, lest the Lord your God be provoked to wrath against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.
Classification & Notes
Similar
The anger imagery differs modestly; the covenant warning agrees.
Verse 6:16 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:16 Do not test YHWH your God as you tested Him at Massah.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested Him at Testing.
Classification & Notes
Different
Greek translates Massah as Testing and changes the opening address to singular. It is the same remembered wilderness incident.
Saints: Jesus cites the prohibition on testing God when rejecting the proposed leap from the temple. Matthew's application recalls Israel's wilderness testing.
Source: Matthew 4:5–7
Verse 6:17 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:17 Diligently keep the commandments of YHWH your God, His testimonies, and His statutes that He commanded you.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:17 Diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, the testimonies and ordinances that He commanded you.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Greek uses singular address and lacks the repeated His before testimonies and ordinances.
Verse 6:18 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:18 Do what is right and good in YHWH's eyes, so that it may go well with you and you may enter and possess the good land YHWH swore to your fathers,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:18 Do what is pleasing and good before the Lord your God, so that it may go well with you and you may enter and inherit the good land the Lord swore to your fathers,
Classification & Notes
Different
Hebrew right becomes Greek pleasing, and Greek adds your God; the land promise agrees.
Rabbinic: Rashi includes compromise and conduct beyond the strict legal minimum within doing what is right and good.
Source: Rashi on Deuteronomy 6:18
Verse 6:19 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:19 by driving all your enemies out before you, as YHWH promised.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:19 by driving all your enemies out before you, as He promised.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek lacks the explicit divine name in the final clause.
Telling the Next Generation
Verse 6:20 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:20 When your son asks you in time to come: What are the testimonies, statutes, and judgments YHWH our God commanded you?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:20 When your son asks you in time to come: What are the testimonies, ordinances, and judgments the Lord our God commanded us?
Classification & Notes
Different
The Hebrew son asks what God commanded you; the Greek son includes himself in us. This is a meaningful change of expressed perspective. The instruction to answer the son and transmit the covenant does not establish his exclusion from it in Hebrew.
Verse 6:21 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:21 tell your son: We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, and YHWH brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:21 tell your son: We were Pharaoh's household slaves in the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of there with a mighty hand and an uplifted arm.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek adds the uplifted arm and uses household-service terminology. Household slaves renders οἰκέται; the designation does not identify every Israelite's particular occupation.
Verse 6:22 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:22 YHWH performed great and grievous signs and wonders in Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:22 The Lord performed great and grievous signs and wonders in Egypt, against Pharaoh and his household, before us.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek lacks all before household; both describe the severity and witnessed character of the signs.
Verse 6:23 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:23 He brought us out of there to bring us in and give us the land He swore to our fathers.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:23 He brought us out of there to bring us in and give us this land He swore to give our fathers.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek adds this and explicitly repeats to give in the oath clause.
Verse 6:24 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:24 YHWH commanded us to practice all these statutes and fear YHWH our God, for our lasting good, to preserve us alive as we are today.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:24 The Lord commanded us to practice all these ordinances and fear the Lord our God, so that it may go well with us always and we may live as we do today.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Hebrew describes preserving life; Greek describes the people living. Both connect the command with their good.
Verse 6:25 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
6:25 It will be righteousness for us if we take care to practice this whole commandment before YHWH our God, as He commanded us.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
6:25 There will be mercy for us if we take care to practice all these commandments before the Lord our God, as the Lord commanded us.
Classification & Notes
Disparate
Hebrew promises righteousness; Greek eleēmosynē here presents mercy or merciful favor for the obedient. Its use elsewhere for almsgiving does not make this verse a command about monetary charity. Greek also adds the final Lord.