“Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!
Parallel translations
- WEB Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God. Yahweh is one.
- KJV Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
- BSB Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.
- NKJV “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
- NLT “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Shema declares that Yahweh is Israel's God and that Yahweh is one. This is the foundational confession of biblical faith in the one true God.
Overview
Known as the Shema, this verse is the heart of Israel's creed, affirming the uniqueness and unity of God. Faithful Christians read it as the bedrock of monotheism, with the New Testament including Father, Son, and Spirit within the oneness of God. Jesus cites it as the greatest commandment's foundation (Mark 12:29), and Paul confesses Christ as Lord within this very oneness (1 Corinthians 8:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Mark 12:29–32Jesus answered, “The greatest is, ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one:
- Isa 44:6This is what Yahweh, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies, says: “I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
- 1 Tim 2:5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
- Isa 45:5–6I am Yahweh, and there is no one else. Besides me, there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not known me;
- John 17:3This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
- John 10:30I and the Father are one.”
- Isa 44:8Don’t fear, neither be afraid. Haven’t I declared it to you long ago, and shown it? You are my witnesses. Is there a God besides me? Indeed, there is not. I don’t know any other Rock.”
- Isa 42:8“I am Yahweh. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images.
- Deut 4:35–36It was shown to you so that you might know that Yahweh is God. There is no one else besides him.
- Jer 10:10–11But Yahweh is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King. At his wrath, the earth trembles, and the nations are not able to withstand his indignation.
- 1 Cor 8:4–6Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one.
- 1 Kgs 18:21Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you waver between the two sides? If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people didn’t say a word.
- Deut 5:6“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
- 1 Chr 29:10Therefore David blessed Yahweh before all the assembly; and David said, “You are blessed, Yahweh, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.
- 2 Kgs 19:5So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 6:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.