Deuteronomy 6:7
“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
King James Version (KJV)
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This verse continues the Shema's instructions, showing how God's words move from a parent's heart into the next generation. It pictures faith taught through the full rhythm of daily life.
What Does Deuteronomy 6:7 Mean?
Faith is meant to be passed on through the ordinary moments of everyday life, taught by parents to children with persistent care. Once God's words live in the heart (verse 6), they overflow into the home. The command to "teach them diligently" pictures a sharpening, repeated effort -- not a single lecture but a way of life. The four settings -- sitting, walking, lying down, rising up -- frame the entire day from morning to night, indoors and out.
This vision of teaching is conversational and woven into routine, not confined to formal instruction. God's truth is meant to be talked about at the table, on the road, at bedtime, and at dawn. The implication is profound: children learn faith less from special occasions and more from the steady rhythm of parents who speak naturally and often about the things of God. Each generation is responsible to hand the covenant to the next, keeping the knowledge of the LORD alive in the family and the community.
In the Original Language
The verb "shanan" (teach diligently) carries the sense of sharpening or impressing repeatedly, like whetting a blade. The four time markers map the whole of daily life, framing instruction as constant, not occasional.
Cross References
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
- Proverbs 22:6
“We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.”
- Psalms 78:4
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
- Ephesians 6:4
Application
Make God's truth a normal topic of conversation at home, on the road, and at bedtime, so that faith is handed to your children through everyday life.