Deuteronomy 6:5 Meaning and Explanation
“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Some days your heart feels scattered, pulled toward a hundred worries, and you wonder how you could ever love God the way you long to. Maybe you feel you have so little left to give. This verse meets you there. It does not demand a polished, perfect heart. It calls for all of you, just as you are, gathered up and turned toward the One who first loved you and holds your life with care.
We are made to love God with the whole of who we are, nothing held back.
The Context of Deuteronomy 6:5
This verse follows immediately on the Shema, Israel's daily confession that the Lord their God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). Having declared who God is, Moses now names the response He asks for. Jesus called this the great commandment, the first and greatest of them all (Matthew 22:37-38).
What Does Deuteronomy 6:5 Mean?
Because the Lord is one, the love He asks for is whole. Moses piles up the words to leave nothing out: all your heart, all your soul, all your might. The heart is the inner self, where we think and choose and feel. The soul is the whole living person, even life itself. The might is everything we can muster, all our strength and energy and means. Together they sweep up the entire person, inside and out. This is a love poured out without measure, reaching into every room of a life.
Such love is more than we can manufacture on our own, and the rest of Scripture shows us how it grows. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and the love begins from His side. Jesus took this very command as the first and greatest (Matthew 22:37), then lived it perfectly and laid down His life. When we look at Him, we see both the love we owe and the love that makes us able. Our whole-hearted love for God is His own gift, drawn out of us by His.
What follows this command guards it from drifting into mere feeling. These words are to be in the heart, taught to children, spoken at home and along the road, bound upon the hand, written on the doorpost (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). Love here is not a passing mood but a whole life ordered around One, worked into the grain of an ordinary day. And Moses knew such love was beyond native strength, which is why he later promised that the LORD will circumcise thine heart to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart (Deuteronomy 30:6). The command and the cure come from the same voice. He asks for all, then gives what makes the all possible, until loving Him becomes the native language of the soul.
Deuteronomy 6:5 in the Original Language
me'od (מְאֹד), 'might' -- usually an adverb meaning very or exceedingly, here made a noun: the whole of one's strength, abundance, and resources.
Bible Verses Related to Deuteronomy 6:5
“And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”
- Deuteronomy 30:6
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”
- Mark 12:30
“But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
- Joshua 22:5
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
- 1 John 5:3
How to Apply Deuteronomy 6:5 Today
This verse calls for a love that holds nothing of ourselves back from God: heart, soul, and strength together. We need not gather that love by sheer effort, for it grows as we receive how much He has loved us first. Today it can begin simply, by turning the whole of who we are, even the tired and divided parts, toward the One who made us.
Frequently Asked Questions About Deuteronomy 6:5
What does Deuteronomy 6:5 mean?
We are made to love God with the whole of who we are, nothing held back.
What is the context of Deuteronomy 6:5?
This verse follows immediately on the Shema, Israel's daily confession that the Lord their God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). Having declared who God is, Moses now names the response He asks for. Jesus called this the great commandment, the first and greatest of them all (Matthew 22:37-38).
How can I apply Deuteronomy 6:5 today?
This verse calls for a love that holds nothing of ourselves back from God: heart, soul, and strength together. We need not gather that love by sheer effort, for it grows as we receive how much He has loved us first. Today it can begin simply, by turning the whole of who we are, even the tired and divided parts, toward the One who made us.
Reflection & Prayer
Loving God with heart, soul, and might is a daily turning of your whole self toward Him. Your affections, your inner life, your strength, all of it belongs in this love. When you feel divided, remember that He welcomes even the small, weary offering you bring today, and He grows it. Begin where you are. Father, gather the scattered pieces of my heart and teach me to love You with everything I am. Help me give You today, all of it, in trust.