Deuteronomy 6 — Dead Sea Scrolls
6 attestation entries • 0 variants • 4QDeut family
Manuscript Overview
Summary
Deuteronomy 6 contains the Shema (vv. 4–9), the central confession of Israel's monotheism, recited daily in Jewish liturgy. The chapter is heavily attested at Qumran through dedicated phylactery and mezuzah manuscripts as well as continuous-text Deuteronomy scrolls. 4QDeutⁿ couples the Decalogue (Deut 5) with the Shema. The DSS readings of the Shema track the MT consonantal text closely and confirm its antiquity.
Notable Variants
No significant content variants in the Shema itself. The DSS confirm the MT reading 'YHWH eḥad' ('the LORD is one'). Some phylactery manuscripts arrange the Shema material in different sequences (with Deut 11:13–21 and Exod 13 paragraphs) reflecting devotional rather than scriptural copying. The continuous-text manuscripts (4QDeutʲ, 4QDeutⁿ for Deut 6) show only orthographic variation.
Manuscripts
4QDeutʲ (4Q37), 4QDeutⁿ (4Q41), 8QPhylactery (8Q3), 1QPhylactery (1Q13), 4QPhylacteries (4Q128–148)
Scroll Condition
4QDeutⁿ provides good text for vv. 4–9; phylactery fragments are smaller but cumulatively attest most of the chapter.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God — the LORD is one.
The Shema proper ('Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one') is preserved verbatim across multiple Qumran witnesses. Tracks MT. The DSS confirm that this confession had its present form well before 100 BCE.
4QDeutⁿ frag. 1; 8QPhyl
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your strength.
The love-command ('You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might') is preserved; tracks MT. Cited at Mark 12:30 / Matt 22:37 / Luke 10:27.
4QDeutⁿ frag. 1
These words that I am commanding you today must be upon your heart.
Tracks MT. The internalization of the words 'on your heart' is preserved verbatim.
4QDeutⁿ frag. 1
You shall repeat them constantly to your children: speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
The teaching command ('You shall teach them diligently to your children') tracks MT.
4QDeutⁿ frag. 1
Bind them as a sign on your hand, and let them serve as an emblem on your forehead.
Tracks MT. The phylactery command itself is preserved within phylactery manuscripts—one of the more striking textual loops at Qumran.
4QPhyl group
Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Tracks MT. The mezuzah command is similarly preserved within mezuzah-type texts.
4QPhyl group