Deuteronomy 6:13

Deuteronomy 6:13, in plain English

Fear—genuinely respect—God, serve only Him, and when you make promises, make them in His name.

Why it's here

Moses is laying out exclusive devotion. One God means you serve one master, not divided allegiances. Even your words and oaths matter—they should be made in the name of the one true God, not casual or tied to idols. Your speech reflects your ultimate loyalty.

Who's speaking

Moses

Where it sits in the story

Faithfulness to God means singularity of purpose. Jesus later taught that your 'yes' should mean yes and your 'no' should mean no—because you're accountable to God in every word. Truthfulness flows from single-hearted devotion.

The scholarly reading

Revere the LORD your God with obedient worship, serve Him exclusively, and invoke His name in all your oaths—making Him the foundation of all binding commitments.

Language and setting

The triad in verse 13—fearing God, serving Him alone, swearing by His name—encompasses the totality of proper religious orientation. The Hebrew yara (fear/reverence) and avad (serve) represent the external, practical dimension of covenant relationship, while nishba (swear/take oaths) extends God's exclusive claim into the sphere of public speech and legal obligation. In the ancient Near East, oaths were sworn by gods; restricting oath-swearing to YHWH's name alone asserts His sole legitimacy as the guarantor of human contracts and promises. Interestingly, the verb shabat and its cognates appear throughout ANE legal texts, so this verse claims for Israel's God a universal jurisdiction over human truthfulness.

Voice

Moses

Significance

This verse consolidates the affirmations of verses 4-5 and the internalization demanded by verses 6-9 into concrete behavioral obligations. It represents the practical outworking of monotheistic devotion: exclusive worship, exclusive service, exclusive invocation. These prohibitions will be elaborated in verse 14 and reinforced through threats in verse 15, establishing the covenantal logic of blessing through exclusive allegiance.

11with houses full of every good thing with which you did not fill them, with wells that you did not dig, and with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied,

12be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

13Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.

14Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.

15For the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.

Read all of Deuteronomy 6 — Hear, O Israel. Love the Lord with everything. Teach your children. Bind it on your hands. Write it on your doorposts. Let it become your life.