Deuteronomy 6:8

8 Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol.

Deuteronomy 6:8 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 6:8

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand
As a man ties anything to his hand for a token, that he may remember somewhat he is desirous of; though the Jews understand this literally, of binding a scroll of parchment, with this section and others written in it, upon their left hand, as the Targum of Jonathan here interprets the hand:

and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes;
and which the same Targum interprets of the Tephilim, or phylacteries, which the Jews wear upon their foreheads, and on their arms, and so Jarchi; of which (See Gill on Matthew 23:5).

Deuteronomy 6:8 In-Context

6 These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds.
7 Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up.
8 Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol.
9 Write them on your house's doorframes and on your city's gates.
10 Now once the LORD your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to you—a land that will be full of large and wonderful towns that you didn't build,

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Heb uncertain; cf Exod 13:16; Syr sign or mark; Tg phylacteries
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