Deuteronomy 6:13

13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve; and thou shalt cleave to him, and by his name thou shalt swear.

Deuteronomy 6:13 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 6:13

Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him
Serve him through fear; not through slavish fear, a fear of hell and damnation; but through filial fear, a reverential affection for that God that had brought them out of a state of bondage into great and glorious liberty, out of Egypt into Canaan's land, out of a place of misery into a land of plenty; and therefore should fear the Lord and his goodness, and from such a fear of him serve him, in every part of worship, public and private, enjoined; this passage Christ refers to ( Matthew 4:10 )

and shalt swear by his name;
when they made a covenant with any, or were called to bear a testimony for the decision of any controversy which could not be otherwise finished; or whenever they took an oath on any account, which should never be taken rashly or on any trivial account, and much less falsely; it should be taken not in the name of any idol, or of any other but the true and living God; the Targum of Jonathan is,

``in the name of the Word of the Lord, in truth ye shall swear.''

Deuteronomy 6:13 In-Context

11 houses full of all good things which thou didst not fill, wells dug in the rock which thou didst not dig, vineyards and oliveyards which thou didst not plant, then having eaten and been filled,

12 beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God that brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve; and thou shalt cleave to him, and by his name thou shalt swear.

14 Go ye not after other gods of the gods of the nations round about you;

15 for the Lord thy God in the midst of thee a jealous God, lest the Lord thy God be very angry with thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.