The Shema is a famous Jewish prayer which comprises three sections of Scripture from Deuteronomy and Numbers.  It is the central prayer of the Jewish prayer book.  This prayer is an affirmation of Jewish faith in one God.  The prayer is called “The Shema”.

The first sentence of The Shema is very famous.  It is:

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one:

The Hebrew word for “hear” is shema.  So, the prayer takes its name from the first word.  But what does it mean by “the LORD is one”?

The Jews believe that there is just one God being, and this Scripture, this first sentence of The Shema, is used to support that belief.  They understand the phrase “The LORD our God is one LORD” to mean that that there is just one LORD, one God being. But according to the Bible there are two God beings: the Father and the Son.  Here are a few scriptures which clearly show that the Son, that is Jesus Christ, is God.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Two God beings are described here, one called the Word.  If we drop down to verse 14 we are told who the Word is.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us

The Word is the one who became flesh and dwelt among us, that is, Jesus Christ.  So, these verses clearly show that Jesus is God.

There is another verse we can also turn to, Hebews 1:8.

Heb 1:8 But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;

The Son is called “O God”.  Again, this clearly states that Jesus is God.

Let’s go back to Deuteronomy 6:4

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one:

How do we explain this verse that seems to say that there is only one God being?  We need to take a close look at the word “one”.  The Hebrew word translated one here is echad.

According to Brown, Driver and Briggs, “A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament”, echad can mean:

• “one”,
• “one and the same”,
• “as one man, together [unified]”,
• “each, every”,
• “one after another” and
• “first [in sequence or importance]”.  

According to William Holladay’s, “A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament” echad can also mean:

• “alone”.

The exact meaning of echad is best determined by context.  In this case, several interpretations could be both grammatically correct and consistent with other biblical statements.

Possible meaning 1

Echad could mean “first in importance”.  So, reading Deuteronomy 6:4 with this meaning:

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is first in importance:

This interpretation – that God is to be our first priority – fits with the next verse, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”  So “the LORD is one” could certainly mean “the LORD is first in importance”.

Possible meaning 2

Echad could mean “alone”.  So, reading Deuteronomy 6:4 with this meaning:

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is alone LORD:

That is, the LORD alone is to be our God; we are to have no other.  That fits with Scripture.  So “the LORD is one” could certainly mean “the LORD is alone LORD”.

Possible meaning 3

Echad could mean “as one man, together [unified]”.  So, reading Deuteronomy 6:4 with this meaning:

Deu 6:4  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is unified:

In other words, God – the father and the Son – are a group united as one.  In several verses echad clearly has the meaning of more than one person united as a group.  For instance, in Genesis 11:6 God says of those building the tower of Babel:

Gen 11:6 … “Indeed the people are one [echad] and they all have one language,…

Here the people were united in “one purpose” to build the tower of Babel.

Another example where the meaning of echad is “one in purpose” is in Genesis 2:24.

Gen 2:24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one [echad] flesh.

In what way were the people building the tower of Babel one?  And in what way are a husband and wife one?  They are one, meaning that they are united in spirit and purpose.

Likewise, God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son are clearly of one mind and purpose.   Remember Jesus said of His mission,

John 4:34  My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work

and

John 5:30  I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me

Describing His relationship to the Father Jesus said,

John 10:30  I and My Father are one

So clearly “the LORD is one” could certainly mean “the LORD is unified”.

Which of the three possible meanings is correct?  They all are!  But which one does God intend us to take as the meaning?   Maybe God wants us to understand the verse in all three ways.  Thus, God is conveying a lot of meaning in very few words.  What is clear though, is that the phrase, “the LORD is one” does not mean there is just one God being.