Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 6:12
[Then] beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
12. beware ] give heed to thyself or be on guard with respect to thyself, apparently a common phrase from one person to another, Exo 10:28 (J), etc.; addressed to Israel in the editorial passage, Exo 34:12 and frequently in D: Deu 4:9, Deu 8:11 (both followed, as here, by lest thou forget), Deu 12:13; Deu 12:19; Deu 12:30, Deu 15:9, all Sg. and in the Pl. Deu 4:23; Deu 9:16 (cp. Deu 4:15).
which brought thee, etc.] Once more an emphasis on the providence of Israel’s God.
house of bondmen ] So in J, Exo 13:3; Exo 13:14; in Deut. only in Sg.: Deu 5:6; Deu 6:12; Deu 7:8; Deu 8:14; Deu 13:5; Deu 13:10; the slaves’ quarter (ergastulum).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 12. Beware lest thou forget the Lord] In earthly prosperity men are apt to forget heavenly things. While the animal senses have every thing they can wish, it is difficult for the soul to urge its way to heaven; the animal man is happy, and the desires of the soul are absorbed in those of the flesh. God knows this well; and therefore, in his love to man, makes comparative poverty and frequent affliction his general lot. Should not every soul therefore magnify God for this lot in life? “Before I was afflicted,” says David, “I went astray;” and had it not been for poverty and affliction, as instruments in the hands of God’s grace, multitudes of souls now happy in heaven would have been wretched in hell. It is not too much to speak thus far; because we ever see that the rich and the affluent are generally negligent of God and the interests of their souls. It must however be granted that extreme poverty is as injurious to religion as excessive affluence. Hence the wisdom as well as piety of Agur’s prayer, Pr 30:7-9: “Give me neither poverty nor riches, lest I be full and deny thee, or lest I be poor and steal,” &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Then beware lest thou forget the Lord,…. To love, fear, and worship him, and keep his commands; creature enjoyments being apt to get possession of the heart, and the affections of it; Pr 30:9
which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; into a land abounding with all the above good things, and therefore under the highest obligations to remember the Lord and his kindnesses, and to serve and glorify him: Ex 20:2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“ House of bondage,” as in Exo 13:3. “ Not forgetting ” is described from a positive point of view, as fearing God, serving Him, and swearing by His name. Fear is placed first, as the fundamental characteristic of the Israelitish worship of God; it was no slavish fear, but simply the holy awe of a sinner before the holy God, which includes love rather than excludes it. “Fearing” is a matter of the heart; “serving,” a matter of working and striving; and “swearing in His name,” the practical manifestation of the worship of God in word and conversation. It refers not merely to a solemn oath before a judicial court, but rather to asseverations on oath in the ordinary intercourse of life, by which the religious attitude of a man involuntarily reveals itself.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Ver. 12. Then beware lest thou forget the Lord It is well known, how prone men are in prosperity to forget their benefactors, but especially their supreme One, and their dependance upon him. See Pro 30:8-9. Hence it was proverbial among the Greeks, that “satiety begets insolence; and power, joined with ignorance, is the parent of madness.” Moses had too long experienced the temper of his countrymen, not to be jealous of their falling into this extreme; therefore, he strongly warns them against the unhappy influence of ease and prosperity, when peacefully possessed of the promised land. See ch. Deu 8:11.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Deu 6:12 [Then] beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Ver. 12. Lest thou forget the Lord. ] Should we, with the fed hawk, forget our master? Or being full with God’s benefits, like the moon, be then most removed from the sun, from whom she hath all her light? See Pro 30:8-9 . Postquam locupletati sumus, saith Luther, hanc odiosam particulam addimus, Ego feci; We are no sooner grown rich, but we are apt to utter that ugly word, This I may thank myself for.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
LORD = Jehovah. Some codices, with Samaritan Pentateuch, The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel Septuagint, Syriac, add “thy God”.
bondage. Hebrew bondmen, put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6, for their bondage.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
bondage: Heb. bondmen, or servants, Deu 6:12
Reciprocal: Exo 13:3 – out of the Deu 4:23 – lest ye forget Deu 8:10 – thou hast Deu 32:18 – forgotten 2Ki 17:38 – ye shall not forget Job 8:13 – that forget God Psa 44:17 – yet Isa 17:10 – thou hast Jer 34:13 – out of Eze 28:5 – and thine Hos 2:13 – forgat Joe 2:26 – ye shall Luk 6:25 – full Luk 12:19 – Soul Col 2:8 – Beware
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:12 {e} [Then] beware lest thou shouldest forget the LORD, who brought thee forth from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. {bondage: Heb. bondmen or, servants}
(e) Do not let wealth and ease cause you to forget God’s mercies, by which you were delivered out of misery.