Exceedingly Exceedingly! (Deuteronomy 6:5)

TOTAL COMMITTMENT

The humorous anecdote is told of the farm animals, out of devotion to the farmer, wanting to give back something to show their appreciation. They decided to provide him breakfast. The cow said she would give him fresh milk; the chicken offered fresh eggs; and they wanted the pig to provide him with fresh sizzling bacon, to which the pig replied, "Wait a minute. I am the only one of the 3 of us that's making a total commitment!"

DEUTERONOMY 6:5 says "...you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might"

COVENANT LOYALTY

Here, the word "love" (Ahaz, 157, Strong's) is not necessarily an emotional response, but rather, the idea of covenant loyalty, and an unswerving commitment and adherence to God and the words of His covenant, above all else.

HEART & SOUL & MIGHT

There are 3 exhortations or areas of commitment, which are emphasized: the totality of the heart; all of the soul; and the fulness of strength, or might. This enumeration is a feature of Hebrew prose and poetry, where related concepts are repeated, usually in 3 terms, and the sequence is designed to produce a climax or crescendo of thought, culminating in the final element (New International Dictionary of OT Theology and Exegesis, Vol.4, p.145). In other words, rather than relating totally separate concepts, heart; soul; and might, refer to the same idea, but with increasing intensity and importance.

UNSEEN / SEEN / POSSESSIONS

The heart represents everything that you are internally, which is not always visibly seen, while the soul is reflective of your whole life and personality, exposed for all to see, and might is characteristic of everything that you own and possess; all your resources

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EXCESS

The word for "might" is most intriguing in the Hebrew. It is used 300 times in the OT, and almost all of those uses are as an adverb, to express abundance or excess of something. The word is ( Meod, 3966, [Strong's] ).

PSALM 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a VERY (meod) present help in trouble".

Meaning, "He is found to be abundantly; exceedingly, as our help, when we are in trouble".

"God is our shelter and strength: An EXCEEDINGLY READY help in the time of distress" (Helen Spurrell)

"God is for us a refuge and a fortress; found to be a MIGHTY help in troubles" ( Berkeley)

REPEATED

Often the word is even repeated, for emphasis, to intensify the circumstances and meaning of the text.

GENESIS 7:19 "...the waters prevailed EXCEEDINGLY upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered" (KJV)

In the Hebrew, unlike the KJV, (Meod) is repeated twice, [meod meod] as illustrated in the Septuagint, and other translations.

GENESIS 7:19

"Still the water prevailed MORE and MORE on the earth and covered all the high mountains" (LXX)

"But the water prevailed EXCEEDINGLY EXCEEDINGLY upon the earth; and it covered all the high mountains which were underneath the heaven" (LXX, Apostolic Bible)

"...the waters had swelled MUCH MORE..." (Torah)

"...the waters have been VERY VERY MIGHTY on the earth, and covered all the high mountains which [are] under the whole heavens" (Young)

"The waters rose so VERY VERY high on the earth they covered all the high mountains under the sky" (Beck)

CONSECUTIVELY

The word is also used consecutively, to intensify the meaning, when God made covenant with Abraham and promised to greatly increase his descendants.

GENESIS 17:2

"...and I give My covenant between Me and thee, and multiply thee VERY EXCEEDINGLY" (Young)

Most translations do not bring out the Hebrew repetition, where God literally says that He will "...multiply you EXCEEDINGLY EXCEEDINGLY"

PHYSICAL FULFILLMENT

The same repetition is used in the physical fulfillment of the covenant.

EXODUS 1:7

"...and the sons of Israel have been fruitful, and they teem, and multiply and are VERY VERY MIGHTY, and the land is filled with them" (Young)

"The people of Israel had many children; and as they grew in numbers, they became STRONGER and STRONGER and filled the country" (Beck)

"...and the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, and multiplied and grew EXCEEDINGLY STRONG; and the land was filled with them" (Lamsa)

"But the sons of Israel were fruitful, and swarmed and multiplied and waxed mighty, with EXCEEDING VIGOUR [Literally: 'with MUCHNESS MUCHNESS'], so that the land was filled with them" (Rotherham)

Even the septuagint emphasizes the extremeness of the Hebrew, through repetition:

"...and the sons of Israel grew and multiplied, and became extensive, and grew strong EXCEEDINGLY, EXCEEDINGLY and the land was multiplied of them" (LXX, Apostolic Bible)

NOUN

Every use of (meod) in the OT is adverbial, except for two, which are Deuteronomy 6:5 and a parallel passage extolling Josiah (2 Kings 23:25), while quoting Deuteronomy 6:5. In both passages, (meod) is used as a noun.

2 KINGS 23:25

"...like him was there no king before him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his 'might', according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there (any) like him".

WEALTH or PROPERTY

According to Hebrew interpretation, [in Deut.6:5 and 2 Kings 23:25], although (meod) had the basic meaning of "might" or "strength", it was understood as meaning "wealth" or "property" (Jewish Study Bible)

RAKE TOGETHER

(Meod) comes from a root meaning to "rake" together (Strongs) and is used as an intensive, meaning 'completely' or 'overwhelmingly'. It expresses 'magnitude' or 'degree', and its parallel word in Assyrian, (mudu), means "abundance" or (ana mudu), "treasures in abundance" (BDB). Rabbinic; Syriac; and Targumist translate (meod) to mean "mammon", [in Deuteronomy 6:5 and 2 Kings 23:25].

ALL YOUR WEALTH

The point of (meod) being used as a noun, is that it expresses all your wealth; resources; everything you own or possess, that is at your disposal, and is an argument for tithing, both in the Old and New Testaments, since it demands a totality of commitment, to those who claim allegiance and covenant relationship to God. The LXX (Septuagint), instead of "might", uses the Greek word (dunamis), "power", in Deuteronomy 6:5, to express this idea.

DEUTERONOMY 6:5

"And you shall love the LORD your God with your entire heart, and with your entire soul, and with your entire power" (LXX, Apostolic Bible)

To paraphrase, God, our Father, requires total commitment from everything within us internally, [our heart/spirit]; from everything we are, our whole life, that is external, our personality and character that is evident to all [our soul]; and from everything that we have or possess; all our wealth and resources at our disposal [our might/power].

TOTAL COMMITTMENT

Again, this is in ascending order, representing our spirit [heart], soul, and what is produced through our efforts [our body], which basically demands, if we claim to follow Christ, a totality of commitment, to the One who has given all and done all, for us.

You Are God's Best and God's Best is Yours