Deuteronomy 4:39
A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →
Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
By this the Israelites were to know and lay it to heart, that Jehovah alone was God in heaven and on earth, and were to keep His commandments, in order that (אשׁר) it might be well with them and their descendants, and they might have long life in Canaan. כּל־היּמים, "all time," for all the future (cf. Exo 20:12).
Open source ↗In this chapter we have, I. A most earnest and pathetic exhortation to obedience, both in general, and in some particular instances, backed with a great variety of very pressing arguments, repeated again and again, and set before them in the most moving and affectionate manner imaginable (v. 1-40). II. The appointing of the cities of refuge on that side Jordan (Deu 4:41-43). III. The particular description of the place where Moses delivered the following repetition of the law (Deu 4:44, etc.).
Open source ↗4:39 The Lord is unique, and there is no other besides him. This instruction reaffirms the first two commandments (5:6-8; Exod 20:2-4) and foreshadows the Shema (Deut 6:4-5). God’s uniqueness had to be underscored because Israel’s neighbors worshiped many gods.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.
You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all.
But they fail to consider in their hearts that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face.
As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
The LORD does all that pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their depths.
and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You.
If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.
Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.
All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”