Deuteronomy 6:5

Hebrew Bible

3 Pay attention, Israel, and be careful to do this so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in number—as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to you, you will have a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength. 6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 7 and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up.

Sirach 7:29

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon

27 With all your heart honor your father, and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother. 28 Remember that it was of your parents you were born; how can you repay what they have given to you? 29 With all your soul fear the Lord, and revere his priests. 30 With all your might love your Maker, and do not neglect his ministers. 31 Fear the Lord and honor the priest, and give him his portion, as you have been commanded: the first fruits, the guilt offering, the gift of the shoulders, the sacrifice of sanctification, and the first fruits of the holy things.

 Notes and References

"... We find Ben Sira’s views about the priesthood articulated most succinctly in 7:29–31. In this passage he adapts the language of Deuteronomy 6:5 in order to encourage that the priests get their due. He says, “With all your heart fear the Lord and regard his priests as holy. With all your might love your maker and do not forsake his servants. Give glory to God, honor the priest, and give them their portion as you are commanded.” It is striking here that each action intended for God has a parallel one for the priests. Ben Sira employs Deuteronomy to give significant symbolic and rhetorical weight to how important honoring the priests is." ..."

Wright, Benjamin G. "1 Enoch and Ben Sira: Wisdom and Apocalypticism in Relationship" in Boccaccini, Gabriele, and John J. Collins (eds.) The Early Enoch Literature (pp. 159-176) Brill, 2007

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