Deuteronomy 6: instruction and story worksheet
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Original Bibleward reading resource · BSB v5.9 paraphrases · Read 6:1–25, with 5:1 for the speaker. This is a text exercise, not a family evaluation or a required ritual. No family information needs to be shared.
Completed life-setting × question × story table
All four settings come from 6:7. The child’s question is in 6:20. The pairings below are editorial; the passage does not narrate a separate question at each time.
| Life setting | Question | Story-answer connection |
|---|---|---|
| Sitting at home | What do the commands mean? | Begin with slavery under Pharaoh (6:21). |
| Walking along the road | Same question, not a recorded roadside scene | Follow deliverance and signs in Egypt (6:21–22). |
| Lying down | Same question, not a prescribed bedtime script | Connect departure with entry into the promised land (6:23). |
| Getting up | Same question, no specified hour | Locate purpose and careful observance (6:24–25). |
You may place the entire answer beside any setting. Do not treat these pairings as four new verses.
Two retellings to compare
A — deliberately partial: Israel is told to love the Lord, remember the commands, and speak about them throughout daily life.
B — with the story retained: Moses addresses Israel about life in the land ahead. The people are to love the Lord, keep the instruction in mind, and teach it in ordinary settings. They are warned against forgetting the Lord amid the good things they receive. When a child asks what the commands mean, the answer recalls slavery in Egypt, the Lord’s deliverance, and the promised land. It then explains the commands in relation to reverence, their good, and continued life, and calls for careful obedience.
Worked comparison: A covers much of 6:4–9. B also includes the land setting in 6:1–3, the warning in 6:10–12, and question and answer in 6:20–25. B is fuller, not a judgment that a person using A has less faith. Both are summaries rather than Bible quotations.
Six questions
Who is addressed in 6:1–3, and what setting lies ahead? Use 5:1 to check the speaker. ____________________
What central call in 6:4–6 comes before the daily teaching instructions? ____________________
Name the four everyday settings in 6:7. Does the verse specify a clock time or duration? ____________________
What does the child ask in 6:20? Does the answer simply repeat the question’s list of instructions? ____________________
Put these elements in the answer’s order: purpose of the commands; slavery and deliverance; promised land. Give verses. ____________________
Name two things missing from retelling A if it is offered as a summary of the whole chapter. ____________________
Answers with reasons
Israel, including the generations mentioned in 6:2, is being prepared for life in the land they are about to enter (6:1–3). Moses is the speaker identified in 5:1. The original audience should remain visible before a modern application is made.
Israel is called to hear, love the Lord with the whole person, and keep the instruction upon their hearts (6:4–6). The teaching scenes follow this focus rather than introduce an unrelated technique.
Sitting at home, walking along the road, lying down, and getting up (6:7). No minute count, clock time, or app completion target is stated.
The question concerns the meaning of the commanded decrees and instructions (6:20). The answer begins with their shared story of slavery and the Lord’s deliverance (6:21); it is more than repetition of rule names.
Slavery and deliverance, including signs against Egypt (6:21–22); being brought out to enter the promised land (6:23); the commands’ purpose and careful observance (6:24–25). Keeping this order preserves the shape of the response.
Possible answers include the child’s question, the Exodus story, the promised-land connection, the stated purpose of the commands, or the warning against forgetfulness (6:10–12, 20–25). A does not become false merely because it is short; it needs a narrower label or more content.
Blank question-and-answer card
| Field | Your text-based note |
|---|---|
| Original speaker and audience | ____________________ |
| One daily setting and verse | ____________________ |
| The child’s question in my own words | ____________________ |
| First event named in the answer | ____________________ |
| Next movement in the story | ____________________ |
| Purpose stated in the answer | ____________________ |
| Detail I should not add | ____________________ |
My optional learning question: ____________________. A small passage for next time: ____________________.
Check notes as supported, needs rereading, or not stated here. These labels do not assess a family’s faith. The exercise cannot guarantee a child’s beliefs or academic results.
BSB Deuteronomy 6 · USCCB comparison and Shema note · Berean permissions · Companion guide · Plans.
AI-assisted original reading aid; not Scripture, a mandatory household rule, or individual pastoral endorsement.