What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 6:22?

Before our eyes

• Moses reminds the people, “Before our eyes the LORD inflicted …,” anchoring the command to love and obey God (Deuteronomy 6:5) in history they personally witnessed or heard from parents (cf. Deuteronomy 4:9; Exodus 14:31).

• Eyewitness experience makes obedience relational, not theoretical (Joshua 24:31; 1 John 1:1).

• The verse teaches that biblical faith rests on observable acts of God, not myth.

---

the LORD inflicted

• The subject is the covenant God, Yahweh, acting deliberately (Exodus 6:6–7; Deuteronomy 4:34).

• “Inflicted” highlights judgment, not mere natural disaster; every plague was timed, targeted, and lifted at His word (Exodus 8:8–10).

• The Lord’s direct intervention confirms His supremacy over Egypt’s gods (Numbers 33:4; Isaiah 19:1).

---

great and devastating signs and wonders

• “Signs” pointed to God’s power; “wonders” produced awe; both were “great and devastating.”

• The ten plagues (Exodus 7–12) illustrate:

– Water to blood

– Frogs

– Gnats

– Flies

– Livestock pestilence

– Boils

– Hail

– Locusts

– Darkness

– Death of the firstborn

• Psalm 78:43–51 and Acts 7:35–36 echo how extraordinary and ruinous these were.

• Purpose: to free Israel, expose idolatry, and display God’s glory (Exodus 9:14–16; Romans 9:17).

---

on Egypt

• Judgment hit the nation’s land, economy, and religion (Exodus 12:12; Deuteronomy 11:3).

• Each plague confronted a specific Egyptian deity, proving the LORD alone is God (Jeremiah 46:25; Zephaniah 2:11).

• The devastation was comprehensive—fields, rivers, sky, and livestock (Psalm 105:27–36).

---

on Pharaoh

• Pharaoh personified human pride and opposition to God (Exodus 5:2).

• God “raised [him] up” to reveal divine power (Exodus 9:16; Romans 9:17).

• His hardened heart became the backdrop for God’s mercy toward Israel and warning to future kings (Psalm 136:15; Revelation 15:3).

---

and on all his household

• The blow reached Pharaoh’s officials and even the palace firstborn (Exodus 12:29–30).

• No social rank shielded anyone from God’s justice (Psalm 135:8–9).

• The thoroughness underscores that sin’s consequences are communal as well as personal.

---

summary

Deuteronomy 6:22 recalls eyewitness evidence that the LORD alone brought Israel out by overwhelming, targeted judgments on Egypt, Pharaoh, and every stratum of Egyptian society. These mighty acts ground Israel’s covenant obedience, demonstrate God’s supremacy over all earthly powers, and assure believers today that the same faithful, sovereign God still acts in history and keeps His promises.