Shema is the Hebrew word for “listen” or “hear,” and it’s the first word of the most important prayer in the Old Testament. In the Bible, shema means much more than sound reaching your ears. It means paying close attention, acting on a request, and putting what you hear into practice. In Hebrew, listening and obeying are two sides of the same coin.
What Is the Shema?
When a religious teacher asked Jesus which commandment was most important, Jesus didn’t quote the Ten Commandments. He quoted an ancient Jewish prayer called the Shema (Mark 12:28-29). It comes from Deuteronomy 6, where Moses prepared Israel to enter the land God had promised them.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
For centuries, Jewish believers have prayed these words every morning and evening, a bit like a pledge of allegiance. The prayer declares devotion to God, reveals his character, and shows us how to respond to him. It takes its name from its first word: shema.
To Listen Means to Pay Close Attention
The first way the Bible uses shema is to describe paying close attention. It’s the difference between merely hearing and truly listening. That’s how God listens to his people. Jacob’s wife Leah lived in the painful shadow of her sister Rachel, whom Jacob loved more. When Leah gave birth to her second son, she gave thanks to God.
Genesis 29:33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.
The name Simeon (Shim’on) means “one who hears.” Every time Leah called her son’s name, she remembered that God had paid attention to her pain. What a comfort to know that God hears us too.
To Listen Means to Act on a Request
Shema can also mean responding to a request. That’s the kind of listening we hope for when we pray. David cried out for this kind of response.
Psalm 27:7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me.
When we ask God to hear us, we’re usually asking him to act, whether that means help, forgiveness, wisdom, or provision. God isn’t a cosmic vending machine, and like a wise parent, he doesn’t give us everything we want. But he is always listening, and when our prayers line up with his will, he responds.
To Listen Means to Put What You Hear into Practice
We’ve seen how God hears us. The flip side is how we hear God. Biblical Hebrew has no separate word for “obey.” To express obedience, it uses shema. If you really listen to God, you do what he says.
Exodus 19:5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.
The word translated “obey” here is shema. In fact, the Hebrew says it twice, something like, “If you really, really listen.” The New Testament makes the same point.
James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
That’s why Jesus pointed to the Shema as the greatest commandment. Listening to God and doing what he says is what it means to follow him.
God Gives Us Ears to Hear
The sad truth is that Israel didn’t live up to the Shema. The prophets often said the people had ears but wouldn’t listen. So God promised to do something new.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Jesus paid for every way we have failed to listen to God. Then he sent the Holy Spirit to give us responsive hearts that want to hear and obey.
The Takeaway
Shema means to listen, but biblical listening is active. God pays attention to us and responds to our prayers. In turn, we show that we’ve heard him by putting his words into practice. Through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, God gives us hearts that are ready to listen and obey.
