Deuteronomy 6:22 tells Israel to remember a specific event: the great and awesome signs and wonders God performed against Egypt, against Pharaoh, and against his whole household, witnessed with their own eyes. Moses is speaking to the Israelites on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the land God promised, and he is passing on the account of what God did when He rescued them from slavery.
And the LORD showed great and awesome signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his house, before our eyes…
Deuteronomy 6:22 (WEB)
What Deuteronomy 6:22 Means
The verse looks back to the plagues and the events surrounding the exodus from Egypt. “Great and awesome” signs and wonders refers to the dramatic acts by which God showed His power over Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt. The phrase “before our eyes” stresses that this was not a story passed down secondhand. The people who heard Moses had lived through it, or at least had grown up with the memory of it as their own family history.
The verse is a reminder of what God has already done, and it grounds the instructions that follow. It does not promise that God will repeat the same dramatic signs in every situation. It also does not claim that Egypt’s rulers were only political enemies. The point is that the God who acted decisively for Israel is the same God who now calls them to trust and obey Him.
The Context of Deuteronomy 6:22
Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Law, presented as a series of speeches by Moses to the generation of Israelites about to cross the Jordan River. Tradition attributes the book to Moses, and the audience is the new generation who had not experienced Egypt directly. The verse sits within a passage where a child asks what the commandments mean, and the parent answers by telling the story of the exodus.
Read in that setting, verse 22 is the centerpiece of the answer. Verses 21 and 23 move from slavery in Egypt to deliverance and then to the promised land, and verse 22 names the power that made the move possible. Knowing this turns the verse from a record of ancient miracles into the foundation of a family conversation about why God’s law matters.
Key Phrases in Deuteronomy 6:22
Exodus 14:13
Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again.
(WEB)
This verse records Moses telling the people to stand firm and see the salvation of the LORD at the Red Sea. It shows the same deliverance from Egypt that Deuteronomy 6:22 remembers, seen from the moment it happened.
Psalm 78:4
We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, his strength, and his wondrous deeds that he has done.
(WEB)
This psalm urges parents to tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD. It echoes the instruction in Deuteronomy to pass down the story of God’s works so that children learn to trust Him.
A Short Prayer From Deuteronomy 6:22
Lord, you have shown your power in ways I can recall and in ways I have only heard about from others. Help me remember what you have done, not only for the people of Israel long ago but for me and for those I love. When I feel uncertain about the road ahead, steady my heart with the memory of your faithfulness. Give me the courage to tell the next generation what you have done, so that they will also learn to trust and obey you. Amen.
