Deuteronomy 6:21 (DRB)

Passage

Thou shalt say to him: We were bondmen of Pharao in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 6:19 That he would destroy all thy enemies before thee, as he hath spoken.

Deuteronomy 6:20 And when thy son shall ask thee to morrow, saying: What mean these testimonies, and ceremonies and judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded us?

Deuteronomy 6:21 Thou shalt say to him: We were bondmen of Pharao in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.

Deuteronomy 6:22 And he wrought signs and wonders great and very grievous in Egypt against Pharao, and all his house, in our sight,

Deuteronomy 6:23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in and give us the land, concerning which he swore to our fathers.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "shalt", "bondmen", "pharao", "egypt", "lord", and "brought". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "shalt", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And when thy son shall ask thee..." into verse 22's "And he wrought signs and wonders great...", so "thou" and "shalt" belong inside that flow. In Deuteronomy context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thou" and "shalt" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.