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The Torah · Old Testament

Deuteronomy 5

The covenant commands and the people's request for a mediator

General context

Moses calls Israel to hear, learn and do the covenant commands. He presents Horeb as a covenant with the living listeners and recalls standing between them and the Lord. The commands begin with deliverance from Egypt and address exclusive worship, images, the divine name, Sabbath, parents, killing, adultery, theft, false witness and coveting. Moses then recalls the people's fear after hearing the divine voice. They ask him to hear further words and pass them on. The Lord approves their request, expresses the desire that they keep such a heart, and appoints Moses to receive and teach the remaining instructions.

Cited passages: Deuteronomy 5:1, Deuteronomy 5:2, Deuteronomy 5:3, Deuteronomy 5:4, Deuteronomy 5:5, Deuteronomy 5:6, Deuteronomy 5:7, Deuteronomy 5:8, Deuteronomy 5:9, Deuteronomy 5:10, Deuteronomy 5:11, Deuteronomy 5:12, Deuteronomy 5:13, Deuteronomy 5:14, Deuteronomy 5:15, Deuteronomy 5:16, Deuteronomy 5:17, Deuteronomy 5:18, Deuteronomy 5:19, Deuteronomy 5:20, Deuteronomy 5:21, Deuteronomy 5:22, Deuteronomy 5:23, Deuteronomy 5:24, Deuteronomy 5:25, Deuteronomy 5:26, Deuteronomy 5:27, Deuteronomy 5:28, Deuteronomy 5:29, Deuteronomy 5:30, Deuteronomy 5:31, Deuteronomy 5:32, Deuteronomy 5:33

Deuteronomy 5 (KJV)

1And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

2The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.

3The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.

4The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,

5(I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you the word of the Lord: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,

6I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

7Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

8Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:

9Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

10And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

11Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

12Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.

13Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:

14But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.

15And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

16Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

17Thou shalt not kill.

18Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

19Neither shalt thou steal.

20Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

21Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

22These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

23And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;

24And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

25Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die.

26For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?

27Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.

28And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken.

29O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

30Go say to them, Get you into your tents again.

31But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.

32Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

33Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The Sabbath instruction includes sons, daughters, servants, livestock and the resident foreigner, so servants may rest as their masters do. Its stated reason is Israel's former slavery and deliverance from Egypt. Exodus 20 instead grounds its Sabbath command in creation and seventh-day rest. The wording also differs in the coveting command: Deuteronomy names the neighbor's wife before house and field, while Exodus first names the house. These are comparisons of the written forms, without assigning a date or motive for the differences.

Cited passages: Deuteronomy 5:12, Deuteronomy 5:13, Deuteronomy 5:14, Deuteronomy 5:15, Deuteronomy 5:16, Deuteronomy 5:17, Deuteronomy 5:18, Deuteronomy 5:19, Deuteronomy 5:20, Deuteronomy 5:21, Exodus 20:8, Exodus 20:9, Exodus 20:10, Exodus 20:11, Exodus 20:12, Exodus 20:13, Exodus 20:14, Exodus 20:15, Exodus 20:16, Exodus 20:17

Literary context

The commands stand inside an account of who spoke, who heard and how further instruction was to reach the people. Moses says the Lord spoke face to face and also recalls his own mediating position. The people's declaration that they have heard and lived is followed by fear of hearing more. Their promise to hear and do receives approval, while the desire for a continuing obedient heart distinguishes that moment's words from a guaranteed future response.

Cited passages: Deuteronomy 5:2, Deuteronomy 5:3, Deuteronomy 5:4, Deuteronomy 5:5, Deuteronomy 5:6, Deuteronomy 5:22, Deuteronomy 5:23, Deuteronomy 5:24, Deuteronomy 5:25, Deuteronomy 5:26, Deuteronomy 5:27, Deuteronomy 5:28, Deuteronomy 5:29, Deuteronomy 5:30, Deuteronomy 5:31, Deuteronomy 5:32, Deuteronomy 5:33

Key moments

  1. Remembering slavery in the Sabbath command (Deuteronomy 5:15). Israel's former slavery and deliverance are given as the reason for keeping Sabbath.
  2. The people ask Moses to hear (Deuteronomy 5:27). The leaders ask Moses to receive further words and promise to hear and do them.
  3. A desire for a lasting response (Deuteronomy 5:29). The Lord's words express a desire that the people keep such a heart and obey continually.

For reflection

What does the surrounding account of hearing and fear add to the commands themselves? How does the Sabbath's concern for servants connect obligation with remembered deliverance?

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