21 Neither shalt thou desire H2530 thy neighbour's H7453 wife, H802 neither shalt thou covet H183 thy neighbour's H7453 house, H1004 his field, H7704 or his manservant, H5650 or his maidservant, H519 his ox, H7794 or his ass, H2543 or any thing that is thy neighbour's. H7453
And it came to pass after H310 these things, H1697 that Naboth H5022 the Jezreelite H3158 had a vineyard, H3754 which was in Jezreel, H3157 hard by H681 the palace H1964 of Ahab H256 king H4428 of Samaria. H8111 And Ahab H256 spake H1696 unto Naboth, H5022 saying, H559 Give H5414 me thy vineyard, H3754 that I may have it for a garden H1588 of herbs, H3419 because it is near H7138 unto H681 my house: H1004 and I will give H5414 thee for it a better H2896 vineyard H3754 than it; or, if it seem good H2896 to thee, H5869 I will give H5414 thee the worth H4242 of it in money. H3701 And Naboth H5022 said H559 to Ahab, H256 The LORD H3068 forbid H2486 it me, that I should give H5414 the inheritance H5159 of my fathers H1 unto thee. And Ahab H256 came H935 into his house H1004 heavy H5620 and displeased H2198 because of the word H1697 which Naboth H5022 the Jezreelite H3158 had spoken H1696 to him: for he had said, H559 I will not give H5414 thee the inheritance H5159 of my fathers. H1 And he laid him down H7901 upon his bed, H4296 and turned away H5437 his face, H6440 and would eat H398 no bread. H3899
What G5101 shall we say G2046 then? G3767 Is the law G3551 sin? G266 God forbid. G3361 G1096 Nay, G235 I had G1097 not G3756 known G1097 sin, G266 but G1508 by G1223 the law: G3551 for G1063 G5037 I had G1492 not G3756 known G1492 lust, G1939 except G1508 the law G3551 had said, G3004 Thou shalt G1937 not G3756 covet. G1937 But G1161 sin, G266 taking G2983 occasion G874 by G1223 the commandment, G1785 wrought G2716 in G1722 me G1698 all manner of G3956 concupiscence. G1939 For G1063 without G5565 the law G3551 sin G266 was dead. G3498
But G1161 they that will G1014 be rich G4147 fall G1706 into G1519 temptation G3986 and G2532 a snare, G3803 and G2532 into many G4183 foolish G453 and G2532 hurtful G983 lusts, G1939 which G3748 drown G1036 men G444 in G1519 destruction G3639 and G2532 perdition. G684 For G1063 the love of money G5365 is G2076 the root G4491 of all G3956 evil: G2556 which G3739 while some G5100 coveted after, G3713 they have erred G635 from G575 the faith, G4102 and G2532 pierced G4044 themselves G1438 through G4044 with many G4183 sorrows. G3601
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Deuteronomy 5
Commentary on Deuteronomy 5 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 5
De 5:1-29. A Commemoration of the Covenant in Horeb.
1. Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments—Whether this rehearsal of the law was made in a solemn assembly, or as some think at a general meeting of the elders as representatives of the people, is of little moment; it was addressed either directly or indirectly to the Hebrew people as principles of their peculiar constitution as a nation; and hence, as has been well observed, "the Jewish law has no obligation upon Christians, unless so much of it as given or commanded by Jesus Christ; for whatever in this law is conformable to the laws of nature, obliges us, not as given by Moses, but by virtue of an antecedent law common to all rational beings" [Bishop Wilson].
3. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us—The meaning is, "not with our fathers" only, "but with us" also, assuming it to be "a covenant" of grace. It may mean "not with our fathers" at all, if the reference is to the peculiar establishment of the covenant of Sinai; a law was not given to them as to us, nor was the covenant ratified in the same public manner and by the same solemn sanctions. Or, finally, the meaning may be "not with our fathers" who died in the wilderness, in consequence of their rebellion, and to whom God did not give the rewards promised only to the faithful; but "with us," who alone, strictly speaking, shall enjoy the benefits of this covenant by entering on the possession of the promised land.
4. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount—not in a visible and corporeal form, of which there was no trace (De 4:12, 15), but freely, familiarly, and in such a manner that no doubt could be entertained of His presence.
5. I stood between the Lord and you at that time—as the messenger and interpreter of thy heavenly King, bringing near two objects formerly removed from each other at a vast distance, namely, God and the people (Ga 3:19). In this character Moses was a type of Christ, who is the only mediator between God and men (1Ti 2:5), the Mediator of a better covenant (Heb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24).
to show you the word of the Lord—not the ten commandments—for they were proclaimed directly by the Divine Speaker Himself, but the statutes and judgments which are repeated in the subsequent portion of this book.
6-20. I am the Lord thy God—The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:1-17), and in some of them there is a distinct reference to that promulgation.
12. Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee—that is, keep it in mind as a sacred institution of former enactment and perpetual obligation. [See on Ex 20:8].
14. that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou—This is a different reason for the observance of the Sabbath from what is assigned in Ex 20:8-11, where that day is stated to be an appointed memorial of the creation. But the addition of another motive for the observance does not imply any necessary contrariety to the other; and it has been thought probable that, the commemorative design of the institution being well known, the other reason was specially mentioned on this repetition of the law, to secure the privilege of sabbatic rest to servants, of which, in some Hebrew families, they had been deprived. In this view, the allusion to the period of Egyptian bondage (De 5:15), when they themselves were not permitted to observe the Sabbath either as a day of rest or of public devotion, was peculiarly seasonable and significant, well fitted to come home to their business and bosoms.
16. that it may go well with thee—This clause is not in Exodus, but admitted into Eph 6:3.
21. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, … house, his field—An alteration is here made in the words (see Ex 20:17), but it is so slight ("wife" being put in the first clause and "house" in the second) that it would not have been worth while noticing it, except that the interchange proves, contrary to the opinion of some eminent critics, that these two objects are included in one and the same commandment.
22. he added no more—(Ex 20:1). The pre-eminence of these ten commandments was shown in God's announcing them directly: other laws and institutions were communicated to the people through the instrumentality of Moses.
23-28. And … ye came near unto me—(See on Ex 20:19).
29. Oh, that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me—God can bestow such a heart, and has promised to give it, wherever it is asked (Jer 32:40). But the wish which is here expressed on the part of God for the piety and steadfast obedience of the Israelites did not relate to them as individuals, so much as a nation, whose religious character and progress would have a mighty influence on the world at large.