4 The LORD H3068 talked H1696 with you face H6440 to face H6440 in the mount H2022 out of the midst H8432 of the fire, H784
Did ever people H5971 hear H8085 the voice H6963 of God H430 speaking out H1696 of the midst H8432 of the fire, H784 as thou hast heard, H8085 and live? H2421
And there arose H6965 not a prophet H5030 since H5750 in Israel H3478 like unto Moses, H4872 whom the LORD H3068 knew H3045 face H6440 to face, H6440
And the LORD H3068 spake H1696 unto Moses H4872 face H6440 to face, H6440 as a man H376 speaketh H1696 unto his friend. H7453 And he turned again H7725 into the camp: H4264 but his servant H8334 Joshua, H3091 the son H1121 of Nun, H5126 a young man, H5288 departed H4185 not out H8432 of the tabernacle. H168
Out of heaven H8064 he made thee to hear H8085 his voice, H6963 that he might instruct H3256 thee: and upon earth H776 he shewed H7200 thee his great H1419 fire; H784 and thou heardest H8085 his words H1697 out of the midst H8432 of the fire. H784
And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto Moses, H4872 Lo, I come H935 unto thee in a thick H5645 cloud, H6051 that the people H5971 may hear H8085 when I speak H1696 with thee, and believe H539 thee for ever. H5769 And Moses H4872 told H5046 the words H1697 of the people H5971 unto the LORD. H3068
And mount H2022 Sinai H5514 was altogether on a smoke, H6225 because H6440 H834 the LORD H3068 descended H3381 upon it in fire: H784 and the smoke H6227 thereof ascended H5927 as the smoke H6227 of a furnace, H3536 and the whole mount H2022 quaked H2729 greatly. H3966 And when the voice H6963 of the trumpet H7782 sounded H6963 long, H1980 and waxed louder H2390 and louder, H3966 Moses H4872 spake, H1696 and God H430 answered H6030 him by a voice. H6963
And all the people H5971 saw H7200 the thunderings, H6963 and the lightnings, H3940 and the noise H6963 of the trumpet, H7782 and the mountain H2022 smoking: H6226 and when the people H5971 saw H7200 it, they removed, H5128 and stood H5975 afar off. H7350 And they said H559 unto Moses, H4872 Speak H1696 thou with us, and we will hear: H8085 but let not God H430 speak H1696 with us, lest we die. H4191 And Moses H4872 said H559 unto the people, H5971 Fear H3372 not: for God H430 is come H935 to H5668 prove H5254 you, and that his fear H3374 may be before your faces, H6440 that ye sin H2398 not. And the people H5971 stood H5975 afar off, H7350 and Moses H4872 drew near H5066 unto the thick darkness H6205 where God H430 was. And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto Moses, H4872 Thus thou shalt say H559 unto the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 Ye have seen H7200 that I have talked H1696 with you from heaven. H8064
With him will I speak H1696 mouth H6310 to mouth, H6310 even apparently, H4758 and not in dark speeches; H2420 and the similitude H8544 of the LORD H3068 shall he behold: H5027 wherefore then were ye not afraid H3372 to speak H1696 against my servant H5650 Moses? H4872
And they will tell H559 it to the inhabitants H3427 of this land: H776 for they have heard H8085 that thou LORD H3068 art among H7130 this people, H5971 that thou LORD H3068 art seen H7200 face H5869 to face, H5869 and that thy cloud H6051 standeth H5975 over them, and that thou goest H1980 before H6440 them, by day time H3119 in a pillar H5982 of a cloud, H6051 and in a pillar H5982 of fire H784 by night. H3915
And ye said, H559 Behold, the LORD H3068 our God H430 hath shewed H7200 us his glory H3519 and his greatness, H1433 and we have heard H8085 his voice H6963 out of the midst H8432 of the fire: H784 we have seen H7200 this day H3117 that God H430 doth talk H1696 with man, H120 and he liveth. H2425 Now therefore why should we die? H4191 for this great H1419 fire H784 will consume H398 us: if we hear H8085 the voice H6963 of the LORD H3068 our God H430 any more, H3254 then we shall die. H4191 For who is there of all flesh, H1320 that hath heard H8085 the voice H6963 of the living H2416 God H430 speaking H1696 out of the midst H8432 of the fire, H784 as we have, and lived? H2421
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.