| Home | Old Testament Studies | Deuteronomy Table of Contents | Previous Section | Next Section |
DEUTERONOMY 5
PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS
| NKJV | NRSV | TEV | NJB |
| The Ten Commandments Reviewed | Giving of the Law at Sinai | The Ten Commandments | The Ten Commandments |
| 5:1-5 | 5:1-5 | 5:1-5 | 5:1 |
| 5:2-5 | |||
| 5:6-7 | 5:6-7 | 5:6 | 5:6 |
| 5:7 | 5:7 | ||
| 5:8-10 | 5:8-10 | 5:8-10 | 5:8-10 |
| 5:11 | 5:11 | 5:11 | 5:11 |
| 5:12 | 5:12 | 5:12 | 5:12 |
| 5:13 | 5:13 | 5:13 | 5:13 |
| 5:14 | 5:14 | 5:14 | 5:14 |
| 5:15 | 5:15 | 5:15 | 5:15 |
| 5:16 | 5:16 | 5:16 | 5:16 |
| 5:17 | 5:17 | 5:17 | 5:17 |
| 5:18-21 | 5:18-21a | 5:18-21 | 5:18-21 |
| 5:21b | |||
| 5:22 | 5:22-27 | 5:22 | 5:22 |
| The People Afraid of God's Presence | The People's Fear | Moses the Mediator | |
| 5:23-33 | 5:23-27 | 5:23-27 | |
| 5:28-33 | 5:28-31 | 5:28-31 | |
| 5:32-33 | To Love Yahweh is the Essence of the Law (5:32-6:13) 5:32-6:3 |
READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")
FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL
This is a study guide commentary, which
means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the
light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not
relinquish this to a commentator.
Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.
BACKGROUND STUDY
All of these are considered Torah (BDB 435). They are specific divine prescriptions on actions and attitudes.
WORD AND PHRASE STUDY
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:1-5
1Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully. 2The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, with all those of us alive here today. 4The Lord spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire, 5while I was standing between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain. He said,"
5:1 "all Israel" The Law was for every Israelite (not an elite group), but Moses probably spoke to the elders who then told his words to all the people (i.e., families, tribes, clans).
SPECIAL TOPIC: ISRAEL (THE NAME)
▣ "Hear" See note at Deut. 4:1.
▣ "the statutes and the ordinances" See note at Deut. 4:1 and SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS FOR GOD'S REVELATION.
▣ "learn them and observe them carefully" This phrase has three VERBALS:
These three VERBALS summarize the meaning of shema (BDB 1033, KB 1570, e.g., Deut. 4:1; 5:1,23,24,25,26, 27 [twice], 28 [twice]; 6:3,4; 9:1; 20:3; 27:9), which means "hear so as to do"! Spiritual knowledge and a godly obedient lifestyle are both crucial!
5:2 "The Lord our God" See SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C. and D.
▣ "made" This is literally "cut" (BDB 503, KB 500, Qal PERFECT [twice]). This was a method of OT covenant ratification (i.e., "to cut a covenant," cf. Gen. 15:18; 21:27,32; 31:44; Exod. 34:27; Deut. 5:3; 29:12; 31:16). Abraham took a goat, a bull, and other animals, cut them in half, laid the halves on each side, and walked through the middle of those halves as a sign of covenant. It possibly implies a curse on those who break the covenant (cf. Gen. 15:9-18; Jer. 34:18) or even a meal to seal the covenant.
▣ "covenant with us" See note at Deut. 4:13.
▣ "at Horeb" Horeb is the Hebrew word for Mt. Sinai.
SPECIAL TOPIC: LOCATION OF MT. SINAI
5:3 "our fathers" Some scholars see this phrase referring to the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but others see it referring to the parents, the evil generation who died in the wilderness (cf. Num. 26:63-65). The next phrase seems to confirm the second option.
▣ "with all those of us alive here today" This refers to the children (i.e., under twenty years) of the evil generation. This clearly shows that the words of YHWH had relevance to this generation and every generation, including today.
5:4 "face to face" This refers to a personal encounter (not literally) at Mt. Horeb/Sinai in Exodus 19. It is a recurrent idiom (cf. Gen. 32:30; Exod. 33:11; Deut. 5:4; 34:10; Jdgs. 6:22; Ezek. 20:35).
▣ "from the midst of the fire" This is a repeated reference to Exodus 19 (cf. Deut. 4:12,15,33,36; 5:4,22,24,26; 9:10; 10:4).
5:5 "while I was standing between the Lord and you. . .for you were afraid" The people were afraid of YHWH so Moses acted as a mediator between YHWH and the Israelites (cf. Exod. 19:16).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:6
6"I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."
5:6 "I am the Lord" This may be paraphrased: "I am the 'I Am.'" I am the ever living, only living God. I am the ever existing One. YHWH is a form of the Hebrew VERB "to be" (cf. Exod. 3:14).
SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.
▣ "who brought you out of the land of Egypt" Notice that YHWH's grace and elective choice came before the Law was given. God chose Israel, she did not choose him. This choice was made plain to Abraham in the unconditional promise/covenant of Gen. 15:12-21. YHWH's redemptive plan is unconditional but how it addresses individuals and nations is conditional.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:7
7"You shall have no other gods before Me."
5:7 "no other gods before Me" "Before" (BDB 818 #7) is literally "before My Face," which is an idiom for "no other in My category" (cf. Exod. 20:3,23). YHWH is alone, unique, ever-existing! This is an assertion of monotheism (cf. Exod. 8:10; 9:14; Deut. 4:35,39; 33:26; 1 Sam. 2:2; 2 Sam. 7:22; 22:32; Isa. 46:9). This first assertion and command is the uniqueness of Israel's faith in a polytheistic Ancient Near East! See note at Deut. 6:4.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:8-10
8"You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 9You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."
5:8 "an idol" This is literally "graven image" (BDB 820). This can refer to (1) any physical representation of YHWH (cf. Deut. 4:12,15-19,23,25). The golden calf of Exodus 32 was a representation of YHWH; or (2) foreign idols (cf. Lev. 19:4; 26:1).
▣ "earth" See SPECIAL TOPIC: LAND, COUNTRY, EARTH (ארץ)
5:9 "You shall not worship them or serve them" These are two negated VERB forms:
YHWH knew the "religious" and "superstitious" tendency of the fallen human heart and tried to protect the revelation of Himself and His purposes from the destructive influences of Near Eastern idolatry. Superstition is a terrible thing!
▣ "jealous" See note at Deut. 4:24.
SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN
SPECIAL TOPIC: JEALOUS. . .ZEALOUS
▣ The VERB "visiting" (BDB 823, KB 955, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) has several senses:
Context, context, context; not lexical options!
▣ "the iniquity of the fathers" The term "iniquity" (BDB 730) may be related to the similar root, "to twist" (BDB 730, e.g., 2 Sam. 19:20; 24:17; 1 Kgs. 8:47; Ps. 106:6). Israel is punished for her disobedience (e.g., Exod. 20:5; 34:7; Lev. 18:25; Num. 14:18; Deut. 19:15; Jer. 25:12; 36:31; Amos 3:2).
▣ "on the children, and on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me" Notice the punishment is not arbitrary or indiscriminate, but directed toward those who "hate" YHWH (BDB 971, KB 1338, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE). This implies that unbelief runs through families. The influence of the parents is crucial to the development of faith (see notes at Deut. 4:10). In the ANE several generations of families lived together. One generation's unbelief and/or disobedience affected the entire family. This is part of the Hebrew concept of corporality (i.e., one affects the whole—Adam, Achan, David, Jesus).
To this sense of corporality must be added the individual aspect of faith (cf. Deut. 24:16; 2 Kgs. 14:6; Jer. 31:29-30; Ezekiel 18)!
Just a personal note, all of us come from sinful families. All of us are affected by them. The sins of the parents are passed on to the children. But, thank God for
Sin has consequences through time, but faith also has consequences through time and eternity.
5:10 "showing" This VERB (BDB 793, KB 889) is a Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE, which matches the ongoing action of the VERB in Deut. 5:9.
▣ "lovingkindness" See SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (hesed)
▣ "to thousands" These two verses help me see the nature of YHWH. His basic nature is longsuffering love, but He does punish those who wilfully reject Him (especially those who have some knowledge of His revelation, i.e., the covenant people). The numbers in these two verses make my point.
SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph)
▣ "those who love Me and keep My commandments" It is a characteristic of Deuteronomy to link obedience to YHWH's covenant to love for YHWH (cf. Deut. 6:5; 7:9; 10:12; 11:1,13,22; 13:3; 19:9; 30:6,16,20).
YHWH's love is not capricious, but clearly defined. He shows no partiality. His initiating covenant love is maintained by covenant obedience.
"Keep" (BDB 1036, KB 1581) is the key concept in this chapter (cf. Deut. 5:1,10,12,29,32 and many more times in Deuteronomy). The OT was based on the grace of YHWH and human obedience/performance. YHWH wanted to show human inability to respond appropriately (cf. Galatians 3). The NT (cf. Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-36) is based on God's gracious initiation and redemption in Christ. Believers are still destined to be righteous (cf. Eph. 1:14; 2:10), but they have been accepted and forgiven by grace through faith (cf. Eph. 2:8-9). Now they obey/perform out of a sense of gratitude and family love (i.e., "those who love Me"). The goal is the same, a righteous (Christlike) people, but the mechanism has changed from human performance to Christ's performance (cf. Isaiah 53; Mark 10:45; 2 Cor. 5:21).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:11
11'You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
5:11 "You shall not take" The VERB (BDB 669, KB 724, Qal IMPERFECT) means "to lift," to carry," or "to take." It seems to imply an act of speech. The Israelites were called on to speak "the name" in worship (cf. Deut. 6:13; 10:20), but not the name of other gods!
This emphasis begins in Gen. 4:25-26, where the line of Seth "began to call upon the name of the Lord"; Abraham did the same (Gen. 12:8; 21:33); Isaac did the same (Gen. 26:25). This same concept is put in an eschatological setting by Joel 2:28-32. This is continued by the Apostle Peter on Pentecost and asserted to be fulfilled (cf. Acts 2:14-21); the Apostle Paul uses the phrase to offer universal salvation in Rom. 10:9-13.
The name represents the person and character of YHWH. The Israelites were to be a kingdom of priests to the world (cf. Exod. 19:5-6), but the tragedy is that their covenant disobedience, which caused YHWH to punish them (cf. Deuteronomy 27-29), meant that the message to the world was distorted by:
SPECIAL TOPIC: CALL ON HIS NAME
SPECIAL TOPIC: "THE NAME" OF THE LORD
▣ "in vain" This term (BDB 996) means "empty," "non-existent," "vain" (cf. Exod. 20:7; Ps. 139:20). This is the same word used in Deut. 5:20 for a "false" witness. It is possible that this commandment does not refer to taking oaths in YHWH's name (cf. Deut. 6:13; 10:20), but in using His name in false legal testimony. Israel became a "false" witness to the character and purposes of YHWH because of their recurrent disobedience, which resulted in YHWH's judgment (cf. Deuteronomy 27-29). See SPECIAL TOPIC: EMPTY, VAIN, FALSE, NOTHINGNESS.
▣ "for the Lord will not leave him unpunished" The VERB (BDB 667, KB 720, Piel IMPERFECT which means "acquit") is imagery for something clean, thereby innocent or free from guilt (cf. Exod. 20:7; 34:7; Num. 14:18; Jer. 30:11; 46:28; Joel 3:21; Nah. 1:3). There are consequences to human sin. To misrepresent YHWH is a most serious sin, especially for those who know Him (cf. Luke 12:48; Heb. 10:26-31)!
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:12-15
12Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.
5:12 "Observe" This VERB (BDB 1036, KB 1581, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE) means "keep" and is used repeatedly in Deuteronomy.
▣ "the sabbath" See SPECIAL TOPIC: SABBATH (OT)
▣ "holy" This term (BDB 992) means "rest" or "cessation of activity." The usage as a day of worship starts with Gen. 2:2-3, where YHWH uses His rest as a pattern for animals (cf. Exod. 23:12) and mankind (humans need a regular schedule of work, rest, and worship). The first specialized use of this day by Israel was in Exod. 16:25-26 in the gathering of manna. It then becomes part of "the Ten Words" (cf. Exod. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15). This is one example where the Ten Words in Exodus 20 are slightly different from the Ten Words in Deuteronomy 5. Deuteronomy is preparing Israel for the settled, agricultural life in Canaan, while Exodus 20 dealt with their desert wandering period.
5:13 "work" Laws like Deut. 5:13-14 caused the development of the Oral Traditions (i.e., Mishnah, Talmud, cf. Matt. 5:21-48) to be written because a question like, "What is work?" became crucial. The rabbis devised a definition so that the faithful Jew would not break the Law. The ambiguity of the written Law caused the legalistic Oral Law to be developed.
5:14 "seventh day is a sabbath" The Sabbath was a day of rest (BDB 992). There are two origins given for the Sabbath: Exodus 20:11 orients it to Genesis 1-2, while Deuteronomy orients it to the Egyptian bondage (cf. Deut. 5:15). It became a covenant marker (like circumcision) of YHWH's people (cf. Exod. 31:13,17; Ezek. 20:12,20). Obedience was mandated (cf. Isa. 56:2; 58:13; Jer. 17:21-22).
Like the sun, moon (cf. Gen. 1:14), and seasons, the Sabbath provided a division of time for mankind's activities (cf. Ecclesiastes 3). The seven day week became a way to mark special days and years (cf. Exodus 23 and Leviticus 23). Specifically, the Sabbath begins on Friday evening and goes through Saturday evening, because Israelites marked the day in Genesis 1 categories ("evening and morning," cf. Gen. 1:5,8,13,19,23,31).
5:15 "You shall remember" See note at Deut. 7:18.
▣ "that you were a slave in the land of Egypt" Moses uses this experience of slavery to motivate the Israelites to compassionate action toward underprivileged people in their society:
This phrase is also used numerous times to warn Israel to act appropriately in light of YHWH's gracious gift of the land (e.g., Deut. 6:10-15) and to obey the covenant (e.g., Deut. 8:1-10) lest serious consequences come (e.g., Deut. 8:11-20)
▣ "hand" See SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:16
16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives you.
5:16 "Honor" This VERB (BDB 457, KB 455, Piel IMPERATIVE) originally meant "to be heavy" and developed a metaphorical meaning of "give due weight to" or "honor." This honor is not based on agreement, but authority and respect. In a sense it models the relationship between God and mankind. A submissive attitude toward authority is crucial in religious life!
Jesus mentions these commandments several times as well as other portions of Deuteronomy:
Paul also quotes Deuteronomy often:
(cf. Richard N. Longenecker, Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period, pp. 42-43, 92-95). Apparently the NT writers used the OT extensively, but not legalistically!
▣ "and your mother" This shows high regard for motherhood even though in the Oriental society women were legally on the level of chattel or property. A Hebrew mother was honored in her own home. The authority of parents was strictly respected (cf. Exod. 21:17; Deut. 27:16). Both were to be respected and obeyed (cf. Pro. 1:8; 6:20; 15:20; 19:26; 20:20; 23:22-25; 30:11,17).
SPECIAL TOPIC: WOMEN IN THE BIBLE
▣ "your days may be prolonged" Verse 33; 4:40; 11:9 show that this was a promise to a society, not primarily to an individual. If a society is characterized by honor in the home and respect for family life, that society will be stable and last through time. See note at Deut. 4:40.
5:17-21 These are laws that are common to all eastern societies. From archaeological discoveries we know of the Babylonian Law Codes of Lipit-Ishtar and Hammurabi which predate the Law of Moses by several hundred years. The Code of Hammurabi is similar to the Ten Commandments. This similarity shows
SPECIAL TOPIC: LAWS IN THE ANE
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:17
17 You shall not murder.
5:17 "murder" The Hebrew VERB "murder" (BDB 953, KB 1283, Qal IMPERFECT) originally meant "to violently crush." Life belongs to God. This does not mean killing of any kind because Israel had both capital punishment (e.g., Num. 35:30) and Holy War (e.g., 20:13,16-17). The commandment is saying "Thou shalt not violently murder for selfish reasons or revenge" or "do not commit non-legal, premeditated murder." In my opinion this passage cannot be used as a biblical admonition against military service or capital punishment.
SPECIAL TOPIC: NOTES ON EXODUS 20 (MURDER)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:18
18 You shall not commit adultery.
5:18 "adultery" In the OT adultery (BDB 610, KB 658, Qal IMPERFECT) refers to only extramarital sexual activities. This was a serious crime because of OT views of the afterlife. They believed that in some sense a person lived on through his seed. Also, the importance of tribes inheriting and passing on land allotted to them by YHWH made adultery a significant issue.
Notice, the first law is faithfulness to parents; the second law is faithfulness in not taking your brother's life; the third idea is faithfulness within the home. Even betrothed women were treated as married (cf. Deut. 22:23ff). Mary was accused of unfaithfulness because she was betrothed to Joseph.
This idea of adultery is often used symbolically for idolatry (i.e., spiritual adultery). Ezekiel and Hosea analogously present God as a husband to Israel, therefore, when Israel went after other gods, it was called "going a whoring" and was considered spiritual adultery or faithlessness.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:19
19You shall not steal.
5:19 "steal" This is probably a reference to kidnaping and selling (BDB 170, KB 198, Qal IMPERFECT, cf. Deut. 24:7; Exod. 21:16), because of the context of the surrounding laws. This expresses a faithfulness to one's covenant brother whose life belongs to God. All of the surrounding laws brought the death penalty. This seems harsh for petty theft.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:20
20You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
5:20 "bear false witness" In ancient societies, when accused of something, it was the responsibility of the accused to prove the accuser wrong rather than our modern American judicial practice of assuming one innocent until proven guilty. If you proved your accuser wrong he had to take the penalty for the crime he accused you of (cf. Deut. 19:16-21). Since disobedience to the Ten Words caused death, false witness was a serious crime! Bearing false witness reveals an unfaithfulness within the community of faith. Lies destroy the reputation and take an innocent life of a covenant brother or sister. God takes this lying seriously (cf. Job 17:5; Ps. 101:5; Pro. 11:9; Jer. 9:8-9).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:21
21You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.'
5:21 "shall not covet. . .shall not desire" These two VERBS are synonymous:
This relates to one's inner attitudes and motives. It is capstone to all the other commandments. This is the only commandment that deals with why, not how. This one says not only "don't do" but "don't think this." Jesus taught that we should not only not kill, we should not hate, or display an attitude that might result in murder. Jesus took this last commandment and raised the rest of the commandments to the level of inner motive and attitude as over against outer action (cf. Matt. 5:17-48). There is all the difference in the world in a man who does not steal because it is not pleasing to God and the man who does not steal because he is afraid of getting caught. One is acting on Christian principles and the other is acting on self-interest.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:22-27
22"These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire,of the cloud and of the thick gloom, with a great voice, and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23And it came about, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. 24And you said, 'Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives. 25Now then why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we shall die. 26For who is there of all flesh, who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27Go near and hear all that the Lord our God says; then speak to us all that the Lord our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.'"
5:22 "He added no more" The Ten Words (Decalog) and their explanations are from YHWH, not Moses (compare Exod. 31:18 & 34:27-28). This is revelation (from God), not human discovery or rationalization. The phrase "and He added no more" is a literary way of asserting a complete revelation (cf. Deut. 4:2; 12:32).
Verses 22-27 are referring to the experience of Israel at Mt. Horeb/Sinai and recorded in Exodus 19-20.
This revelation must be respected and untampered with (cf. Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Pro. 30:6; Eccl. 3:14).
5:23 "all the heads of your tribes and your elders" The elders came to Moses because they were frightened (cf. Deut. 5:25-26; Exod. 19:16,18; 20:18-20) by the physical manifestations connected to YHWH's personal presence on Mt. Horeb/Sinai.
SPECIAL TOPIC: CAN HUMANS SEE GOD AND LIVE?
5:24 "His glory and His greatness" The Hebrew root "glory" (BDB 458; see SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY [OT]) is the same root as "honor" (BDB 457) of Deut. 5:16. Both are commercial terms meaning "heavy" or "weighty," which came to denote honor. It is used often of God's name (e.g., Ps. 29:2; 66:2; 79:9; 96:8), person (e.g., Exod. 24:16-17; 33:18,22; 40:34-35; Num. 14:22), and actions (e.g., Exod. 16:7,12).
The second term "greatness" (BDB 152) is often used of God in Deuteronomy (cf. Deut. 3:24; 5:24; 9:26; 11:2; 32:3; Ps. 150:2). See notes at Deut. 4:31 and 10:17.
▣ "that God speaks with man" God does reveal Himself and humanity can understand and relate to Him! This is the basis of our understanding of God's revelation and God's covenant requirements.
5:27 "Go near and hear all that the Lord our God says" This has two Qal IMPERATIVE VERBS:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 5:28-33
28"And the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, 'I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. 29Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever! 30Go, say to them, "Return to your tents." 31But as for you, stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I give them to possess.' 32So you shall observe to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess."
5:28-33 Notice that God says "that it may be well for you." These commandments weren't given to burden the people. God gave them to give His people freedom. God gave His laws to give us a whole, healthy, and happy life. They are necessary because of the fall of humanity in Adam.
5:29 "Oh that they had such a heart. . .and would keep all My commandments" This introductory exclamation ("Oh that they had," BDB 566 plus BDB 678, KB 733, Qal IMPERFECT) is a common phrase in the OT used twenty-five times, mostly in Job (NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 209). Here it expresses a wish (cf. 2 Sam. 18:33; Ps. 55:6).
God longs for mankind's happiness and peace, but this involves responsibilities. If they would obey, it would be good for them, for their children, for their children's children and on and on (cf. Deut. 27-29).
5:30,31 These two verses have a series of commands:
5:31 "all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments" See SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS FOR GOD'S REVELATION
▣ "which I give them to possess" There are two verbals in this phrase:
This statement is based on:
God gave/promised a special land to Israel, but Israel had to
5:32 "you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left" This is an idiom related to God's word as a clearly defined path or road (cf. Ps. 119:105; Pro. 6:23). To deviate from God's clear path/road was sin (cf. Deut. 9:12,16; 17:11,20; 28:14; Josh. 1:7; 23:6; 31:29; 2 Kgs. 22:2; 2 Chr. 34:2; Pro. 4:27). See note at Deut. 2:27.
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WAY. . .THE PATH
5:33 "You shall walk" In this context "walk" means "lifestyle" (BDB 229, KB 246, Qal IMPERFECT). Biblical faith is not only laws to be kept, it is a daily lifestyle: 24 hours a day, 7 days-a-week relationship to God by faith. This faith must issues in a godly life (i.e., Eph. 2:10; 4:1,17; 5:2,15).
▣ "that it may be well with" The VERB (BDB 373, KB 370, Qal PERFECT with waw) is literally "pleasing" or "good." The ADJECTIVE is often used to describe the Promised Land (cf. Deut. 1:25,25; 3:25; 4:21,22, etc.). The VERB describes the good life God promises for covenant obedience (cf. Deut. 15:16; 19:13).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
| Home | Old Testament Studies | Deuteronomy Table of Contents | Previous Section | Next Section |
Copyright © 2014 Bible Lessons International