In this chapter Moses, after a short preface, Deut. 5:1–5, repeats the law of the decalogue, or ten commands, with some little variation, Deut. 5:6–21, and then reminds the Israelites of the terrible manner in which it was delivered to them, Deut. 5:22, Deut.

And Moses called all Israel The heads of the various tribes, and elders of the people, as he had on occasion been used to do; unless it can be thought that at different times he repeated the following laws to separate parties and bodies of them, until they had all heard them: and said unto them,…

The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. ] Which is Sinai, as Aben Ezra observes; it being the same mountain, only it had two tops, which bore these different names; for certain it is that the decalogue after repeated was given at Sinai, and had the nature and form of a covenant; see (Ex.

The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers That is, not with them only, as Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Abendana remark; for certain it is that this covenant was made, or law was given, to the immediate fathers of this present generation of Israelites, whose carcasses had fallen in the wilderness;…

The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount Meaning, not in that free, friendly, and familiar manner, in which he sometimes talked with Moses, of whom this phrase is used, , but publicly, audibly, clearly, and distinctly, or without the interposition of another; he did not speak to them by…

I stood between the Lord and you at that time Between the Word of the Lord and you, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; that is, about that time, not at the exact precise time the ten commandments were delivered, for these were spoken immediately to the people; but when the ceremonial law was…

I am the Lord thy God This is the preface to the ten commandments, and is the same with that in , (See Gill on Ex. 20:2), and those commands are here delivered in the same order, and pretty near in the same words, with a little variation, and a few additions; which I shall only observe, and refer…

I am the Lord thy God This is the preface to the ten commandments, and is the same with that in , (See Gill on Ex. 20:2), and those commands are here delivered in the same order, and pretty near in the same words, with a little variation, and a few additions; which I shall only observe, and refer…

I am the Lord thy God This is the preface to the ten commandments, and is the same with that in , (See Gill on Ex. 20:2), and those commands are here delivered in the same order, and pretty near in the same words, with a little variation, and a few additions; which I shall only observe, and refer…

I am the Lord thy God This is the preface to the ten commandments, and is the same with that in , (See Gill on Ex. 20:2), and those commands are here delivered in the same order, and pretty near in the same words, with a little variation, and a few additions; which I shall only observe, and refer…

I am the Lord thy God This is the preface to the ten commandments, and is the same with that in , (See Gill on Ex. 20:2), and those commands are here delivered in the same order, and pretty near in the same words, with a little variation, and a few additions; which I shall only observe, and refer…

I am the Lord thy God This is the preface to the ten commandments, and is the same with that in , (See Gill on Ex. 20:2), and those commands are here delivered in the same order, and pretty near in the same words, with a little variation, and a few additions; which I shall only observe, and refer…

Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it Or observe it, by setting it apart as a time of natural rest, and for the performance of holy and religious exercises; see , where the phrase is a little varied, “remember the sabbath day to keep it holy”; it having been instituted before: as the Lord thy God…

Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it Or observe it, by setting it apart as a time of natural rest, and for the performance of holy and religious exercises; see , where the phrase is a little varied, “remember the sabbath day to keep it holy”; it having been instituted before: as the Lord thy God…

Nor thine ox, nor thine ass In , it is only in general said, nor thy cattle: here by way of illustration and explanation the ox and the ass are particularly mentioned; the one being used in ploughing ground, and treading out the corn, and the other in carrying burdens; and it is added, nor any of…

And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, &c.] Even a bondservant; for Egypt was an house of bondage, and there the Israelites were made to serve in hard bondage; of which they are reminded, that their hearts might be touched with it, and inclined to show pity to persons in…

Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee And is the first commandment with promise, as the apostle observes, (Eph. 6:2, Eph.

Thou shalt not kill The following commands begin with the copulative “and”, different from the manner in which they are expressed, which joins these together, and them with the preceding ones; hence the law is by some said to be one copulative, and may serve to illustrate a passage in .

Thou shalt not kill The following commands begin with the copulative “and”, different from the manner in which they are expressed, which joins these together, and them with the preceding ones; hence the law is by some said to be one copulative, and may serve to illustrate a passage in .

Thou shalt not kill The following commands begin with the copulative “and”, different from the manner in which they are expressed, which joins these together, and them with the preceding ones; hence the law is by some said to be one copulative, and may serve to illustrate a passage in .

Thou shalt not kill The following commands begin with the copulative “and”, different from the manner in which they are expressed, which joins these together, and them with the preceding ones; hence the law is by some said to be one copulative, and may serve to illustrate a passage in .

Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife Here a neighbour’s wife is put before his house, different from and “his field” is added, which with what follows take in everything that is a man’s property; and which is not to be desired or coveted in an unlawful manner by another, and much less…

These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount The above ten words or commands, which were spoken so audibly and loudly by the Lord himself on Mount Sinai, that the whole congregation of the people of Israel heard them: out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick…

And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness The thick darkness, where God was, and with which the mountain was covered, for the mountain did burn with fire; which is a reason both why the Lord spoke out of the midst of the fire, the mountain on which he descended…

And ye said, behold, the Lord our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness In descending on Mount Sinai in the manner he did, and giving the law from thence with such solemnity; for there was a glory in the ministration of it, as the apostle argues , it being delivered with so much majesty,…

Now therefore why should we die? &c.] Since we are now alive, and have so wonderfully escaped the danger we were exposed unto, let us be careful that we are not liable to it again: for this great fire will consume us: if it continues, and we are exposed to it; perhaps some of them might remember…

For who is there of all flesh What man was there in any age, that was ever heard of or can be named: that hath heard the voice of the living God; who lives in and of himself, and is the author and giver of life to all his creatures, whereby he is distinguished from and is opposed unto the lifeless…

Go thou near To the mount, and to God on it: and hear all that the Lord our God shall say; for they supposed, by the continuance of the Lord on the mount, and the fire burning on it, that he had more to say, which they were not averse to hear; but desired it might be not immediately delivered to…

And the Lord heard the voice of your word, when ye spake unto me Not only in a general way, as he hears and knows all that is spoken by men; for there is not a word on the tongue, formed upon it, and uttered by it, but what is altogether known to him; but in a special and particular manner…

O that there were such an heart in them Not that there is properly speaking such volitions and wishes in God; but, as Aben Ezra observes, the Scripture speaks after the language of the children of men; and may be considered as upbraiding them with want of such an heart, and with weakness to do what…

Go say to them, get you into your tents again. ] Which they had left, being brought by Moses, at the direction of God, to the foot of Mount Sinai, to receive the law from his mouth; this being done, they are ordered to return to their tents again, to their families, wives, and children.

But as for thee, stand thou here by me On the mount by him whither he was called up; Moses was not permitted to go to his tent when the children of Israel were, but was ordered to wait upon the Lord to receive instructions from him, which he was to communicate to the people, being a kind of a…

Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God doth command you Observe every precept, as to matter and manner, which the Lord has commanded, and that under a sense of the great obligations laid on them by him, in giving them freely so good a land to possess: you shall not turn to the right…

Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you None are to be avoided or departed from on any consideration whatever; see an instance of this we have in Zacharias and Elizabeth, that ye may live; corporeally, comfortably, in all the outward enjoyments of life needful for…