Deuteronomy 5

Following the introduction to the law at the end of Deuteronomy 4 (4:44-49), chapter 5 begins the main body of Moses' second address. Moses opens it by restating the Ten Commandments.

Outline

• Verses 1-5 Moses summons all Israel and tells them to hear and keep the statutes and judgments. He declares that the covenant at Horeb was made not with their fathers but with "us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day."
• Verses 6-21 A prologue identifying God as the one who brought Israel out of Egypt is followed by the Ten Commandments themselves.
• Verse 22 After speaking these words with a great voice, God writes them on two tablets of stone and gives them to Moses.
• Verses 23-27 The heads of the tribes and the elders, fearing that they will die, ask Moses to listen on their behalf and relay God's words to them.
• Verses 28-33 God approves of what the people have said and tells Moses to stand by Him, receive the commandments, and teach them. Moses urges the people to walk in them without turning aside to the right hand or to the left.

Key Verses

• Deuteronomy 5:3 "The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day." The verse stresses that the covenant belongs not to a past generation but to the generation now listening.
• Deuteronomy 5:15 "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt." This verse grounds the Sabbath commandment in the deliverance of the Exodus.
• Deuteronomy 5:29 Here God expresses His desire that the people would always have a heart to fear Him.

People and Places

• Moses: The mediator who stands between God and the people and delivers God's words.
• The heads of the tribes and the elders: The leaders who made the request to Moses on behalf of the people.
• Mount Horeb: Another name for Mount Sinai, the place where the covenant was made.
• Egypt: The land where Israel had lived in bondage.

Points for Reflection

• Differences from Exodus The Ten Commandments here are nearly identical to those in Exodus 20, but they differ in a few places. Exodus grounds the Sabbath in creation, whereas this chapter grounds it in the Exodus. In the commandment against coveting, this chapter lists the neighbor's wife before the neighbor's house.
• Numbering the commandments Many Protestant traditions, including the Reformed churches, count the commandment against having other gods and the commandment against making idols separately. The Roman Catholic and Lutheran traditions combine these two into one and divide the commandment against coveting into two.
• Sabbath and the Lord's Day Denominations differ on how the Sabbath commandment applies today. Most Protestants hold that it is carried forward in Sunday worship, while the Seventh-day Adventist Church observes a Saturday Sabbath. For fuller discussion, see Sabbath and the Lord's Day.
• Connections to the New Testament In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus extended the commandments against murder and adultery to matters of the heart (Matthew 5:21-28). Paul summed up the commandments in terms of love (Romans 13:8-10) and cited the commandment to honor parents as the first commandment with promise (Ephesians 6:2-3). The scene in which the people draw back in fear is recalled in Hebrews 12:18-21.

In the Korean Church

• The Ten Commandments are widely used as memorization material in Sunday schools, and this chapter frequently serves as the text for sermon series that treat the commandments one by one.
• The commandments forbidding other gods and idols are often cited in discussions of ancestral rites and memorial services.
• The commandment to honor one's parents is a common sermon text for Parents' Sunday in May.