Deuteronomy 5:6–10

Context

Deuteronomy 5 is the passage in which Moses, on the plains of Moab before Israel enters Canaan, recounts to the people the Ten Commandments received at Mount Horeb. Verse 6 serves as the preface to all the commandments. Before giving the commandments, God first declares who He is: the God who "brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage." Verse 7 prohibits having other gods, and verses 8–10 prohibit making images in order to bow down to or serve them, together with the accompanying warning and promise. The content is nearly identical to Exodus 20:2–6.

Interpretation

• The meaning of the preface: Commentators from many denominations note that deliverance is mentioned before the commandments are given. On the basis of this order, they read the commandments not as conditions for obtaining salvation but as the norms of covenant life given to a people already redeemed.
• Presbyterian and Reformed reading: Verse 7 is treated as the First Commandment and verses 8–10 as the Second Commandment. The Heidelberg Catechism teaches that the Second Commandment forbids representing God by any image. It also rejects placing images in churches to serve as books for the laity. The Reformed tradition sometimes extends this commandment into a broader principle that God is not to be worshiped in any way He has not commanded.
• Roman Catholic and Lutheran reading: Following Augustine, these traditions combine verses 7–10 into a single First Commandment and divide the prohibition of coveting into two in order to arrive at ten commandments. The Catholic Church distinguishes between the adoration (worship) offered to God and the veneration given to sacred images, and therefore does not regard the use of images as idolatry.
• "A jealous God": This does not mean that God is capricious. It is generally understood to mean that God demands exclusive loyalty within the covenant relationship, and it is often explained by analogy to marriage.

Debates and Issues

The statement in verse 9 that God visits iniquity "unto the third and fourth generation" raises the question of whether descendants are punished for the sins of their ancestors. In response, many interpreters point to two considerations:

• The warning is limited to "them that hate me."
• Deuteronomy 24:16 and Ezekiel 18:19–20 state that each person is judged for his own sin.

Accordingly, they read the verse to mean that when children continue in their parents' sins, the consequences extend across generations. Moreover, because the phrase stands in contrast to "thousands," they see the emphasis as falling on the fact that grace far exceeds judgment. In Korea, proponents of the generational curse theory have cited this verse as one of its grounds. Critics have countered that the curse has already been dealt with through Christ's atonement.

In the Korean Church

The First and Second Commandments have been invoked as grounds for a number of decisions in the Korean church.

• During the Japanese colonial period, Christians who refused Shinto shrine worship cited these commandments.
• They are frequently cited to explain the practice of holding memorial services in place of ancestral rites.
• This passage serves as the starting point when the Ten Commandments are taught in baptism and confirmation classes and in Sunday sermons.

Related Passages

• Exodus 20:2–6
• Deuteronomy 6:6–9
• Deuteronomy 24:16
• 1 Corinthians 8:4–6
• 1 John 5:21