Deuteronomy 5:23-33

23 And ¹as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders.

24 And you said, 'Behold, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and ²greatness, and ³we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man ⁴still live.

25 Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. ⁵If we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, we shall die.

26 ⁶For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived?

27 Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say and ⁷speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.'

28 "And the LORD heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the LORD said to me, 'I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. ⁸They are right in all that they have spoken.

29 ⁹Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, ¹⁰that it might go well with them and with their descendants^[a] forever!

30 Go and say to them, "Return to your tents."

31 But you, stand here by me, and ¹¹I will tell you the whole commandment and the statutes and the rules that you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land that I am giving them to possess.'

32 You shall be careful therefore to do as the LORD your God has commanded you. ¹²You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

33 ¹³You shall walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live, and ¹⁴that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.

Read Chapter Compare

Deuteronomy 5:23-33 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 5

In this chapter Moses, after a short preface, De 5:1-5, repeats the law of the decalogue, or ten commands, with some little variation, De 5:6-21, and then reminds the Israelites of the terrible manner in which it was delivered to them, De 5:22,23 which put them upon making a request that Moses might be a mediator between God and them, and hear what the Lord had to say, and report it to them; to which they promised obedience, De 5:24-27 and which being agreeable to the Lord was granted, De 5:28-31, and this laid them under a greater obligation to observe the commands of God, and keep them, De 5:32,33.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 14

1. See Deuteronomy 4:12
2. See Deuteronomy 3:24
3. Exodus 19:19
4. See Deuteronomy 4:33
5. Deuteronomy 18:16
6. [See ver. 24 above]
7. See Exodus 20:19
8. Deuteronomy 18:17
9. Deuteronomy 32:29; Psalms 81:13; Isaiah 48:18; [Matthew 23:37; Luke 19:42]
10. See Deuteronomy 4:40
11. Galatians 3:19
12. Deuteronomy 17:20; Deuteronomy 28:14; Joshua 1:7; Joshua 23:6; 2 Kings 22:2; Proverbs 4:27
13. Deuteronomy 10:12; Deuteronomy 30:16; Jeremiah 7:23; [Luke 1:6]
14. See Deuteronomy 4:40

Footnotes 1

[a]. Or sons

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.