Deuteronomy 5:6-22

6 1"'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
7 "'You shall have no other gods before[a] me.
8 "'You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
9 You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
10 but showing steadfast love to 2thousands[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 "'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
12 "'Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.
13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
14 but 3the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On 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 livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, 4that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
15 5You shall remember that you were a slave[c] in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there 6with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 "'Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, 7that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
17 8"'You shall not murder.[d]
18 9"'And you shall not commit adultery.
19 "'And you shall not steal.
20 "'And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
21 "'And you 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 is your neighbor's.'
22 "These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly 10at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And 11he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

Deuteronomy 5:6-22 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.

Cross References 11

  • 1. For ver. 6-21, see Exodus 20:2-17
  • 2. Exodus 20:6; Jeremiah 32:18
  • 3. Exodus 16:29, 30; Hebrews 4:4
  • 4. [Exodus 23:12]
  • 5. Deuteronomy 15:15; Deuteronomy 16:12; Deuteronomy 24:18, 22
  • 6. See Deuteronomy 4:34
  • 7. See Deuteronomy 4:40
  • 8. Matthew 5:21, 27; Luke 18:20; James 2:11
  • 9. [See ver. 17 above]
  • 10. See Deuteronomy 4:11
  • 11. Deuteronomy 9:10, 11; Exodus 24:12

Footnotes 4

  • [a]. Or besides
  • [b]. Or to the thousandth generation
  • [c]. Or servant
  • [d]. The Hebrew word also covers causing human death through carelessness or negligence
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.