Deuteronomy 5:22

22 "These are the commandments the Lord gave to all of you when you were gathered at the mountain. When he spoke with a mighty voice from the fire and from the thick clouds, he gave these commandments and no others. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me. 1

Deuteronomy 5:22 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 5:22

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 darkness;
in which the Lord was; see ( Deuteronomy 4:11 ) ,

with a great voice, and he added no more;
ceased speaking; after he had delivered the ten commands, he said no more at that time. The Targum of Jonathan is,

``with a great voice which ceased not.''

It ceased not until all were delivered, and then it did; it was a continued voice, yet clear and distinct:

and he wrote them in

two tables of stone;
marble stone, as the Targum of Jonathan; which is much more likely than what the paraphrase has on ( Deuteronomy 4:13 ) , this is an emblem of the duration of the law:

and delivered them unto me;
to Moses, and by him to be delivered to the people, who though they had heard them would be apt to forget them; and therefore they were written, that they might read them, and meditate on them, and be careful to keep them.

Deuteronomy 5:22 In-Context

20 " "Do not accuse anyone falsely.
21 " "Do not desire another man's wife; do not desire his house, his land, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns.'
22 "These are the commandments the Lord gave to all of you when you were gathered at the mountain. When he spoke with a mighty voice from the fire and from the thick clouds, he gave these commandments and no others. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
23 "When the whole mountain was on fire and you heard the voice from the darkness, your leaders and the chiefs of your tribes came to me
24 and said, "The Lord our God showed us his greatness and his glory when we heard him speak from the fire! Today we have seen that it is possible for people to continue to live, even though God has spoken to them.

Cross References 1

  • 1. 5.22-27Hebrews 12.18, 19.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.