Deuteronomy 5:22

22 "These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly 1at 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 2he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

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 "'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 at 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 he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
23 And as 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 greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live.

Cross References 2

  • 1. See Deuteronomy 4:11
  • 2. Deuteronomy 9:10, 11; Exodus 24:12
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.