Deuteronomium 5:26

26 Want wie is er van alle vlees, die de stem des levenden Gods, sprekende uit het midden des vuurs, gehoord heeft gelijk wij, en is levend gebleven?

Deuteronomium 5:26 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 5:26

For who [is there] of all flesh
What man was there in any age, that was ever heard of or can be named:

that hath heard the voice of the living God;
who lives in and of himself, and is the author and giver of life to all his creatures, whereby he is distinguished from and is opposed unto the lifeless deities of the Gentiles; and which makes him and his voice heard the more awful and tremendous, and especially as

speaking out of the midst of the fire:
which was the present case:

as we [have], and lived?
of this there never was the like instance; for though some had seen God and lived, as Jacob did, and therefore called the name of the place where he saw him Penuel, ( Genesis 32:30 ) , and Moses had heard the voice of the angel of the Lord out of a bush, which seemed to be burning, and was not consumed, ( Exodus 3:2 Exodus 3:4 ) , yet none ever heard the voice of the Lord out of real fire, and particularly expressing such words as he did, but the Israelites. Zoroastres, the founder of the Magi among the Persians, and of their religion, seems to have had respect to this, and to have applied falsely this to himself, which belonged to Moses and the people of Israel; for it is said F11,

``one reason the Persians have fire in so much veneration is, because they say that Zoroastres, being caught up to heaven, did not see God, but heard him speaking with him out of the midst of fire.''


FOOTNOTES:

F11 Hyde Hist. Relig. Vet. Pers. c. 8. p. 160.

Deuteronomium 5:26 In-Context

24 En zeidet: Zie, de HEERE, onze God, heeft ons Zijn heerlijkheid en Zijn grootheid laten zien, en wij hebben Zijn stem gehoord uit het midden des vuurs; dezen dag hebben wij gezien, dat God met den mens spreekt, en dat hij levend blijft.
25 Maar nu, waarom zouden wij sterven? Want dit grote vuur zou ons verteren; indien wij voortvoeren de stem des HEEREN, onzes Gods, langer te horen, zo zouden wij sterven.
26 Want wie is er van alle vlees, die de stem des levenden Gods, sprekende uit het midden des vuurs, gehoord heeft gelijk wij, en is levend gebleven?
27 Nader gij, en hoor alles, wat de HEERE, onze God, zeggen zal; en spreek gij tot ons al wat de HEERE, onze God, tot u spreken zal, en wij zullen het horen en doen.
28 Als nu de HEERE de stem uwer woorden hoorde, toen gij tot mij spraakt, zo zeide de HEERE tot mij: Ik heb gehoord de stem der woorden van dit volk, die zij tot u gesproken hebben; het is altemaal goed, dat zij gesproken hebben.
The Dutch Staten Vertaling translation is in the public domain.