Deuteronomy 27:5

5 And there bylde vnto the Lord thy God, an altare of stones and se thou lifte vpp no yerne uppon them:

Deuteronomy 27:5 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 27:5

And there shall thou build an altar to the Lord thy God
On the same mountain, though not of the same stones. Jarchi's note is,

``after that (the setting up of the plastered stones) thou shalt bring from thence (from Jordan) others, and build of them an altar on Mount Ebal;''

but Josephus ^F20 places this altar not on Mount Ebal, but between that and Gerizim. This altar, he says, was ordered to be built towards the rising sun, not far from the city of Shechem, between two mountains, Gerizim and Ebal; but the text is express, that it was to be built where the stones were set up, which was on Mount Ebal, and there it was built, ( Joshua 8:30 ) ; an altar of stones; of whole stones, as in ( Deuteronomy 27:6 ) , not broken, nor hewed, but rough as they were when taken out of the quarry: thou shalt not lift up [any] iron [tool] upon them;
to hew them, and make them smooth; (See Gill on Exodus 20:25);

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 4. c. 8. sect. 44.)

Deuteronomy 27:5 In-Context

3 and write vpo the all the wordes of this lawe, when thou arte come ouer: that thou mayst come in to the londe whiche the Lorde thy God geueth the: a londe that floweth with mylke and honye, as the Lorde God off thy fathers hath promysed the.

4 When ye be come ouer Iordayne, se that ye set vpp these stones which I commaunde you this daye in mount Eball, and playster them with playster.

5 And there bylde vnto the Lord thy God, an altare of stones and se thou lifte vpp no yerne uppon them:

6 But thou shalt make the altare of the Lorde thy God of rughstones and offer burntoffrynges thereon vnto the Lorde thy God.

7 And thou shalt offer peaceoffrynges and shalt eate there and reioyse before the Lorde thy God.