Deuteronomy 27:5

5 And there thou shalt build an altar to thy Lord God, of stones which iron touched not, (And thou shalt build an altar there to the Lord thy God, out of stones which iron hath not touched,)

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 that thou may write in them all the words of this law, when (the) Jordan is passed, that thou enter into the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee, the land flowing with milk and honey, as he promised to thy fathers. (so that thou can write on them all the words of this law, when the Jordan River is crossed over, and thou enter into the land that the Lord thy God shall give thee, the land flowing with milk and honey, as he promised to thy fathers.)

4 Therefore when thou hast passed (the) Jordan, raise thou up the stones which I command today to thee, in the hill of Ebal; and thou shalt make them plane with chalk. (And so when thou hast crossed over the Jordan River, raise thou up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command to thee today, and thou shalt make them plane with chalk.)

5 And there thou shalt build an altar to thy Lord God, of stones which iron touched not, (And thou shalt build an altar there to the Lord thy God, out of stones which iron hath not touched,)

6 and of stones unformed and unpolished; and thou shalt offer thereon burnt sacrifices to thy Lord God; (yea, of unformed and unpolished stones; and thou shalt offer burnt sacrifices on it to the Lord thy God;)

7 and thou shalt offer peaceable sacrifices, and thou shalt eat there, and thou shalt make feast before thy Lord God. (and thou shalt offer peace offerings, and thou shalt eat them there, and thou shalt make a feast before the Lord thy God.)