Deuteronomy 5:4-14

4 The Lord spoke to you face to face in the mountain out of the midst of the fire.
5 And I stood between the Lord and you at that time to report to you the words of the Lord, (because ye were afraid before the fire, and ye went not up to the mountain) saying,
6 I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
7 Thou shalt have no other gods before my face.
8 Thou shalt not make to thyself an image, nor likeness of any thing, whatever things in the heaven above, and whatever in the earth beneath, and whatever in the waters under the earth.
9 Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor shalt thou serve them; for I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation to them that hate me,
10 and doing mercifully to thousands of them that love me, and that keep my commandments.
11 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord thy God will certainly not acquit him that takes his name in vain.
12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God commanded thee.
13 Six days thou shalt work, and thou shalt do all thy works;
14 but on the seventh day the sabbath of the Lord thy God: thou shalt do in it no work, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, thine ox, and thine ass, and all thy cattle, and the stranger that sojourns in the midst of thee; that thy man-servant may rest, and thy maid, and thine ox, as well as thou.

Deuteronomy 5:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 5

In this chapter Moses, after a short preface, De 5:1-5, repeats the law of the decalogue, or ten commands, with some little variation, De 5:6-21, and then reminds the Israelites of the terrible manner in which it was delivered to them, De 5:22,23 which put them upon making a request that Moses might be a mediator between God and them, and hear what the Lord had to say, and report it to them; to which they promised obedience, De 5:24-27 and which being agreeable to the Lord was granted, De 5:28-31, and this laid them under a greater obligation to observe the commands of God, and keep them, De 5:32,33.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. to them that love, etc. to the number of thousands.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.