Bible Verse Lookup
Deut 5:15
Chapter 5
15
Remember that you were once enslaved in the land of Egypt, from where the Lord, your God, brought you out with his mighty hand and outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord, your God, commands you to observe the Sabbath.
Commentaries
The Ten Commandments.
Verses 1-5 reaffirm the people’s commitment to the Lord (3). Verses 6-21, with slight variations, repeat the same decalogue found in Exodus 20:1-17. It begins with God’s self-revelation, and the response of the people to this God is outlined in the Decalogue.
The first commandment affirms the absolute supremacy of the one who alone can save, free, and give life. The second commandment highlights this idea. God’s name must not be used in vain because it is a sacred name.
The other commandments, from the third to the tenth, stress the importance of ethical and moral behavior among people. The third commandment (12-15), which may seem religious, actually reflects a sense of social justice (14b); the reason for observing the Sabbath stems from the oppression in Egypt, showing that this experience acts as a real obstacle to the proper fulfillment of individuals and the community. In Egypt, Israel is not yet a nation; it is a group of slaves who begin to develop their identity only after escaping slavery. Therefore, this commandment, along with the two previous ones, lays the groundwork for building a society that values and protects life in all its forms: primarily that of our closest relatives, like our parents (16), and later that of those in our community and society (17-21).