Bible Verse Lookup
Dt 5,15
Chapter 5
Moses gathered the whole of Israel and said to them: “Listen, Israel, to the laws and norms which I teach you this day. Learn them and be careful to put them into practice.
The Lord, our God, made a Covenant with us in Horeb, and his Covenant
was not only with our fathers but with us as well, who are all alive here today.
The Lord spoke with us face to face from the midst of the fire in the mountain.
And I stood between the Lord and you to transmit his word to you since you could not go up the mountain for fear of the great fire. These were his words:
I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery.
Do not have other gods before me.
Do not have idols; do not make any figure of things in heaven or below on the earth or in the waters under the earth.
Do not kneel before them or worship them, because I, the Lord, am your God, a jealous God who punishes the children until the third and fourth generation for the wickedness of their parents who hate me.
But I am merciful to the thousandth generation to those who love me and obey my commandments.
Do not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain because the Lord will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain.
Keep holy the Sabbath day, as the Lord, your God, commands you.
You have six days to work and do your tasks.
But the seventh day is the Day of Rest in honor of the Lord, your God. Do not do any work, you or your child, your servant, your ox, your donkey, or any of your animals. Neither will the foreigner who lives in your land work. Your servant will rest just like you.
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.
Honor your father and mother as the Lord, your God, has commanded, and you will live long. It will be well with you in the land which the Lord, your God, gives you.
Do not kill.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Do not desire your neighbor’s wife. Do not covet your neighbor’s house, field, servant, ox, donkey, or anything else that is his.
These are the words the Lord said to the whole assembly on the mountain when he spoke from the midst of the fire and the thick cloud. He said only this and wrote these words on the two tablets of stone he gave me.
Fear of the People
You heard that voice amid darkness while the mountain was becoming resplendent. Then all the heads of the tribes, together with the elders, gathered around me
and said: ‘See, the Lord, our God, has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the midst of the fire. We now know that the word of the Lord is life for man.
We are, nevertheless, going to be devoured by this terrible fire if we keep listening to the voice of the Lord, our God.
For who can remain alive after listening to the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as he has now done for us?
Better that you go nearer to hear everything that the Lord, our God, will say to you. Then tell these to us that we may put them into practice.’
The Lord heard your words and said, “I have heard what this people said, and they have spoken well.
May they always have the same spirit, fear me, and observe all my precepts that all may go well with you and your children for all time.
Rise and tell them to return to their tents in the fields.
But as for you, remain here with me that I may teach you all the commandments, precepts, and laws that you have to teach so that they may put them into practice in the land that I will give them for their possession.
Observe and carry out the things that the Lord has commanded us. Do not turn aside from them, either to the right or to the left.
Follow all the way the Lord has marked out for you, and you will live and be happy and live long in the land you will conquer.
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).
Fear of the People.
Moses reminds the people of the fear and dread they experienced at Sinai when God spoke to them. They could not bear to listen to the Lord’s voice, which led them to decide that Moses should serve as their mediator (cf. Ex 20:18-26). This role as mediator with full authority is endorsed by God himself, who commands Moses to take the people aside so that God may be alone with Moses, to instruct him, and so that he may then share God’s law with the people (30f).
The religious tradition of Israel, emphasizing Moses’ mediatorial role, is especially emphasized here by the Deuteronomist school (D) to support the authority of the additions and extensions made by this school in the 8th century B.C. The people who have willingly chosen to focus on Moses’ mediating role (27ab) are committed to listening and obeying (27c), which is exactly why Moses delivers this exhortation (32f).