Deuteronomy 4:44-5:21

This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites. These are the decrees and the statutes and ordinances¹ that Moses spoke to the Israelites when they had come out of Egypt, beyond the Jordan in the valley opposite Beth-peor, in the land of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned at Heshbon, whom Moses and the Israelites defeated when they came out of Egypt. They occupied his land and the land of King Og of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites on the eastern side of the Jordan: from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Wadi Arnon, as far as Mount Sirion (that is, Hermon), together with all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah.

Moses convened all Israel, and said to them:

“Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I am addressing to you today; you shall learn them and observe them diligently. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. Not with our ancestors did theLord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today.² The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the fire. (At that time I was standing between the Lord and you to declare to you the words of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:”

“'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.'

'You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.'

'You shall not make wrongful use³ of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.'

'Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you.⁴ Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.'⁵

'Honour your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you⁶ in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.'

'You shall not murder.'

'Neither⁷ shall you commit adultery.'

'Neither shall you steal.'

'Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbour.'

'Neither shall you covet your neighbour’s wife.'⁸

'Neither shall you desire your neighbour’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.'

1 Law, decrees, statutes, ordinances all used to describe what Moses gave the Israelites. But it all seems to fall under “law”, or “torah”.

2 Moses personalizes it.

3 Swearing a false oath, using in magic formulas/prayers, blaspheming it, disregarding its holiness

4 The need to rest is emphasized in a different way here than in the Exodus passage.

5 God says that due to their past experience as slaves, they need to allow their own slaves to participate in Sabbath as well.

6 “and that it may go well with you” added here. That is interesting irony, since the ones who finally entered the Holy Land are also the ones whose fathers and mothers disobeyed God and were not let in.

7 “Neither” inserted into the beginning of five verses, not in Exodus.

8 Coveting your neighbor's wife is pulled out from the other forms of covetousness, unlike in Exodus where it is in the middle.

Take-home: The commandments given in Exodus 20:2-14 are reiterated. These form the basis for the rest of the Deteronomical law, which will be detailed in Deuteronomy 12-26. See the Exodus 20 entry for more commentary on the ten commandments themselves.