5. MoseKapitel 5

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Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: Hear, Israel, the statutes and the judgments that I speak in your hearing today. Learn them, and be careful to keep them.

The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.

It was not with our fathers that the LORD made this covenant, but with us — with all of us who are alive here today.

The LORD spoke with you face to face on the mountain, out of the fire.

I was standing between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. 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 a carved image of any form — of anything in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters beneath the earth.

You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, who visits the guilt of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

but who shows steadfast love to thousands of generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave unpunished anyone who takes his name in vain.

Observe the Sabbath day, keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall do no work — neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey, or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates — so that your male and female servants may rest as you do.

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. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house, or his field, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

These words the LORD spoke to your whole assembly on the mountain, out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness, with a mighty voice — and he added nothing more. He wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders came to me,

and you said: Look, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak with a human being and that person still lives.

But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we go on hearing the voice of the LORD our God, we will die.

For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and lived?

You go near and listen to everything the LORD our God says. Then tell us all that the LORD our God tells you, and we will listen and obey.

The LORD heard what you said to me, and the LORD said to me: I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said is good.

If only their hearts were always inclined this way, to fear me and keep all my commandments, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!

Go and tell them: Return to your tents.

But as for you, stand here with me, and I will tell you the whole commandment — the statutes and the judgments — that you are to teach them, so that they may keep them in the land I am giving them to possess.

So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Walk in every way the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and enjoy long life in the land you are going to possess.

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Zusammenfassung2

Kapitel 5

Main Theme: Moses repeats the Ten Commandments and confirms the covenant between God and the new generation of Israel at Horeb.

Content: Moses gathers the people and reminds them that God spoke to them face to face from the fire on the mountain, and that the covenant applies to those living now, not only to their ancestors. He recounts the Ten Commandments, from having no other gods to not coveting. Because the people feared the great fire, they asked Moses to serve as a mediator and receive God's words on their behalf. God approved this and expressed the desire that the people would have a heart that fears Him and keeps His commandments all days.

Key Words/Images:

The Horeb Covenant: The covenant God made with Israel, which Moses emphasizes applies to the current generation, not only to the forefathers.
The Fire: God's presence manifested in fire on the mountain, which both revealed His glory and created fear among the people.
Mediator: Moses' role as intermediary between God and the people, established because the people feared hearing God's voice directly.
The Ten Commandments: God's foundational laws for the covenant people, including the Sabbath commandment, which is here grounded in deliverance from Egypt.

Historischer Kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Deuteronomy 5

Places

Horeb (vv. 2, 4) is the mountain where the covenant was made. God spoke "face to face" with the people from the fire on this mountain (v. 4). Moses identifies the new generation directly with the covenant-making event—even though they were not physically present at Horeb, they are regarded as part of the same covenant partner: "It was not with our fathers that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today" (v. 3).

Events and Customs

The Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) is presented as the very heart of the covenant relationship between God and Israel. The structure follows the pattern of ancient Near Eastern treaties: God's self-identification (v. 6), a historical prologue about deliverance from Egypt (v. 6), and stipulations (the commandments, vv. 7–21). A key difference from Exodus 20 is the Sabbath commandment (vv. 12–15): here the verb שָׁמוֹר (shamor, "keep/observe") is used instead of זָכוֹר (zakhor, "remember"), and the rationale given is deliverance from Egypt rather than creation. This underscores the chapter's focus on the exodus as the foundation for ethical living.

The stone tablets (v. 22) are explicitly mentioned as written by God Himself and given to Moses. This emphasizes the divine authority and permanence of the commandments within the covenant relationship.

The people's fear and Moses as mediator (vv. 23–27) is central to the chapter. The people experienced God's presence as overwhelming—the fire, the darkness, and the mighty voice (vv. 23–26)—and asked Moses to be their intermediary. God approved this arrangement (vv. 28–31), establishing Moses' unique role as lawgiver and mediator.

Key Terms

בְּרִית (berit) – "covenant" (vv. 2–3) is central to the chapter. Moses' rhetoric in verse 3, that the covenant was not made with "our fathers" but with "us who are standing here today," is a powerful actualization that makes the historical event present reality for the new generation.

פָּנִים בְּפָנִים (panim be-fanim) – "face to face" (v. 4) describes the direct communication between God and the people at Horeb. This expression denotes an immediate, personal revelation, even though the people's fear later led to Moses becoming their mediator (vv. 5, 23–27).

אֵל קַנָּא (El qanna) – "jealous God" (v. 9) expresses God's exclusive claim on Israel's loyalty within the covenant relationship. The word carries connotations of intense passion and concerns God's rightful demand for faithfulness from His people.

שָׁמוֹר (shamor) – "keep/observe" (v. 12) introduces the Sabbath commandment and is characteristic of Deuteronomy's version of the Decalogue, in contrast to זָכוֹר (zakhor, "remember") in Exodus 20:8.

Chapter-Specific Observations

The chapter's structure shows a clear movement: introduction and actualization (vv. 1–5), the Decalogue itself (vv. 6–21), and an extended narrative about the people's response and Moses' role (vv. 22–33). The narrative framework (vv. 1–5, 22–33) makes up nearly half of the chapter and serves to actualize the historical covenant-making event for the new generation standing on the plains of Moab.

Verse 22 marks an important distinction: "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly"—this limits the Decalogue as what God spoke directly to the people, while the rest of the law was mediated through Moses.

Personen2

Jacob1 Moses1

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Schlüsselwörter7

Commandment — Rules or ordinances given by God to people to regulate their behavior and faith.
Covenant — An agreement between God and humans, often linked with promises and obligations from both parties.
Moses — The prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai.
Mount Sinai — The mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God and made a covenant with Him on behalf of the people of Israel.
Sabbath — A weekly day of rest that is holy to God, where work should be avoided in order to honor God.
Honor — To show respect and submission toward God and one's parents, a central concept in the Ten Commandments.
Servant — A person who works for another, either as an employee, slave, or otherwise subject to another's authority.