Commentary - Deuteronomy 5:6-21

Bird's-eye view

In this crucial section of Deuteronomy, Moses rehearses the Ten Commandments for the new generation of Israelites poised to enter the Promised Land. This is not a mere history lesson; it is a covenant renewal. The foundation of their national life, their worship, and their relationships with one another is being laid out again, right before they face the temptations of Canaan. The structure is simple and profound: our duty to God (commandments 1-4) and our duty to our neighbor (commandments 5-10). But it all begins not with law, but with gospel. The preamble in verse 6 grounds everything that follows in God's gracious, powerful act of redemption. He is Yahweh, their God, who brought them out of Egypt. Therefore, they are to live this way. This is a response to grace, not a frantic effort to earn it.

From the prohibition of idolatry, which is spiritual adultery, to the sanctity of God's name, His designated day of rest, and the structure of the family, the first table sets the trajectory for all of life: Godward. The second table flows directly from this. A society that honors God will be a society that honors parents, life, marriage, property, and truth. The final commandment against covetousness is brilliant, for it takes the law from external actions to the internal desires of the heart, showing us that God's law addresses the root of sin, not just its fruit. This is the righteousness God requires, a righteousness that ultimately points us to our need for the one who could keep this law perfectly, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Outline

Commentary

6 ‘I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Everything starts here. Before God gives a single command, He announces who He is and what He has done. This is the gospel preamble to the law. He is ‘Yahweh,’ the covenant-keeping God who exists in and of Himself. He is ‘your God,’ a declaration of a personal, covenantal relationship. And the basis for this relationship is not their inherent goodness, but His saving action. He ‘brought you out.’ This is redemption. He rescued them from the ‘house of slavery.’ This is deliverance. The law is therefore not a ladder for slaves to climb out of a pit. It is the family code of conduct for sons and daughters who have already been rescued. Our obedience is not what makes God our God; the fact that He is our God is what makes our obedience possible and necessary. This is grace, from start to finish.

7 ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.

Because He is Yahweh, the one true God and their Redeemer, He demands exclusive loyalty. The phrase ‘before Me’ can be translated ‘in My presence’ or ‘in opposition to Me.’ God is not the chairman of a pantheon; He is the sole sovereign. All other ‘gods’ are frauds, idols, and demons. This command is the foundation of all true worship. To place anything or anyone alongside God as an object of ultimate allegiance is to commit spiritual treason. In the new covenant, this means we must not allow anything, possessions, relationships, ambitions, ideologies, to compete with Christ for the throne of our hearts. He must be preeminent.

8 ‘You shall not make for yourself an idol, any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 9 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

The first commandment is about the object of worship (who we worship), and the second is about the manner of worship (how we worship). We are not to worship the true God through false means. An idol is any human attempt to represent God, to bring Him down to our level, to control or manipulate Him. God is Spirit, and He must be worshiped in spirit and in truth, not through images carved from wood or stone. God’s jealousy is not a petty, human emotion. It is His righteous zeal for His own honor and for the purity of His covenant relationship. He is a jealous husband who will not tolerate rivals. The consequences of idolatry are generational, not because God punishes innocent children for their parents' sins, but because sin creates a toxic environment. Children raised in idolatrous homes learn to hate God and perpetuate the rebellion. Conversely, faithfulness brings covenant blessings for a thousand generations. God’s mercy far outstrips His judgment. Loving Him and keeping His commands are two sides of the same coin; they are the evidence of a heart transformed by His grace.

11 ‘You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

This goes far beyond prohibiting casual swearing. To take God’s name in vain means to empty it of its weight and significance. This can be done through perjury (swearing a false oath in His name), hypocrisy (claiming to be His follower while living in rebellion), or frivolous, irreverent speech. His name represents His character, His authority, and His presence. To misuse it is to treat God Himself with contempt. The warning is stark: God will not hold such a person guiltless. He takes the honor of His name with the utmost seriousness, and so should we. Our lives, as those who are called by His name, should be a testimony to its greatness, not a contradiction of it.

12 ‘Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as Yahweh your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of Yahweh your God; in it you shall not do any work... 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm; therefore Yahweh your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.

The Sabbath is a gift. It is a rhythm of work and rest woven into the fabric of creation. Six days are for labor, for dominion work, which is good and God-ordained. But the seventh day is set apart, made holy, for rest and worship. Notice the scope: it is for everyone, from the head of the household to the son, daughter, slave, and even the livestock and the sojourner. It is a day of corporate rest. The reason given here in Deuteronomy is redemptive. In Exodus, the reason is tied to creation. Here, it is tied to their liberation from Egypt. They are to rest because they are no longer slaves. Slaves work ceaselessly under the taskmaster’s whip. Free men rest in the security of their redeemer. For the Christian, our Sabbath rest is found in Christ. We enter His rest by faith, and we gather on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, to celebrate His resurrection, the ultimate act of new creation and redemption. We work from our rest, not for it.

16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which Yahweh your God gives you.

This is the first commandment of the second table, and it is the hinge that connects our duty to God with our duty to man. The family is the basic unit of society and the first institution of government. Parents stand in the place of God to young children, exercising authority and providing care. To honor them is to honor the God who established that authority. This honor involves obedience in childhood, but it extends throughout life to include respect, deference, and, when necessary, provision in their old age. This is the first commandment with a promise attached: a long and prosperous life in the land. A society that despises parental authority is a society that is cutting its own throat. Social stability and blessing flow from well-ordered families where honor is given where it is due.

17 ‘You shall not murder.

This command protects the sanctity of human life. Man is made in the image of God, and to unlawfully take a human life is to attack God Himself in effigy. This is not a prohibition against all killing, it does not forbid capital punishment or just war, which are explicitly commanded elsewhere as acts of governmental justice. The Hebrew word here refers to premeditated, malicious killing. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, takes this commandment to the level of the heart, showing that the root of murder is anger and contempt for one's brother. To hate is to be a murderer in your heart.

18 ‘You shall not commit adultery.

This command protects the sanctity of marriage. Marriage is a covenant, a one-flesh union between a man and a woman that pictures the relationship between Christ and His Church. Adultery is a treacherous violation of that covenant. It is not just a private mistake; it is a public sin that attacks the very fabric of society. Like murder, adultery is a sin that Jesus traces back to the heart. To look at a woman with lust is to commit adultery with her in your heart. God requires faithfulness not only in our bodies but also in our minds and desires.

19 ‘You shall not steal.

This command protects the sanctity of private property. God is a God of order, and He has established the principle of stewardship. Stealing is the unlawful taking of what belongs to another. It is a violation of the eighth commandment to defraud a laborer of his wages, to be lazy at work, to engage in deceptive business practices, or to support governmental policies that plunder the citizenry through excessive taxation and inflation. The positive flip side of this command is that we are to work diligently and be generous with what God has given us.

20 ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

This command protects the sanctity of truth and reputation. While it has a specific legal context, prohibiting perjury in court, its application is much broader. It forbids slander, gossip, misrepresentation, and any form of deceit that would harm our neighbor's good name. Truth is foundational to justice and to all healthy relationships. The devil is the father of lies, and when we bear false witness, we are doing his work for him. We are called to be people who love and speak the truth.

21 ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male slave or his female slave, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’

The final commandment brings the law home to the heart. The other commandments deal primarily with external actions, but this one deals with internal desire. To covet is to have an unlawful, inordinate desire for something that is not yours. It is the root from which many other sins spring. Adultery begins with coveting your neighbor's wife. Theft begins with coveting your neighbor's property. This command reveals the spiritual nature of God's law and our profound inability to keep it. Who can say they have never coveted? This is why the law is a schoolmaster that drives us to Christ. It shows us our sin and our need for a Savior who not only kept the law perfectly on our behalf but who also gives us a new heart that desires to please God.