God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 5:23
23But when you heard the voice coming from the darkness and saw the mountain blazing with fire, all the leaders and heads of your tribes came to me.
Deuteronomy 5:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;
- New International Version (NIV)When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders came to me.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders.
Context of Deuteronomy 5:23
21“Never desire to take your neighbor’s wife away from him. “Never long for your neighbor’s household, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.” 22These are the commandments the Lord spoke to your whole assembly on the mountain. He spoke in a loud voice from the fire, the cloud, and the gloomy darkness. Then he stopped speaking. He wrote the commandments on two stone tablets and gave them to me. But when you heard the voice coming from the darkness and saw the mountain blazing with fire, all the leaders and heads of your tribes came to me. 24You said, “The Lord our God has let us see how great and glorious he is. We’ve heard his voice come from the fire. Today we’ve seen that people can live even if God speaks to them. 25Why should we die? This great fire will consume us! If we continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God, we’ll die!
Read all of Deuteronomy 5Deuteronomy 5:23 word by word
וַיְהִ֗י כְּשָׁמְעֲכֶ֤ם אֶת־הַקּוֹל֙ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַחֹ֔שֶׁךְ וְהָהָ֖ר בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֑שׁ וַתִּקְרְב֣וּן אֵלַ֔י כָּל־רָאשֵׁ֥י שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֖ם וְזִקְנֵיכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And it came to pass, when ye heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- the voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
- out of the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- of the darknessחֹ֫שֶׁךְchôshek · darknessH2822
- for the mountainהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- did burnבָּעַרbâ‛ar · to burn: burnH1197
- with fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
- that ye came nearקָרַבqârab · to present: comeH7126
- all the headsרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: leaderH7218
- of your tribesשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
- and your eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 5:23
- Exodus 20:18All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram’s horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance.
- Hebrews 12:18You have not come to something that you can feel, to a blazing fire, to darkness, to gloom, to a storm,
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 5:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice - See the notes on Exodus 20:18, etc.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23-33Verses 23-33 These verses contain a much fuller narrative of the events briefly described in Exodus 20:18-21. Here it is important to call attention to the fact that it was on the entreaties of the people that Moses had taken on him to be the channel of communication between God and them. God approved Deuteronomy 5:28 the request of the people, because it showed a feeling of their own unworthiness to enter into direct communion with God. The terrors of…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 23-33Verses 23-33 Moses refers to the consternation caused by the terror with which the law was given. God's appearances have always been terrible to man, ever since the fall; but Christ, having taken away sin, invites us to come boldly to the throne of grace. They were in a good mind, under the strong convictions of the word they heard. Many have their consciences startled by the law who have them not purified; fair promises are extorted from them, but no…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-32The rest of the covenant laws explain and apply the Ten Commandments (5:6–21). These laws are based on those commandments. Moses first gave the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel almost 40 years earlier at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:2–17). Now he reminds the people of these commands before they enter the promised land.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 23-2823-28. And ... ye came near unto me--(See on Ex 20:19).Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 5:23
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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