I am the Lord thy God ,.... This is the preface to the ten commandments, and is the same with that in Exodus 20:2 ; see Gill on Exodus 20:2 , and those commands are here delivered in the same order, and pretty near in the same words, with a little variation, and a few additions; which I shall only observe, and refer to Exodus 20:1 for the sense of the various laws. read more
Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it ,.... Or observe it, by setting it apart as a time of natural rest, and for the performance of holy and religious exercises; see Exodus 20:8 , where the phrase is a little varied, "remember the sabbath day to keep it holy"; it having been instituted before: as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee ; not at Sinai only, for the same might then have been observed of all the rest of the commands, but before the giving of the law, at the first of the... read more
Nor thine ox, nor thine ass ,.... In Exodus 20:10 , it is only in general said: nor thy cattle : here by way of illustration and explanation the ox and the ass are particularly mentioned; the one being used in ploughing ground, and treading out the corn, and the other in carrying burdens; and it is added: nor any of thy cattle ; as their camels, or whatever else they were wont to use in any kind of service; they were none of them to do any kind of work on the sabbath day. The... read more
And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt ,.... Even a bondservant; for Egypt was an house of bondage, and there the Israelites were made to serve in hard bondage; of which they are reminded, that their hearts might be touched with it, and inclined to show pity to persons in somewhat similar circumstances; calling to mind how sweet a little rest would have been unto them when in Egypt: and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence, through a mighty hand and by a... read more
Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee ,.... And is the first commandment with promise, as the apostle observes, Ephesians 6:2 with a promise of long life and happiness in the land of Canaan, as follows: that thy days may be prolonged ; see Exodus 20:12 here it is added: and that it may go well with thee ; and which the apostle also has in the place referred to: in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee ; the land of Canaan; which the... read more
Thou shalt not kill ,.... The following commands begin with the copulative "and", different from the manner in which they are expressed, Exodus 20:17 which joins these together, and them with the preceding ones; hence the law is by some said to be one copulative, and may serve to illustrate a passage in James 2:10 . read more
Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife ,.... Here a neighbour's wife is put before his house, different from Exodus 20:17 and "his field" is added, which with what follows take in everything that is a man's property; and which is not to be desired or coveted in an unlawful manner by another, and much less should any means be made use of to deprive him of it; but "lust" is the thing intended and prohibited, be it after what it may, which is another man's: see Matthew 5:28 , of a... read more
I am the Lord thy God - See these commandments explained in the notes on Exodus 20 (note). read more
And remember that thou wast a servant - In this and the latter clause of the preceding verse Moses adds another reason why one day in seven should be sanctified, viz., that the servants might rest, and this is urged upon them on the consideration of their having been servants in the land of Egypt. We see therefore that God had three grand ends in view by appointing a Sabbath. To commemorate the creation. To give a due proportion of rest to man and beast. When in Egypt they had no rest;... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Deuteronomy 5:6-22
Here is the repetition of the ten commandments, in which observe, 1. Though they had been spoken before, and written, yet they are again rehearsed; for precept must be upon precept, and line upon line, and all little enough to keep the word of God in our minds and to preserve and renew the impressions of it. We have need to have the same things often inculcated upon us. See Phil. 3:1. 2. There is some variation here from that record (Exod. 20:1-26), as there is between the Lord's prayer as it... read more