Why do Israel’s leaders ask Moses to receive the Lord’s further words for them, and how does the Lord answer?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

After hearing the Lord speak from the fire and living, they fear that hearing him again will mean death. They ask Moses to hear the Lord and report his words, promising to listen and obey. The Lord says they have spoken well, tells Moses to send them to their tents, and commands him to remain and receive the laws he must teach them.

Chapter breakdown

Moses calls all Israel to hear the ceremonies and judgments he speaks that day. They must learn them and carry them out. He says the Lord made a covenant with them at Horeb, not with their fathers but with those now present and living. The Lord spoke to them face to face on the mountain from the fire. Moses stood between the Lord and the people as their mediator, showing them his words, because they feared the fire and did not go up the mountain. The chapter does not give a further explanation of who the fathers are in this statement.

The Lord identifies himself as their God who brought them out of Egypt, the house of bondage. They must have no strange gods in his sight. They must not make a carved thing or likeness of anything in heaven above, on earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth, nor worship or serve them. The Lord is a jealous God. He visits the fathers’ wrongdoing upon their children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate him, and shows mercy to many thousands who love him and keep his commands. They must not take his name in vain. Whoever takes his name upon a vain thing will not go unpunished.

They must observe the sabbath and keep it holy, as the Lord commanded. They are to work and do all their tasks for six days. The seventh is the sabbath, the rest of the Lord their God. No work is to be done by the person addressed, his son, daughter, manservant, maidservant, ox, ass, any of his beasts, or the stranger within his gates. The manservant and maidservant must rest just as he does. Israel must remember having served in Egypt and being brought out by the Lord’s strong hand and outstretched arm. This is the stated reason he commands them to observe the sabbath.

They must honor father and mother as the Lord commanded, so they may live a long time and it may go well with them in the land he will give them. They must not kill, commit adultery, steal, or bear false witness against their neighbor. They must not covet their neighbor’s wife, house, field, manservant, maidservant, ox, ass, or anything belonging to him. All the listed prohibitions are retained as stated.

The Lord speaks these words to all the people on the mountain from the fire, cloud, and darkness, with a loud voice, adding nothing more. He writes them on two stone tablets and gives them to Moses. After hearing the voice from the darkness and seeing the mountain burn, all the tribal princes and elders come to Moses. They say the Lord has shown them his majesty and greatness. They have heard his voice from the fire and proved that day that a person can live after God speaks with him. Yet they ask why they should die or be consumed by the great fire, saying they will die if they hear the Lord’s voice any more. They ask what flesh could hear the living God speaking from fire as they have and live. They ask Moses to approach instead, hear everything the Lord says, and speak it to them. They promise to hear and do it. These fears and promises are the leaders’ reported words.

When the Lord hears the people’s words, he tells Moses they have spoken all things well. He asks who will give them such a mind to fear him and keep all his commands at all times, so it may go well with them and their children forever. Moses is to tell them to return to their tents. Moses himself must stand there with the Lord, who will tell him all the commands, ceremonies, and judgments he must teach the people to do in their future land. Moses then tells Israel to keep and do what the Lord commanded, without turning right or left. They must walk in his commanded way so they may live, it may go well with them, and their days may be long in the land they possess. The return to the tents and Moses’ continued standing are commands here, without a separate report of their performance.

The story inside

The leaders’ request follows something they have actually experienced: the Lord speaks from the fire, and they remain alive. Their speech holds those two facts together with their fear of hearing him again. They do not ask Moses to leave out the rest of the Lord’s words. They ask him to hear all of them and promise to listen and obey when he reports them. The Lord approves what they say and asks about a mind that will keep his commands at all times. He then gives different instructions to the people and Moses: they are to return to their tents, while Moses is to stand with him and receive what he must teach. The account records this request and response without turning the leaders’ fear into proof that every imagined alternative would have killed them.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The commands require action. Moses calls the people to hear, learn, and carry out the law, and ends by telling them to walk in the Lord’s commanded way without turning aside.
2
Sabbath rest includes the servants, animals, and stranger. The chapter names each group and requires the manservant and maidservant to rest just as their master does, while recalling Israel’s service in Egypt.
3
The request for Moses to speak does not remove the duty to obey. The leaders promise to hear and do all the words he receives; the Lord approves their speech and asks about keeping all his commands at all times.

Test your recall

Why do the princes and elders ask Moses to approach the Lord and report his words after they have already heard God speak and survived?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 19149–19166
Deuteronomy Chapter 5 The ten commandments are repeated and explained. 5:1. And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the ceremonies and judgments, which I speak in your ears this day: learn them, and fulfil them in work. 5:2. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 5:3. He made not the covenant with our fathers, but with us, who are now present and living. 5:4. He spoke to us face to face in the mount out of the midst of fire. 5:5. I was the mediator and stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you his words, for you feared the fire, and went not up into the mountain, and he said:
Lines 19168–19186
5:6. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 5:7. Thou shalt not have strange gods in my sight. 5:8. Thou shalt not make to thy self a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth. 5:9. Thou shalt not adore them, and thou shalt not serve them. For I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation, to them that hate me, 5:10. And shewing mercy unto many thousands, to them that love me, and keep my commandments. 5:11. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for he shall not be unpunished that taketh his name upon a vain thing.
Lines 19188–19203
5:12. Observe the day of the sabbath, to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. 5:13. Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works. 5:14. The seventh is the day of the sabbath, that is, the rest of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not do any work therein, thou nor thy son nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy ox, nor thy ass, nor any of thy beasts, nor the stranger that is within thy gates: that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest, even as thyself. 5:15. Remember that thou also didst serve in Egypt, and the Lord thy God brought thee out from thence with a strong hand, and a stretched out arm. Therefore hath he commanded thee that thou shouldst observe the sabbath day.
Lines 19205–19219
5:16. Honour thy father and mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, that thou mayst live a long time, and it may be well with thee in the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee. 5:17. Thou shalt not kill. 5:18. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. 5:19. And thou shalt not steal. 5:20. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. 5:21. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife: nor his house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.
Lines 19221–19244
5:22. These words the Lord spoke to all the multitude of you in the mountain, out of the midst of the fire and the cloud, and the darkness, with a loud voice, adding nothing more: and he wrote them in two tables of stone, which he delivered unto me. 5:23. But you, after you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, and saw the mountain burn, came to me, all the princes of the tribes and the elders, and you said: 5:24. Behold the Lord our God hath shewn us his majesty and his greatness, we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire, and have proved this day that God speaking with man, man hath lived. 5:25. Why shall we die therefore, and why shall this exceeding great fire comsume us: for if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die. 5:26. What is all flesh, that it should hear the voice of the living God, who speaketh out of the midst of the fire, as we have heard, and be able to live? 5:27. Approach thou rather: and hear all things that the Lord our God shall say to thee, and thou shalt speak to us, and we will hear and will do them.
Lines 19246–19269
5:28. And when the Lord had heard this, he said to me: I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they spoke to thee: they have spoken all things well. 5:29. Who shall give them to have such a mind, to fear me, and to keep all my commandments at all times, that it may be well with them and with their children for ever? 5:30. Go and say to them: Return into your tents. 5:31. But stand thou here with me, and I will speak to thee all my commandments, and ceremonies and judgments: which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land, which I will give them for a possession. 5:32. Keep therefore and do the things which the Lord God hath commanded you: you shall not go aside neither to the right hand, nor to the left. 5:33. But you shall walk in the way that the Lord your God hath commanded, that you may live, and it may be well with you, and your days may be long in the land of your possession.