What commands does the Lord give, and why do the people ask Moses to speak to them?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The Lord commands worship, Sabbath rest, honour for parents and duties toward neighbours, then gives altar instructions. The people are terrified by the voices, flames, trumpet and smoking mountain; they ask Moses to speak so they may hear, fearing they will die if the Lord speaks to them.

Chapter breakdown

What commands does the Lord give, and why do the people ask Moses to speak to them? The Lord commands worship, Sabbath rest, honour for parents and duties toward neighbours, then gives altar instructions. The people are terrified by the voices, flames, trumpet and smoking mountain; they ask Moses to speak so they may hear, fearing they will die if the Lord speaks to them.

The Lord speaks all these words. He identifies himself as the Lord their God, who brought them from Egypt’s house of bondage. They must have no strange gods before him. They must not make a graven thing, or a likeness of anything in heaven above, earth beneath or the waters under the earth.

Challoner’s note explains that the forbidden images and likenesses are those made to be adored and served, as the next command says. They are designed as idols or image-gods, or worshipped with divine honour. He says other images, pictures and representations, even in God’s house and sanctuary, are expressly authorized by God’s word. His cited references are Exodus 25.15 and others; chapter 38.7; Numbers 21.8–9; 1 Chronicles, or Paralipomenon, 28.18–19; and 2 Chronicles, or Paralipomenon, 3.10. These references are the note’s supporting citations.

They must not adore or serve those images. The Lord calls himself mighty and jealous, visiting fathers’ iniquity upon their children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate him. He shows mercy to thousands who love him and keep his commandments. They must not take the Lord their God’s name in vain; he will not hold guiltless anyone who does so.

They must remember to keep the Sabbath day holy. They are to labour and do all their works six days. The seventh is the Lord their God’s Sabbath, with no work by the person addressed, son, daughter, manservant, maidservant, beast or stranger within the gates. The reason given is that the Lord made heaven, earth, sea and everything in them in six days, rested on the seventh, and therefore blessed and sanctified the seventh day.

They must honour father and mother, so they may live long in the land the Lord their God will give them. They must not kill, commit adultery, steal or bear false witness against their neighbour. They must not covet their neighbour’s house or desire his wife, servant, handmaid, ox, ass or anything that belongs to him.

All the people see the voices and flames, the trumpet’s sound and the smoking mountain. Terrified and struck with fear, they stand far off. They ask Moses to speak to them and say they will hear; they ask that the Lord not speak to them, lest they die. Moses tells them not to fear: God has come to test them so his dread may be in them and they may not sin. The people stand far off, while Moses goes to the dark cloud where God is.

The Lord tells Moses to say to Israel that they have seen him speak to them from heaven. They must not make gods of silver or gold. They are to make an altar of earth and offer their holocausts, or burnt offerings, and peace offerings upon it, their sheep and oxen. In every place where the memory of his name is, he will come to them and bless them.

If they make an altar of stone for the Lord, it must not be built of hewn, or cut, stones. Lifting a tool upon it defiles it. They must not go up by steps to his altar, lest their nakedness be exposed.

The story inside

The Lord begins by identifying himself as the God who brought Israel out of Egypt’s bondage. His commands name worship, his name, Sabbath work and rest, parents, killing, adultery, stealing, false witness and desire for a neighbour’s belongings. Sabbath rest extends to children, servants, beasts and the stranger within the gates, with the creation and seventh-day rest given as its reason. Honour for parents is tied to long life in the land he will give. The people’s fear leads them to ask Moses to speak so they can hear without the death they fear from the Lord’s speech. Moses gives the stated purpose of testing and dread so they should not sin. They remain far off while he goes to the dark cloud. God then forbids silver and gold gods and gives the earth-altar instruction with his promise to come and bless wherever his name’s memory is. The stone-tool and steps rules each have their stated reason. Challoner’s explanation about images belongs to the edition’s note on verse 4. (Exodus 20:1–26 and note.)

Lessons worth keeping

1
The Sabbath command names everyone within its scope. The person addressed, children, male and female servants, beast and stranger within the gates are included. Its stated reason is the Lord’s six-day creation and seventh-day rest, blessing and sanctification. (20:8–11.)
2
The people’s fear and Moses’ answer are both given. They stand far off and ask Moses to speak because they fear dying. He says God has come to test them and place his dread in them so they should not sin. (20:18–21.)
3
The altar instructions include a promise and reasons. God will come and bless where the memory of his name is. A tool defiles the stone altar, and going up by steps risks exposing nakedness. The chapter does not name the tool’s metal. (20:24–26.)

Test your recall

Why is the seventh day blessed and sanctified? The Lord created all things in six days and rested on the seventh. Why do the people ask Moses to speak? They fear dying if the Lord speaks to them. What purpose does Moses give for God’s coming? To test them and place his dread in them so they may not sin. Why must a stone altar remain unhewn, and why are steps forbidden?

Show answer

A tool defiles it; steps risk exposing nakedness. (20:11, 19–20, 25–26.)

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 8068–8071
Exodus Chapter 20 The ten commandments.
Lines 8072–8082
20:1. And the Lord spoke all these words: 20:2. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 20:3. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me. 20:4. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth.
Lines 8083–8093
A graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing, etc.... All such images, or likenesses, are forbidden by this commandment, as are made to be adored and served; according to that which immediately follows, thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them. That is, all such as are designed for idols or image-gods, or are worshipped with divine honour. But otherwise images, pictures, or representations, even in the house of God, and in the very sanctuary so far from being forbidden, are expressly authorized by the word of God. See Ex. 25.15, and etc.; chap. 38.7; Num. 21.8, 9; 1 Chron. or Paralip. 28.18, 19; 2 Chron. or Paralip. 3.10.
Lines 8094–8104
20:5. Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them: I am the Lord thy God, mighty, jealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: 20:6. And shewing mercy unto thousands to them that love me, and keep my commandments. 20:7. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the Lord his God in vain.
Lines 8105–8117
20:8. Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath day. 20:9. Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works. 20:10. But on the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work on it, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy beast, nor the stranger that is within thy gates. 20:11. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them, and rested on the seventh day: therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.
Lines 8118–8132
20:12. Honour thy father and thy mother, that thou mayst be longlived upon the land which the Lord thy God will give thee. 20:13. Thou shalt not kill. 20:14. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 20:15. Thou shalt not steal. 20:16. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 20:17. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house; neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.
Lines 8133–8145
20:18. And all the people saw the voices and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and being terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off, 20:19. Saying to Moses: Speak thou to us, and we will hear: let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die. 20:20. And Moses said to the people: Fear not; for God is come to prove you, and that the dread of him might be in you, and you should not sin. 20:21. And the people stood afar off. But Moses went to the dark cloud wherein God was.
Lines 8146–8156
20:22. And the Lord said to Moses: Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: You have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. 20:23. You shall not make gods of silver, nor shall you make to yourselves gods of gold. 20:24. You shall make an altar of earth unto me, and you shall offer upon it your holocausts and peace offerings, your sheep and oxen, in every place where the memory of my name shall be: I will come to thee, and will bless thee.
Lines 8157–8164
20:25. And if thou make an altar of stone unto me, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou lift up a tool upon it, it shall be defiled. 20:26. Thou shalt not go up by steps unto my altar, lest thy nakedness be discovered.