Deuteronomy 5:22

These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(22) He added no more—i.e., He spoke no more in this manner; or, there were only ten commandments. So Deuteronomy 5:25 : “If we add to hear “—i.e., in this fashion.

Benson Commentary

Deuteronomy 5:22. Out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness — This was a dispensation of terror, designed to make the gospel of grace the more welcome, and to be a specimen of the terrors of the judgment day. He added no more — He ceased for that time to speak immediately, and with that loud voice, unto the people; for the remaining precepts were delivered to Moses, and by him communicated unto them. This he did to show the pre-eminence of that law above the rest, and its everlasting obligation.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

5:6-22 There is some variation here from Ex 20 as between the Lord's prayer in Mt 6 and Lu 11. It is more necessary that we tie ourselves to the things, than to the words unalterably. The original reason for hallowing the sabbath, taken from God's resting from the work of creation on the seventh day, is not here mentioned. Though this ever remains in force, it is not the only reason. Here it is taken from Israel's deliverance out of Egypt; for that was typical of our redemption by Jesus Christ, in remembrance of which the Christian sabbath was to be observed. In the resurrection of Christ we were brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God, with a mighty hand, and an outstretched arm. How sweet is it to a soul truly distressed under the terrors of a broken law, to hear the mild and soul-reviving language of the gospel!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He added no more - i. e., He spoke no more with the great voice directly to the people, but addressed all other communications to them through Moses. This unique and sublime phenomenon, followed up by the inscription of the Ten Words on the two tables by the finger of God, marks not only the holiness of God's Law in general, but the special eminence and permanent obligation of the Ten Words themselves as compared with the rest of the Mosaic enactments. The giving of the two tables did not take place until Moses had been on the Mount 40 days and 40 nights, as appears from the fuller account of Deuteronomy 9:9-12.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

22. he added no more—(Ex 20:1). The pre-eminence of these ten commandments was shown in God's announcing them directly: other laws and institutions were communicated to the people through the instrumentality of Moses.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

He added no more; he ceased for that time to speak immediately, and with that loud voice unto the people, for the rest were delivered to Moses, and by him communicated to the people. This he did to show the preeminence of that law above the rest, and its everlasting obligation.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount,.... The above ten words or commands, which were spoken so audibly and loudly by the Lord himself on Mount Sinai, that the whole congregation of the people of Israel heard them:

out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness; in which the Lord was; see Deuteronomy 4:11,

with a great voice, and he added no more; ceased speaking; after he had delivered the ten commands, he said no more at that time. The Targum of Jonathan is,"with a great voice which ceased not.''It ceased not until all were delivered, and then it did; it was a continued voice, yet clear and distinct:

and he wrote them iwo tables of stone; marble stone, as the Targum of Jonathan; which is much more likely than what the paraphrase has on Deuteronomy 4:13, this is an emblem of the duration of the law:

and delivered them unto me; to Moses, and by him to be delivered to the people, who though they had heard them would be apt to forget them; and therefore they were written, that they might read them, and meditate on them, and be careful to keep them.

Geneva Study Bible

These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly on the mount from the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he {i} added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them to me.

(i) Teaching us by his example to be content with his word, and add nothing to it.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

22. The Close of the Ten Words and the writing of them.

your assembly] or congregation. The Heb. ḳahal, lit. gathering, technically used throughout the O.T. for any assembly of the people or its representatives for organised, national action: (a) In the earlier writings it is most usual of the solemn gathering before God of all capable of bearing arms, for consecration to war, Jdg 20:2; Jdg 21:5; Jdg 21:8; 1 Samuel 17:47; similarly in E, Numbers 22:4, where it is used by Balak of Israel ready for war against other nations; while in Ezekiel it is synonymous with army, Ezekiel 17:17, Ezekiel 38:4; Ezekiel 38:15. (b) Also of the people assembled to give their verdict or to execute justice, Jeremiah 26:17; Jeremiah 44:15; cp. Ezekiel 16:40; Proverbs 5:14. (c) Also of the whole organised commonwealth or congregation of Israel, Micah 2:5; and in the deuteronomic laws, Deuteronomy 23:1-3; Deuteronomy 23:8. But D specially applies the term to the gathering of Israel to the Covenant at Ḥoreb, so here (cp. the use of the verb in Deuteronomy 4:10), the assembly, the day of the a. Deuteronomy 9:10, Deuteronomy 10:4 (Pl.), Deuteronomy 18:16 (Sg.). In the laws Deuteronomy 23:1-3; Deuteronomy 23:8 (Sg.) it is called the a. of Jehovah. To this assembly P, which also uses ḳahal, applies his more favourite term ‘edah, congregation of the sons of Israel, Exodus 35:1; Exodus 35:4; Exodus 35:20 (a term never used in JE or D, but occurring over 100 times in P, which also sometimes combines the two, cp. Proverbs 5:14). Otherwise deuteronomic writers use ḳahal only of peaceful gatherings of the people; to hear the Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 31:30; to hear the Law read at Shechem, Joshua 8:35; and for the consecration of the Temple, 1 Kings 8:14; 1 Kings 8:22; 1 Kings 8:55 (1 Kings 12:3 is a doubtful instance; LXX omits it). For the post-exilic use of ḳahal and ‘edah see the present writer’s Jerusalem, i. 380 ff.

fire … cloud … darkness …] See on Deuteronomy 4:11. Sam. and LXX add darkness before cloud. The comparison of E, Exodus 20:18-21 is very instructive: thunderings, lightnings, mountain smoking.

with a great voice] E, the voice of the trumpet.

and he added no more] On this contradiction of E see above, p. 83.

two tables of stone] So Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 9:9-11; Deuteronomy 10:1; Deuteronomy 10:3; the tables of the covenant, Deuteronomy 9:9; Deuteronomy 9:11; Deuteronomy 9:15; J, two tables of stone, Exodus 34:1; Exodus 34:4; E, tables of stone, Exodus 24:12; Exodus 31:18 b, P, two tables of the testimony, Exodus 31:18 a, Exodus 32:15 a, Exodus 34:29. The statement of the writing of the tables is not really an anticipation of Exodus 9:9 ff. and therefore to be deleted as secondary (Steuernagel), but is necessary here for the completion of the record of the Decalogue. See on Exodus 9:9 ff.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 22-27. - Here is an expanded citation of Exodus 20:15-18, addressed by Moses to prepare the way for the solemn admonition to observe and do all that the Lord had commanded them, with which he passes on to the enunciation of the various statutes and ordinances he had been enjoined by God to lay upon them. Verse 22. - And he added no more. "Only these ten words did God speak immediately to you; all the rest he spoke afterwards by me" (Herxheimer); cf. Numbers 11:25, where the same formula occurs, "and they added not," i.e. they prophesied only when the Spirit of God came on them, but this was not continuous. And he wrote them in two tables of stone. This anticipates what is recorded in its proper historical connection in Deuteronomy 9:10, 11. Deuteronomy 5:22

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

In vv. 6-21, the ten covenant words are repeated from Exodus 20, with only a few variations, which have already been discussed in connection with the exposition of the decalogue at Exodus 20:1-14. - In Deuteronomy 5:22-33, Moses expounds still further the short account in Exodus 20:18-21, viz., that after the people had heard the ten covenant words, in their alarm at the awful phenomena in which the Lord revealed His glory, they entreated him to stand between as mediator, that God Himself might not speak to them any further, and that they might not die, and then promised that they would hearken to all that the Lord should speak to him (Exodus 20:23 -31). His purpose in doing so was to link on the exhortation in vv. 32, 33, to keep all the commandments of the Lord and do them, which paves the way for passing to the exposition of the law which follows. "A great voice" (Exodus 20:22) is an adverbial accusative, signifying "with a great voice" (cf. Ges. 118, 3). "And He added no more:" as in Numbers 11:25. God spoken the ten words directly to the people, and then no more; i.e., everything further He addressed to Moses alone, and through his mediation to the people. As mediator He gave him the two tables of stone, upon which He had written the decalogue (cf. Exodus 31:18). This statement somewhat forestalls the historical course; and in Deuteronomy 9:10-11, it is repeated again in its proper historical connection.