Deuteronomy 5:30 kjv
Go say to them, Get you into your tents again.
Deuteronomy 5:30 nkjv
Go and say to them, "Return to your tents."
Deuteronomy 5:30 niv
"Go, tell them to return to their tents.
Deuteronomy 5:30 esv
Go and say to them, "Return to your tents."
Deuteronomy 5:30 nlt
Go and tell them, "Return to your tents."
Deuteronomy 5 30 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 20:18-19 | When all the people saw the thunder... they drew back and stood far off and said to Moses, "You speak to us..." | Original event at Sinai, people's fear and request for mediator. |
| Deut 4:10-12 | "...that I might make them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me..." | Precedent for God's intent to instill awe through direct speaking. |
| Deut 5:28-29 | "And the LORD heard the voice of your words... And the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of this people..." | God's affirmation of the people's wise desire/fear. |
| Deut 5:31 | "But you, stand here with me, and I will speak to you all the commandment..." | Moses' singular role as receiver of the rest of the Law. |
| Deut 18:15-18 | "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you... and I will put my words in his mouth..." | Prophecy of a future mediator (like Jesus) due to people's fear. |
| Heb 12:18-24 | "For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched... but you have come to Mount Zion... and to Jesus, the mediator..." | Contrasts terrifying Sinai with the grace of Zion and Jesus' mediation. |
| Deut 6:2-3 | "...that you may fear the LORD your God... so that your days may be long... and that it may go well with you..." | God's law intended for their good and prosperity, linking fear to blessing. |
| Ps 111:10 | "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom..." | Theological importance of the fear of God established at Sinai. |
| Prov 1:7 | "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge..." | Echoes the spiritual wisdom gained through reverence. |
| 1 Sam 17:53 | "...returned, every man to his tent." | Common phrase for military or collective dismissal. |
| 2 Sam 20:1-2 | "...‘Every man to his tents, O Israel!’ So every man of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba..." | "Return to tents" as an order of dispersal or abandonment. |
| 1 Kgs 12:16 | "...‘To your tents, O Israel!’ What portion do we have in David?..." | Another instance of "return to tents" as a rallying cry for defection. |
| Isa 8:20 | "To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn." | Emphasizes importance of returning to the written law received through Moses. |
| Mt 17:1-8 | Transfiguration: Disciples hear God's voice directly but are terrified... | Shows the power of direct divine manifestation and human inability to bear it. |
| Lk 9:28-36 | The Transfiguration narrative: Jesus as the ultimate mediator. | Echoes the mediation role where God's voice is too overwhelming for humans. |
| 2 Cor 3:7-11 | Paul discusses the fading glory of the Mosaic covenant, implying a greater glory in Christ. | Mosaic Law given with terrifying glory, superseded by the gospel. |
| Gal 3:19-20 | "Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions... delivered through angels by a mediator." | Emphasizes the law being given through a mediator (Moses) due to sin. |
| Lev 10:1-2 | Nadab and Abihu consumed by fire for offering unauthorized fire. | Demonstrates the strict holiness and danger of approaching God incorrectly. |
| Deut 12:1 | "These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the LORD... is giving you..." | The laws given to Moses after this event are for their life in the land. |
| John 1:17 | "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." | Distinguishes between mediated Law and direct Grace, highlighting Moses' role. |
Deuteronomy 5 verses
Deuteronomy 5 30 Meaning
Deuteronomy 5:30 is a divine command delivered by God to Moses, instructing him to dismiss the assembly of the Israelites. Following the overwhelming experience of God's direct address and the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Horeb, the people had expressed profound fear and requested Moses to mediate between them and God. This verse, "Go and say to them, ‘Return to your tents,’" signifies the conclusion of that intense encounter, directing the people back to their individual camps and normal daily routines, while preparing the way for God to deliver the rest of His commandments and statutes exclusively through Moses. It highlights both God's accommodating grace in preserving His people and the establishment of Moses' unique role as mediator for subsequent divine revelation.
Deuteronomy 5 30 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 5 recounts Moses reiterating the Ten Commandments to the new generation of Israelites on the plains of Moab, before their entry into the Promised Land. This chapter functions as a historical refresher and an urgent call to obedience, specifically referencing the momentous covenant-making event at Mount Horeb (Sinai). Immediately preceding verse 30, the entire Israelite nation had experienced a terrifying direct encounter with God's voice, speaking the Decalogue from fire, cloud, and thick darkness (Deut 5:22-26). Overwhelmed, they requested Moses to act as a mediator, expressing fear of death if God were to speak to them directly again (Deut 5:27). God responds positively to their plea in verses 28-29, acknowledging the wisdom and sincerity of their fear and expressing a desire for their continued devotion. Verse 30 then marks the divine command to Moses to send the people back to their camps, establishing Moses' singular role as the direct recipient of God's further instructions (Deut 5:31) and setting the stage for the rest of the detailed law given in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 5 30 Word analysis
- Go (לֵךְ - lekh): A singular imperative verb, "Go." This command is directed specifically to Moses, highlighting his unique position as God's servant and representative. It implies an immediate departure from God's direct presence back to the people.
- and say (וֶאֱמֹר - wĕ’ĕmōr): A conjunction "and" followed by a singular imperative verb, "say" or "speak." It connects the action of "going" with the subsequent act of delivering a divine message. It underscores Moses' mediatorial function, being sent to the people with God's word.
- to them (לָהֶם - lahem): A preposition "to" plus the masculine plural pronominal suffix "them." Clearly identifies the recipients of Moses' message – the entire assembled congregation of Israel.
- Return (שׁוּבוּ - šūḇū): A plural imperative verb, "turn back, return." This verb indicates a command for the whole congregation to move back. While this root can imply spiritual repentance in other contexts, here it explicitly denotes a physical movement back to their dwellings. Its plural form directly addresses the assembled people.
- to your tents (לָכֶם לְאָהֳלֵיכֶם - lāḵem lə’ōhŏlêḵem): This phrase consists of two significant Hebrew components.
- לָכֶם (lāḵem): Often translated as "for yourselves" or "to your own." It adds an emphasis of personal agency or individual direction, meaning "return each one of you to his own."
- לְאָהֳלֵיכֶם (lə’ōhŏlêḵem): A preposition "to" combined with the plural noun "tents" and the possessive suffix "your." "Tents" here refers to their dwelling places, their homes or encampments in the wilderness. It signifies a return to normalcy, private life, and orderly dispersal from the terrifying and awesome presence of God at the mountain.
- "Go and say to them": This entire phrase underlines Moses' authority and commissioned role. He is not merely suggesting but conveying a direct divine order. This immediate follow-up to God's positive appraisal of the people's fear solidifies Moses' standing as God's designated messenger and mediator.
- "Return to your tents": This constitutes a divine command for an orderly dismissal and dispersal. It marks a clear transition point: the extraordinary, direct encounter with God has concluded, and the people are sent back to their domestic sphere. The "tents" symbolize their individual family units and communal life away from the sacred mountain, indicating a return to routine. This separation also signifies that while the initial revelatory moment was collective, subsequent detailed law would be transmitted through Moses alone.
Deuteronomy 5 30 Bonus section
The distinct phrasing in Deut 5:30, where "Go" (לֵךְ - lekh) is a singular imperative addressing Moses, but "Return" (שׁוּבוּ - šūḇū) is a plural imperative addressing the people, highlights the clear chain of command and the nature of mediation. God speaks to Moses alone, and Moses then conveys the instruction to the multitude. This distinction became crucial for the continued functioning of the covenant, as all future laws would be relayed via this specific medium rather than direct divine manifestation to the entire populace. The detailed exposition of the law, which forms the core of Deuteronomy, directly follows this point of separation, reinforcing the authority and necessity of prophetic mediation in the Old Covenant. This careful staging also allowed the people to process the foundational Ten Commandments before receiving the broader statutes, preventing further terror or harm from direct divine exposure.
Deuteronomy 5 30 Commentary
Deuteronomy 5:30 serves as God's gracious and orderly dismissal of the terrified Israelite assembly following the direct, overwhelming manifestation of His voice and the giving of the Ten Commandments. The divine command to Moses, "Go and say to them, ‘Return to your tents,’" signals an end to the direct public revelation from Sinai/Horeb and underscores a pivotal shift in the method of divine communication. God, affirming their fearful request for a mediator, accommodates their human frailty by preserving them from His full, unshielded presence. This logistical command is not a rebuke but an act of mercy, allowing the people to recede from the terrifying encounter back into the familiarity and safety of their wilderness encampments. Concurrently, it sets the precedent for Moses to receive the subsequent laws, statutes, and judgments on behalf of the nation (as described in Deut 5:31), solidifying his unique and indispensable role as the primary conduit of God's revelation to Israel. The return to their "tents" symbolizes a transition from collective divine awe to the mediated reception of God's covenantal requirements that would govern their everyday lives.