Deuteronomy 5:5 kjv
(I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to show you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
Deuteronomy 5:5 nkjv
I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said:
Deuteronomy 5:5 niv
(At that time I stood between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
Deuteronomy 5:5 esv
while I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said:
Deuteronomy 5:5 nlt
I stood as an intermediary between you and the LORD, for you were afraid of the fire and did not want to approach the mountain. He spoke to me, and I passed his words on to you. This is what he said:
Deuteronomy 5 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 19:12 | Set limits for the people around the mountain, saying, 'Take heed...not touch it.' | God's boundaries due to holiness |
| Ex 19:16 | On the third day...there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud...very loud trumpet blast. | Sinai's terrifying manifestation |
| Ex 19:18 | Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. | God's presence as fire |
| Ex 20:1 | And God spoke all these words... | God's direct communication |
| Ex 20:18-19 | Now all the people saw...and they trembled and stood far off...they said to Moses, "You speak to us..." | People's fear and request for Moses to mediate |
| Ex 24:7-8 | Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people...and he took the blood...and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant..." | Moses confirms covenant through declaration and sacrifice |
| Ex 34:27-28 | The Lord said to Moses, "Write these words...and he was there with the Lord forty days..." | Moses receiving the Law |
| Num 12:6-8 | When there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make Myself known to him...But with My servant Moses, I speak mouth to mouth. | Moses' unique intimacy with God |
| Deut 4:12 | Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words... | God's voice from the fire |
| Deut 4:24 | For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. | God's nature as fire |
| Deut 9:3 | Understand therefore today that the Lord your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. | God's power as consuming fire |
| Ps 104:4 | He makes His messengers winds, His ministers a flaming fire. | God's use of fire in His service |
| Isa 55:11 | So shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty. | Power and effectiveness of God's Word |
| Mal 3:1 | And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight... | Prophecy of a coming messenger (mediator) |
| Jn 1:1, 14 | In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh. | Jesus as the living Word of God |
| Gal 3:19 | Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. | Law given through a mediator (Moses) |
| Rom 5:1-2 | Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace... | Access to God through Christ |
| Eph 2:18 | For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. | Access to the Father through Christ by the Spirit |
| Eph 3:12 | In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him. | Boldness and confidence to approach God through Christ |
| 1 Tim 2:5 | For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. | Christ as the unique mediator |
| Heb 8:6 | But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant He mediates is better... | Jesus, mediator of a better covenant |
| Heb 9:15 | Therefore He is the mediator of a new covenant... | Jesus, mediator of the New Covenant |
| Heb 12:18-21 | For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire...but you have come to Mount Zion... | Contrast between fearful Sinai and approachable Zion (through Christ) |
| Heb 12:24 | and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant... | Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant (repetition for emphasis on better access) |
| Heb 12:29 | for our God is a consuming fire. | God's holy nature (New Testament echo of Old) |
Deuteronomy 5 verses
Deuteronomy 5 5 Meaning
Deuteronomy 5:5 depicts Moses' indispensable role as an intermediary at Mount Sinai (also called Horeb). He recounts how he stood as a necessary channel between the Almighty God and the fearful Israelites, conveying God's divine words to them. This mediation was essential because the people, overwhelmed by God's manifest presence as consuming fire and glory, were terrified and could not directly approach the mountain or sustain a direct encounter with the Lord, despite the initial "face-to-face" address mentioned in the preceding verse (Deut 5:4). Moses, therefore, declared the Lord's commandments and statutes to a people unable to bear the direct encounter with the divine.
Deuteronomy 5 5 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 5 serves as a pivotal recap of the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Horeb (Sinai). Moses, speaking to the new generation of Israelites poised to enter the Promised Land, vividly recounts this foundational event. The preceding verse, Deuteronomy 5:4, states that the Lord spoke "face to face" with the Israelites. This emphasizes God's direct personal revelation. However, verse 5 immediately clarifies why Moses then assumed a mediatorial role: the sheer terror and overwhelming nature of God's unmediated presence (manifested in fire and thunders) made direct interaction impossible for the people. Their fear prompted them to request Moses to speak on God's behalf. This immediate historical and literary context highlights God's transcendence and holiness, and the people's limitations in standing before such a majestic, fearful presence without an intermediary. It sets the stage for Moses to remind the new generation of their unique covenant relationship with this holy God, providing the divine basis for all the laws and instructions that follow.
Deuteronomy 5 5 Word analysis
- I stood (אָנֹכִי עָמַדְתִּי, ʼanokhi ʻamadti): "I" refers to Moses. The verb "to stand" (ʻamad) signifies taking a designated position, being firm in one's place, or acting as an appointed representative. It indicates Moses' unique, divinely ordained role at that specific moment.
- between the Lord (בֵּין יְהוָה, bein Yahweh): This preposition "between" literally places Moses in a mediating position. Yahweh (Lord) is God's covenant name, highlighting His specific relationship with Israel. Moses was the bridge, connecting the holy, awesome God with His covenant people.
- and you (וּבֵינֵיכֶם, uvēneychem): "You" refers collectively to the entire assembly of Israel. This phrase clearly defines the two parties in the transaction, emphasizing Moses' pivotal place.
- at that time (בָּעֵת הַהִוא, baʻēt hahiwʼ): This points back specifically to the dramatic events described in Exodus 19 and 20 when the covenant was formally established at Mount Sinai (Horeb). It emphasizes a distinct historical moment of divine encounter.
- to declare to you (לְהַגִּיד לָכֶם, lehaggid lachem): "To declare" (nagad) means to tell, report, make known, or announce. It was Moses' commission to articulate and interpret God's words to the people, effectively translating the divine for human comprehension and obedience.
- the word of the Lord (דְּבַר יְהוָה, devar Yahweh): This refers to God's direct revelation—His commandments, statutes, and ordinances. It underscores the divine origin and authoritative nature of the Law that Moses communicated. This was not Moses' own wisdom but God's utterance.
- for you were afraid (כִּי יְרֵאתֶם, ki y'retum): "Afraid" (yare') conveys a deep sense of terror or awe. The Israelites' response was one of overwhelming fear, prompting them to keep their distance. This fear was a natural reaction to the direct, unmediated display of divine power and holiness by a sinful people.
- because of the fire (מִפְּנֵי הָאֵשׁ, mippnēy haʼesh): The fire represents God's glorious and fearsome presence at Sinai (Ex 19:18, Deut 4:24). It signifies His holiness and consuming power, before which sinful humanity cannot stand without an intermediary or protection.
- and you did not go up into the mountain (וְלֹא עֲלִיתֶם בָּהָר, velōʼ ʻalithem bahar): This refers to the strict divine boundary set around Mount Sinai (Ex 19:12-13, 20:19). The people's fear and the divine prohibition combined to prevent them from directly ascending the sacred peak, necessitating Moses' solo ascent and mediation.
- "I stood between the Lord and you at that time": This phrase encapsulates Moses' core mediatorial function. It highlights the divine appointment and necessity of an intermediary between the infinitely holy God and a finite, fearful, and sinful humanity, at a pivotal moment in salvation history. Moses serves as a foundational example of a divinely chosen go-between.
- "to declare to you the word of the Lord, for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain": This entire clause explains the purpose and necessity of Moses' mediation. The divine word could not be received directly by the terrified people due to God's awesome manifest presence as fire and the resultant inability to ascend the sacred mountain. It underscores human limitation and God's transcendent holiness, making an appointed channel for communication vital for the covenant's establishment.
Deuteronomy 5 5 Bonus section
The mediatorial role of Moses, as depicted in Deut 5:5, establishes a crucial theological principle: fallen humanity, in its own strength and without intervention, cannot directly approach a perfectly holy God and live. This necessity for mediation is a consistent theme throughout biblical revelation. Moses' specific function at Sinai foreshadowed the work of Jesus Christ. While Moses delivered a covenant of law that highlighted sin and human inadequacy, Jesus, the greater mediator, inaugurated a new covenant of grace (Heb 8:6-13; 9:15). Unlike Moses who acted as a representative because the people were afraid of the fire, Christ Himself is the propitiation for our sins, enabling believers to approach God with boldness and confidence (Heb 4:16; Eph 3:12). The "fire" that inspired terror at Sinai is transmuted through Christ into the fire of the Holy Spirit, enabling access rather than enforcing separation. Thus, Deuteronomy 5:5 points to the essential nature of Christ's reconciling work, allowing us to draw near to a God who is still "a consuming fire" (Heb 12:29), but now a welcoming one through His Son.
Deuteronomy 5 5 Commentary
Deuteronomy 5:5 crystallizes Moses' unique and vital role as a mediator between a transcendent God and His covenant people. Following the awesome "face-to-face" revelation of God's voice (v. 4), the subsequent verses clarify that this direct encounter proved too overwhelming for the Israelites. The blazing fire and seismic events accompanying God's descent upon Mount Sinai filled the people with terror, leading them to recoil from the divine presence and request Moses to speak on God's behalf (Ex 20:18-19). Thus, Moses' stand "between the Lord and you" was not a usurpation of God's direct communication, but a divinely ordained necessity arising from the people's incapacity to endure His unmediated glory. He served as the authoritative mouthpiece for the "word of the Lord," translating divine truth into understandable commands. This pivotal mediatorial function underscores the immense gap between God's unapproachable holiness and humanity's inherent limitations and sinfulness, foreshadowing the ultimate, perfect mediator to come.