◄ Deuteronomy 5:25 ►
But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.
Study Bible
But now
This phrase marks a transition, indicating a shift in the people's understanding and response to the divine encounter. In the Hebrew text, the word "now" (עַתָּה, 'attah) often signifies an urgent or immediate concern. The Israelites are expressing a present, pressing fear of the divine presence, which reflects their recognition of God's holiness and their own unworthiness.

why should we die?
This rhetorical question reveals the Israelites' fear of death as a consequence of encountering God's holiness. The Hebrew word for "die" (מוּת, muth) is used here to express the ultimate consequence of sin in the presence of a holy God. Historically, this reflects the ancient Near Eastern understanding of divine-human interaction, where direct contact with the divine was often seen as life-threatening due to the overwhelming power and purity of the deity.

For this great fire
The "great fire" symbolizes God's presence and glory, as seen in the theophany at Mount Sinai. In the Hebrew text, "great" (גָּדוֹל, gadol) emphasizes the magnitude and intensity of God's presence. Fire is a common biblical motif for God's holiness and judgment, as seen in other scriptural contexts like the burning bush (Exodus 3) and the pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21). This imagery underscores the awe-inspiring and consuming nature of God's holiness.

will consume us
The verb "consume" (אָכַל, akal) in Hebrew conveys the idea of being devoured or destroyed. The Israelites' fear of being consumed by God's fire reflects their awareness of their sinfulness and the potential for divine judgment. This echoes the broader biblical theme of God's holiness being incompatible with sin, necessitating a mediator or intercessor for humanity to safely approach God.

and we will die
Reiterating their fear of death, the Israelites acknowledge the lethal danger of direct exposure to God's voice. This repetition emphasizes the seriousness of their concern and the reality of God's holiness. The concept of death here is both physical and spiritual, highlighting the separation from God that sin causes.

if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer
Hearing God's voice directly was a terrifying experience for the Israelites, as it revealed their sinfulness in stark contrast to God's holiness. The phrase "the voice of the LORD our God" (קוֹל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, qol YHWH Eloheinu) underscores the personal and covenantal relationship between God and Israel. The Israelites' request for Moses to mediate (as seen in the surrounding verses) points to the need for a mediator, ultimately fulfilled in Christ, who bridges the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The leader of the Israelites who is recounting the events at Mount Sinai where God gave the Ten Commandments.

2. Israelites
The people of God who were delivered from Egypt and are now receiving God's law.

3. Mount Sinai (Horeb)
The mountain where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites.

4. The LORD (Yahweh)
The God of Israel, who is speaking to His people through Moses.

5. The Great Fire
A manifestation of God's presence and power, symbolizing His holiness and the seriousness of His commandments.
Teaching Points
Reverence for God's Holiness
The Israelites' fear highlights the holiness and power of God. We should approach God with reverence and awe, recognizing His majesty and our own unworthiness.

The Mediator Role of Moses
Moses acted as a mediator between God and the people. This foreshadows the ultimate mediation of Christ, who bridges the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity.

The Fear of the Lord
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is not just terror but a profound respect and acknowledgment of God's authority and righteousness.

God's Desire for Relationship
Despite the fear, God desires a relationship with His people. He provides ways for us to draw near to Him, ultimately through Jesus Christ.

The Importance of Obedience
The Israelites' fear led them to a commitment to obey God's commandments. Our reverence for God should similarly lead us to live in obedience to His Word.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the fear of the Lord, as experienced by the Israelites, influence your understanding of God's holiness today?

2. In what ways does Moses' role as a mediator point to the work of Jesus Christ in the New Testament?

3. How can we balance the fear of the Lord with the love and grace we receive through Jesus?

4. What are some practical ways to cultivate a reverent attitude towards God in our daily lives?

5. How does the concept of God's holiness challenge or encourage you in your personal walk with Him?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 20
This chapter provides the original account of the giving of the Ten Commandments and the people's fear of God's presence.

Hebrews 12
This passage contrasts the fear of Mount Sinai with the grace found in Mount Zion, emphasizing the reverence due to God.

1 Kings 19
Elijah's encounter with God at Horeb, where God's presence is shown in a gentle whisper, contrasting the fire and thunder at Sinai.

Isaiah 6
Isaiah's vision of God's holiness, which evokes a similar fear and awe as the Israelites experienced.

Revelation 1
John's vision of the glorified Christ, which also evokes fear and reverence, similar to the Israelites' reaction.
Sermons
Reminiscences of HorebJ. Orr Deuteronomy 5:1-33
Character Determines EnvironmentD. Davies Deuteronomy 5:21-33
How Moses Became MediatorR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 5:22-33
The Element of Terror in ReligionJ. Orr Deuteronomy 5:23-28
People
Moses
Places
Beth-baal-peor, Egypt, Horeb
Topics
Add, Burned, Consume, Death, Die, Died, Fate, Fire, Longer, Overtake, Voice
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 5:22-26

     1454   theophany

Deuteronomy 5:22-27

     6636   drawing near to God

Deuteronomy 5:23-27

     4269   Sinai, Mount

Library
Prayer and Obedience
"An obedience discovered itself in Fletcher of Madeley, which I wish I could describe or imitate. It produced in him a ready mind to embrace every cross with alacrity and pleasure. He had a singular love for the lambs of the flock, and applied himself with the greatest diligence to their instruction, for which he had a peculiar gift. . . . All his intercourse with me was so mingled with prayer and praise, that every employment, and every meal was, as it were, perfumed therewith." -- JOHN WESLEY. …
Edward M. Bounds—The Necessity of Prayer

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day Sabbath.
AND PROOF, THAT THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE TRUE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'The Son of man is lord also of the Sabbath day.' London: Printed for Nath, Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1685. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. All our inquiries into divine commands are required to be made personally, solemnly, prayerful. To 'prove all things,' and 'hold fast' and obey 'that which is good,' is a precept, equally binding upon the clown, as it is upon the philosopher. Satisfied from our observations …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

"They have Corrupted Themselves; their Spot is not the Spot of his Children; they are a Perverse and Crooked Generation. "
Deut. xxxii. 5.--"They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of his children; they are a perverse and crooked generation." We doubt this people would take well with such a description of themselves as Moses gives. It might seem strange to us, that God should have chosen such a people out of all the nations of the earth, and they to be so rebellious and perverse, if our own experience did not teach us how free his choice is, and how long-suffering he is, and constant in his choice. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
Now the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things--First, In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life; Secondly, In consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. For the First. 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Exod. xxxi. 12, 13, 15, &c.) More particularly-- First, From all the works of our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Everlasting Covenant of the Spirit
"They shall be My people, and l will be their God. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me."--JER. xxxii. 38, 40. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

Jesus Fails to Attend the Third Passover.
Scribes Reproach Him for Disregarding Tradition. (Galilee, Probably Capernaum, Spring a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XV. 1-20; ^B Mark VII. 1-23; ^D John VII. 1. ^d 1 And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judæa, because the Jews sought to kill him. [John told us in his last chapter that the passover was near at hand. He here makes a general statement which shows that Jesus did not attend this passover. The reason for his absence is given at John v. 18.] ^a 1 Then there …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Angel of the Lord in the Pentateuch, and the Book of Joshua.
The New Testament distinguishes between the hidden God and the revealed God--the Son or Logos--who is connected with the former by oneness of nature, and who from everlasting, and even at the creation itself, filled up the immeasurable distance between the Creator and the creation;--who has been the Mediator in all God's relations to the world;--who at all times, and even before He became man in Christ, has been the light of [Pg 116] the world,--and to whom, specially, was committed the direction …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Mount Zion.
"For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them: for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned; and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: but ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

The Foundations of Good Citizenship.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.--Ex. 20:1-17. Parallel Readings. Hist. Bible I, 194-198. Prin. of Politics, Chap. II. Lowell, Essay on "Democracy." Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou …
Charles Foster Kent—The Making of a Nation

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf. …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Deuteronomy 5:25 NIV
Deuteronomy 5:25 NLT
Deuteronomy 5:25 ESV
Deuteronomy 5:25 NASB
Deuteronomy 5:25 KJV

Deuteronomy 5:25 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Deuteronomy 5:24
Top of Page
Top of Page