You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God. You are to buildThe directive to "build" signifies an active participation in the worship and obedience to God. The Hebrew root word for "build" is "בָּנָה" (banah), which implies not just construction but also establishing and creating something enduring. This command reflects the Israelites' role in establishing a place of worship that honors God, emphasizing their responsibility in maintaining a covenant relationship with Him. the altar of the LORD your God
The "altar" (מִזְבֵּחַ, mizbeach) is a sacred structure for offering sacrifices. In ancient Israel, altars were central to worship and symbolized communion with God. The phrase "of the LORD your God" underscores the personal relationship between the Israelites and Yahweh, their covenant God. It is a reminder that their worship is directed to the one true God who delivered them from Egypt and established them as His people. with uncut stones
The use of "uncut stones" (אֲבָנִים שְׁלֵמוֹת, avanim shelemot) is significant. These stones, untouched by iron tools, symbolize purity and the natural creation of God. The command to use uncut stones reflects a desire for authenticity and humility in worship, avoiding human pride and craftsmanship that might detract from the divine nature of the altar. This practice also aligns with the broader biblical theme of holiness and separation from pagan practices, which often involved elaborate altars. and offer burnt offerings
The "burnt offerings" (עוֹלוֹת, olot) were sacrifices completely consumed by fire, symbolizing total dedication and surrender to God. This act of worship was a means of atonement and a demonstration of the worshiper's devotion. The offering of burnt sacrifices on the altar signifies the Israelites' acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and their dependence on His grace and mercy. on it to the LORD your God
The repetition of "to the LORD your God" emphasizes the exclusivity of worship owed to Yahweh. It serves as a reminder of the covenant relationship and the requirement for the Israelites to remain faithful to God alone. This phrase reinforces the idea that all acts of worship and sacrifice are to be directed solely to God, who is the source of their identity and blessings. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites who is delivering God's commandments to the people before they enter the Promised Land. 2. The IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, who are receiving instructions on how to worship and obey God in the land they are about to enter. 3. Mount EbalThe location where the altar is to be built, as part of the covenant renewal ceremony. 4. The AltarA structure for offering sacrifices to God, symbolizing worship and atonement. 5. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant God of Israel, who commands the building of the altar and the offering of sacrifices. Teaching Points Purity in WorshipThe use of uncut stones signifies the importance of purity and simplicity in worship. God desires worship that is not tainted by human pride or alteration. Obedience to God's CommandsBuilding the altar as instructed demonstrates obedience to God's specific commands. Our worship should align with God's revealed will. Symbolism of the AltarThe altar represents a place of sacrifice and atonement. In the New Testament, Christ is our altar and sacrifice, fulfilling the Old Testament symbolism. Community and CovenantThe altar on Mount Ebal was a communal act of covenant renewal. Worship and obedience are communal responsibilities, not just individual acts. Holiness and Set-ApartnessThe uncut stones remind us that our lives, like the altar, should be set apart for God, reflecting His holiness in our daily actions. Bible Study Questions 1. What does the use of uncut stones for the altar teach us about the nature of worship that pleases God? 2. How does the command to build an altar on Mount Ebal connect to the broader theme of covenant renewal in the Bible? 3. In what ways can we ensure that our worship today remains pure and untainted by human pride or alteration? 4. How does the concept of the altar in Deuteronomy 27:6 find its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament through Jesus Christ? 5. Reflect on a time when you had to obey a specific command from God. How did that experience shape your understanding of obedience and worship? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 20:25This verse also instructs the use of uncut stones for altars, emphasizing purity and the avoidance of human craftsmanship in worship. Joshua 8:30-31Describes the fulfillment of this command when Joshua builds an altar on Mount Ebal using uncut stones. 1 Kings 18:31-32Elijah uses twelve stones to build an altar, symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel, reflecting the unity and purity in worship. Hebrews 13:10Discusses the altar in the context of the New Covenant, where Christ is the ultimate sacrifice. People Asher, Benjamin, Dan, Gad, Issachar, Joseph, Levi, Levites, Moses, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, ZebulunPlaces Beth-baal-peor, Jordan River, Mount Ebal, Mount GerizimTopics Altar, Ascend, Build, Buildest, Burned, Burnt, Burnt-offerings, Caused, Complete, Fieldstones, Hast, Offer, Offering, Offerings, Stones, Thereon, Uncut, UnhewnDictionary of Bible Themes Deuteronomy 27:1-8 4366 stones Deuteronomy 27:1-26 7797 teaching Deuteronomy 27:2-6 5443 pillars Deuteronomy 27:2-8 5574 tablet Deuteronomy 27:6-7 8288 joy, of Israel Library Obedience
Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments.' Deut 27: 9, 10. What is the duty which God requireth of man? Obedience to his revealed will. It is not enough to hear God's voice, but we must obey. Obedience is a part of the honour we owe to God. If then I be a Father, where is my honour?' Mal 1: 6. Obedience carries in it the life-blood of religion. Obey the voice of the Lord …
Thomas Watson—The Ten CommandmentsIn Judæa and through Samaria - a Sketch of Samaritan History and Theology - Jews and Samaritans.
We have no means of determining how long Jesus may have tarried in Jerusalem after the events recorded in the previous two chapters. The Evangelic narrative [1850] only marks an indefinite period of time, which, as we judge from internal probability, cannot have been protracted. From the city He retired with His disciples to the country,' which formed the province of Judæa. There He taught and His disciples baptized. [1851] [1852] From what had been so lately witnessed in Jerusalem, as well …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah How Christ is Made Use of for Justification as a Way.
What Christ hath done to purchase, procure, and bring about our justification before God, is mentioned already, viz. That he stood in the room of sinners, engaging for them as their cautioner, undertaking, and at length paying down the ransom; becoming sin, or a sacrifice for sin, and a curse for them, and so laying down his life a ransom to satisfy divine justice; and this he hath made known in the gospel, calling sinners to an accepting of him as their only Mediator, and to a resting upon him for …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life Gilgal, in Deuteronomy 11:30 what the Place Was.
That which is said by Moses, that "Gerizim and Ebal were over-against Gilgal," Deuteronomy 11:30, is so obscure, that it is rendered into contrary significations by interpreters. Some take it in that sense, as if it were near to Gilgal: some far off from Gilgal: the Targumists read, "before Gilgal": while, as I think, they do not touch the difficulty; which lies not so much in the signification of the word Mul, as in the ambiguity of the word Gilgal. These do all seem to understand that Gilgal which …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica In Galilee at the Time of Our Lord
"If any one wishes to be rich, let him go north; if he wants to be wise, let him come south." Such was the saying, by which Rabbinical pride distinguished between the material wealth of Galilee and the supremacy in traditional lore claimed for the academies of Judaea proper. Alas, it was not long before Judaea lost even this doubtful distinction, and its colleges wandered northwards, ending at last by the Lake of Gennesaret, and in that very city of Tiberias which at one time had been reputed unclean! …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Meditations of the Misery of a Man not Reconciled to God in Christ.
O wretched Man! where shall I begin to describe thine endless misery, who art condemned as soon as conceived; and adjudged to eternal death, before thou wast born to a temporal life? A beginning indeed, I find, but no end of thy miseries. For when Adam and Eve, being created after God's own image, and placed in Paradise, that they and their posterity might live in a blessed state of life immortal, having dominion over all earthly creatures, and only restrained from the fruit of one tree, as a sign …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Jesus' Last Public Discourse. Denunciation of Scribes and Pharisees.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXIII. 1-39; ^B Mark XII. 38-40; ^C Luke XX. 45-47. ^a 1 Then spake Jesus ^b 38 And in his teaching ^c in the hearing of all the people he said unto ^a the multitudes, and to his disciples [he spoke in the most public manner], 2 saying, ^c 46 Beware of the scribes, ^a The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat: 3 all things whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Differences in Judgment About Water Baptism, no Bar to Communion: Or, to Communicate with Saints, as Saints, Proved Lawful.
IN ANSWER TO A BOOK WRITTEN BY THE BAPTISTS, AND PUBLISHED BY MR. T. PAUL AND MR. W. KIFFIN, ENTITLED, 'SOME SERIOUS REFLECTIONS ON THAT PART OF MR BUNYAN'S CONFESSION OF FAITH, TOUCHING CHURCH COMMUNION WITH UNBAPTIZED BELIEVERS.' WHEREIN THEIR OBJECTIONS AND ARGUMENTS ARE ANSWERED, AND THE DOCTRINE OF COMMUNION STILL ASSERTED AND VINDICATED. HERE IS ALSO MR. HENRY JESSE'S JUDGMENT IN THE CASE, FULLY DECLARING THE DOCTRINE I HAVE ASSERTED. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'Should not the multitude of words be answered? …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 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 27:6 NIVDeuteronomy 27:6 NLTDeuteronomy 27:6 ESVDeuteronomy 27:6 NASBDeuteronomy 27:6 KJV
Deuteronomy 27:6 Commentaries
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