God spake all these words — The law of the ten commandments is a law of God's making; a law of his own speaking. God has many ways of speaking to the children of men by his spirit, conscience, providences; his voice in all which we ought carefully to attend to: but he never spake at any time upon an... [ Continue Reading ]
I am the Lord thy God — Herein, God asserts his own authority to enact this law; and proposeth himself as the sole object of that religious worship which is enjoined in the four first commandments. They are here bound to obedience. Because God is the Lord, Jehovah, self — existent, independent, eter... [ Continue Reading ]
The first commandment is concerning the object of our worship, Jehovah, and him only, Thou shalt have no other gods before me — The Egyptians, and other neighbouring nations, had many gods, creatures of their own fancy. This law was pre — fixed because of that transgression; and Jehovah being the Go... [ Continue Reading ]
The third commandment is concerning the manner of our worship; Where we have, [1.] A strict prohibition. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain — Supposing that, having taken Jehovah for their God, they would make mention of his name, this command gives a caution not to mention it... [ Continue Reading ]
The fourth commandment concerns the time of worship; God is to be served and honoured daily; but one day in seven is to be particularly dedicated to his honour, and spent in his service. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy; in it thou shalt do no manner of work — It is taken for granted that t... [ Continue Reading ]
We have here the laws of the second table, as they are commonly called; the six last commandments which concern our duty to ourselves, and one another, and are a comment upon the second great commandment, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. As religion towards God is, an essential branch of un... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt not kill — Thou shalt not do any thing hurtful to the health, or life of thy own body, or any other's. This doth not forbid our own necessary defence, or the magistrates putting offenders to death; but it forbids all malice and hatred to any, for he that hateth his brother is a murderer,... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt not commit adultery — This commandment forbids all acts of uncleanness, with all those desires, which produce those acts and war against the soul.... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt not steal — This command forbids us to rob ourselves of what we have, by sinful spending, or of the use and comfort of it by sinful sparing; and to rob others by invading our neighbour's rights, taking his goods, or house, or field, forcibly or clandestinely, over — reaching in bargains,... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt not bear false witness — This forbids, Speaking falsely in any matter, lying, equivocating, and any way devising and designing to deceive our neighbour. Speaking unjustly against our neighbour, to the prejudice of his reputation; And (which is the highest offence of both these kinds put t... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt not covet — The foregoing commands implicitly forbid all desire of doing that which will be an injury to our neighbour, this forbids all inordinate desire of having that which will be a gratification to ourselves. O that such a man's house were mine! such a man's wife mine! such a man's e... [ Continue Reading ]
They removed and stood afar off — Before God began to speak, they were thrusting forward to gaze, but now they were effectually cured of their presumption, and taught to keep their distance.... [ Continue Reading ]
Speak thou with us — Hereby they obliged themselves to acquiesce in the mediation of Moses, they themselves nominating him as a fit person to deal between them and God, and promising to hearken to him as to God's messenger.... [ Continue Reading ]
Fear not — That is, Think not that this thunder and fire is, designed to consume you. No; it was intended, To prove them, to try how they could like dealing with God immediately, without a mediator, and so to convince them how admirably well God had chosen for them in putting Moses into that office.... [ Continue Reading ]
While the people continued to stand afar off — Afraid of God's wrath, Moses drew near unto the thick darkness; he was made to draw near, so the word is: Moses of himself durst not have ventured into the thick darkness if God had not called him, and encouraged him, and, as some of the Rabbins suppose... [ Continue Reading ]
Moses being gone into the thick darkness where God was, God there spoke in his hearing only, all that follows from hence to the end of chap. Exodus 23:1, which is mostly an exposition of the ten commandments; and he was to transmit it to the people. The laws in these verses relate to God's worship.... [ Continue Reading ]
An altar of earth — It is meant of occasional altars, such as they reared in the wilderness before the tabernacle was erected, and afterwards upon special emergencies, for present use. They are appointed to make these very plain, either of earth or of unhewn stones. That they might not be tempted to... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither shall thou go at by steps unto mine altar — Indeed afterwards God appointed an altar ten cubits high. But it is probable, they went not up to that by steps, but by a sloping ascent.... [ Continue Reading ]