1 And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandment which I command you this day.
2 And it shall be on the day when ye pass over the Jordan unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster:
3 and thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou goest over that thou mayest enter into the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Jehovah the God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
4 And it shall be when ye go over the Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, as I command you this day, on mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster.
5 And there shalt thou build an altar to Jehovah thy God, an altar of stones; thou shalt not lift up an iron [tool] upon them;
6 of whole stones shalt thou build the altar of Jehovah thy God; and thou shalt offer up burnt-offerings thereon to Jehovah thy God.
7 And thou shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before Jehovah thy God.
8 And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.
9 And Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, Be silent and hearken, Israel! this day thou art become the people of Jehovah thy God.
10 And thou shalt hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day.
11 And Moses gave commandment to the people the same day, saying,
12 These shall stand to bless the people upon mount Gerizim, when ye have gone over the Jordan: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin.
13 And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
14 And the Levites shall declare and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice:
15 Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image, an abomination to Jehovah, a work of the craftsman's hand, and putteth it up secretly! And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
16 Cursed be he that slighteth his father or his mother! And all the people shall say, Amen.
17 Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark! And all the people shall say, Amen.
18 Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way! And all the people shall say, Amen.
19 Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow! And all the people shall say, Amen.
20 Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife; for he uncovereth his father's skirt! And all the people shall say, Amen.
21 Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast! And all the people shall say, Amen.
22 Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother! And all the people shall say, Amen.
23 Cursed be he that lieth with his mother-in-law! And all the people shall say, Amen.
24 Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly! And all the people shall say, Amen.
25 Cursed be he that taketh reward to smite mortally [shedding] innocent blood! And all the people shall say, Amen.
26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them! And all the people shall say, Amen.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Deuteronomy 27
Commentary on Deuteronomy 27 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 27
De 27:1-10. The People Are to Write the Law upon Stones.
2. it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan—"Day" is often put for "time"; and it was not till some days after the passage that the following instructions were acted upon.
thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister—These stones were to be taken in their natural state, unhewn, and unpolished—the occasion on which they were used not admitting of long or elaborate preparation; and they were to be daubed over with paint or whitewash, to render them more conspicuous. Stones and even rocks are seen in Egypt and the peninsula of Sinai, containing inscriptions made three thousand years ago, in paint or plaister. By some similar method those stones may have been inscribed, and it is most probable that Moses learned the art from the Egyptians.
3. thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law—It might be, as some think, the Decalogue; but a greater probability is that it was "the blessings and curses," which comprised in fact an epitome of the law (Jos 8:34).
5-10. there shalt thou build an altar … of whole stones—The stones were to be in their natural state, as if a chisel would communicate pollution to them. The stony pile was to be so large as to contain all the conditions of the covenant, so elevated as to be visible to the whole congregation of Israel; and the religious ceremonial performed on the occasion was to consist: first, of the elementary worship needed for sinful men; and secondly, of the peace offerings, or lively, social feasts, that were suited to the happy people whose God was the Lord. There were thus, the law which condemned, and the typical expiation—the two great principles of revealed religion.
De 27:11-13. The Tribes Divided on Gerizim and Ebal.
11-13. These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people … these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse—Those long, rocky ridges lay in the province of Samaria, and the peaks referred to were near Shechem (Nablous), rising in steep precipices to the height of about eight hundred feet and separated by a green, well-watered valley of about five hundred yards wide. The people of Israel were here divided into two parts. On mount Gerizim (now Jebel-et-Tur) were stationed the descendants of Rachel and Leah, the two principal wives of Jacob, and to them was assigned the most pleasant and honorable office of pronouncing the benedictions; while on the twin hill of Ebal (now Imad-el-Deen) were placed the posterity of the two secondary wives, Zilpah and Bilhah, with those of Reuben, who had lost the primogeniture, and Zebulun, Leah's youngest son; to them was committed the necessary but painful duty of pronouncing the maledictions (see on Jud 9:7). The ceremony might have taken place on the lower spurs of the mountains, where they approach more closely to each other; and the course observed was as follows: Amid the silent expectations of the solemn assembly, the priests standing round the ark in the valley below, said aloud, looking to Gerizim, "Blessed is the man that maketh not any graven image," when the people ranged on that hill responded in full simultaneous shouts of "Amen"; then turning round to Ebal, they cried, "Cursed is the man that maketh any graven image"; to which those that covered the ridge answered, "Amen." The same course at every pause was followed with all the blessings and curses (see on Jos 8:33, 34). These curses attendant on disobedience to the divine will, which had been revealed as a law from heaven, be it observed, are given in the form of a declaration, not a wish, as the words should be rendered, "Cursed is he," and not, "Cursed be he."