Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 5:27
Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Israelites speak to Moses immediately after Deuteronomy 5:26, where they acknowledge surviving God's voice from the fire. They propose that Moses approach God, receive His full message, and relay it to the assembly for obedience.
The words — The Hebrew קְרַב (ke.Rav) and וּֽ/שֲׁמָ֔ע (u./sha.Ma') literally render "draw near" and "and hear." These verbs structure the people's request to establish Moses as the necessary intermediary between the assembly and Yahweh.
The thread — The same fear-driven request appears in Exodus 20:19, and Hebrews 12:19 cites this tradition to contrast the unapproachable earthly mountain with the mediated access offered in the new covenant.
Why it lands — The verse records the people's admission that direct divine speech exceeds human capacity and requires a designated messenger. It asks readers to acknowledge their limits and submit to the channels God establishes for receiving His word.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.
Cross-references
- Exodus 20:19 “Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”
- Hebrews 12:19 to a trumpet blast or to a voice that made its hearers beg that no further word be spoken.