Deuteronomy 5:31 is God telling Moses to stay close and receive the full body of commands, statutes, and ordinances, so he can pass them on to Israel. The point is that God’s law is given through a mediator who listens and then teaches, and the goal is that the people will live by it in the land God is giving them. The words are spoken by the LORD to Moses, and they are addressed to Moses as the one who will carry the instruction to the people of Israel.
But as for you, stand here by me, and I will tell you all the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.”
Deuteronomy 5:31 (WEB)
What Deuteronomy 5:31 Means
The verse begins with “But as for you,” which sets Moses apart from the people. They had asked Moses to speak with God on their behalf rather than hearing the voice of God directly, and God honors that request in this moment. Moses is told to “stand here by me,” which means he is to remain in God’s presence while the rest of the people return to their tents. He is being given a privileged place as the one who receives the full instruction.
God then promises to “tell you all the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances.” These three words cover different layers of the law. The commandments are the clear moral directives, the statutes are the set rules for worship and daily conduct, and the ordinances are the judgments and regulations that guide the community. The verse does not promise that Israel will automatically keep these laws, but it makes clear that the instruction is complete and that Moses’s job is to teach it faithfully. The purpose is stated plainly: the people must do what God says in the land he is giving them.
The Context of Deuteronomy 5:31
Deuteronomy is presented as the words of Moses addressed to the generation of Israelites about to enter Canaan, after forty years in the wilderness. Traditionally the book is attributed to Moses, though many scholars date its final form later and see it as a careful retelling of the law for a new generation. Its audience is the people standing on the edge of the promised land, many of whom were children when the first covenant was given at Sinai.
Just before this verse, the people have heard the Ten Commandments and been overwhelmed by the fire and the thunder, so they asked Moses to act as their go-between. God responds that the people’s words were good, and he expresses a wish that their hearts would fear him and keep his commands always. Right after the verse, Moses is told to instruct the people to obey carefully without turning aside. Reading the verse in this setting shows that it is less about a private revelation to Moses and more about how God chooses to deliver his law to the whole community.
Key Phrases in Deuteronomy 5:31
Deuteronomy 6:1
Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you go over to possess it…
(WEB)
This verse follows directly on the instruction of Deuteronomy 5 and introduces the commands and statutes that Moses is to teach. It shows the same pattern of God giving instruction for the people to observe in the land, and it helps readers see that the teaching of Deuteronomy 5:31 leads straight into the fuller explanation of the law.
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.
(WEB)
This psalm speaks of God’s word as a lamp for the feet and a light for the path. It echoes the idea in Deuteronomy 5:31 that God’s instruction is meant to guide the people’s steps, showing how the law functions not as a burden but as a light that makes the way clear for those who walk in it.
A Short Prayer From Deuteronomy 5:31
Lord, thank you for giving your people clear instruction and for inviting those who seek you to draw near. Help me to stay close to you, to listen carefully to what you have spoken, and to take your words seriously in my everyday choices. Teach me to live faithfully in the place where you have set me, and give me the desire to follow your ways with a willing heart. Amen.
