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Deuteronomy 4:36
Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.

Nehemiah 9:13
Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

Hebrews 12:25,26
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much moreshall not weescape, if we turn away from him thatspeaketh from heaven: …

This is what you are to tell the Israelites
God's instructions to Moses highlight the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites. The Israelites are God's chosen people, set apart to receive His laws and commandments. This reflects the broader biblical theme of God's desire to communicate His will to His people, as seen throughout the Old and New Testaments.

You have seen for yourselves
This phrase emphasizes the experiential aspect of the Israelites' relationship with God. They have witnessed God's power and presence, particularly at Mount Sinai, where God manifested Himself in a tangible way (Exodus 19:16-19). This personal experience serves as a foundation for their faith and obedience.

that I have spoken to you from heaven
The reference to God speaking "from heaven" underscores His transcendence and authority. It distinguishes the divine origin of the commandments from any human or earthly source. This heavenly communication is a precursor to the New Testament revelation of Jesus Christ, who also speaks with divine authority (John 3:31-34). The concept of God speaking from heaven is echoed in other biblical passages, such as the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:17), reinforcing the continuity of God's revelation throughout Scripture.

“Then the LORD said to Moses…” (Exodus 20:22a)

• Right after giving the Ten Commandments, God continues the conversation. His voice is still the authority on the mountain, just as inExodus 20:1.

• The initiative is entirely God’s; Moses doesn’t ask for more. This mirrorsExodus 3:4 where the LORD called to Moses from the bush andActs 7:38 where Moses is called the “living oracles” mediator.

• The scene underscores God’s ongoing relationship with His people—He didn’t just hand down rules and leave; He keeps speaking (seeDeuteronomy 5:24).

“…‘This is what you are to tell the Israelites…’” (Exodus 20:22b)

• God entrusts Moses with a message, highlighting the role of faithful proclamation (compareNumbers 12:6–8;Hebrews 3:5).

• The wording stresses accuracy. Moses may not alter, embellish, or subtract; he is a steward, not an editor (seeDeuteronomy 4:2;Revelation 22:18-19).

• For us, this frames Scripture as God’s word delivered through human servants—why2 Timothy 3:16 calls all Scripture “God-breathed.”

“…‘You have seen for yourselves…’” (Exodus 20:22c)

• Israel’s experience is firsthand. The entire nation heard the thunderous voice and saw the mountain tremble (Exodus 19:16-19).

• Personal witness leaves them without excuse when temptation comes to doubt (cf.Deuteronomy 11:2-7).

• The New Testament parallels this appeal to eyewitness testimony in1 John 1:1-3 and2 Peter 1:16.

“…‘that I have spoken to you from heaven.’” (Exodus 20:22d)

• God’s voice originates “from heaven,” emphasizing transcendence—He is not one of the earth-bound idols Egypt worshiped (comparePsalm 115:3-8).

•Hebrews 12:25 picks up this phrase: if those who ignored the voice on earth were judged, how much more those who refuse the one speaking from heaven now.

• The statement also foreshadows later heavenly affirmations of Christ, such as the Father’s voice at Jesus’ baptism and transfiguration (Matthew 3:17; 17:5;John 12:28-30).

• Because the speaker is the Creator, His words carry unstoppable authority and covenantal weight (Isaiah 55:10-11).

Exodus 20:22 reminds Israel—and us—that the commands just given come straight from the living God, not from human tradition. Moses must relay God’s exact words; Israel can’t plead ignorance because they witnessed His heavenly voice. The verse anchors the law in divine revelation, calling every generation to listen carefully to the One who still speaks with supreme authority.

(22-26) In the remainder of Exodus 20, and in the three chapters which follow, we have a series of laws delivered by God to Moses, immediately after the delivery of the Decalogue, which constituted the second stage of the revelation, and stood midway between the first great enunciation of abstract principles in the Ten Commandments and the ultimate minute and complicated elaboration of rules to meet all cases which fills the three Books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This intermediate revelation appears to have been at once committed to writing, and in its written shape was known as "the Book of the Covenant " (Exodus 24:7), and regarded with special veneration.

"The Book of the Covenant" is wanting in system and arrangement, but is not wholly unsystematic. It commences with some laws concerning the worship of God (Exodus 20:22-26), proceeds from the Divine to the human, and treats in its second section (Exodus 21:1-32) of "the rights of persons," then concerns itself with "the rights of property" (Exodus 21:33 toExodus 22:15), and, finally, winds up with "miscellaneous laws" (Exodus 22:16 toExodus 23:19), partly on things Divine, partly on things human--the things Divine being reserved to the last, so that the end of the legislation is in close harmony with the beginning. Altogether, the enactments contained in the short space of three chapters are some seventy; and the "Book of the Covenant" is thus no mere tentative sketch; but a very wonderful condensation of the essence of all the more important matters which Moses afterwards put forth by Divine inspiration in the long space of nearly forty years. . . .

1. Against idols;

2. Concerning altars (Exodus 20:23-26).

Then follow the laws respecting what our legal writers call "the rights of persons" - which occupy thirty-two verses of ch. 21. and fall under some twenty different heads, beginning with the rights of slaves, and terminating with the compensation to be made for injuries to the person caused by cattle. The third section is upon "the rights of property," and extends fromExodus 21:33, toExodus 22:15, including some ten or twelve enactments. After this we can only say that the laws are mixed, some being concerned with Divine things (as ch. 22:20, 29, 30; and ch. 23. 10-19): others with human, and these last being of various kinds, all, however, more or less "connected with the civil organization of the state" (Kalisch). In the fourth section the enactments seem to fall under about twenty-five heads. The result is that the "Book of the Covenant" contains, in little more than three chapters, about seventy distinct laws.Verse 22. -Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. The book opened with this reminder, which at once recalled its author and declared its authority. "I, who give these laws, am the same who spake the ten commandments amid the thunders of Sinai. Reverence the laws accordingly."

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