Deuteronomy 27 Study Notes
General
How were all the people to respond after each curse the Levites announced?
Answer: By answering Amen together as one people
The Levites were to call out each curse loudly to all Israel, and after every one the whole people were to answer Amen (27:14-15). Amen means so be it, or it is true. By saying it, each Israelite publicly agreed that God's judgment on these sins was just, even if the one guilty was himself. The people answered the same way when Ezra praised God at the public reading of the law (Nehemiah 8:6) and when praise was offered to God (1 Chronicles 16:36), and at Sinai they had answered with one voice that they would do all God said (Exodus 24:3).
- Deuteronomy 27:14-15 (BSB)“Then the Levites shall proclaim in a loud voice to every Israelite: ‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”The Levites announce each curse aloud, and the whole people answer.
- Nehemiah 8:6 (BSB)“Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.”When Ezra blessed the LORD at the reading of the law, the people answered with a double Amen.
- 1 Chronicles 16:36 (BSB)“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.” Then all the people said, “Amen!” and “Praise the LORD!””The people's Amen affirms and joins in what has been declared before God.
- Exodus 24:3 (BSB)“When Moses came and told the people all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all responded with one voice: “All the words that the LORD has spoken, we will do.””At Sinai the people also answered with one voice, committing themselves to the covenant.
Theological
How does 27:15 require all the people to respond after each pronouncement?
Answer: By answering Amen together as one people
Each curse, proclaimed aloud by the Levites, is ratified by the whole assembly with Amen (27:14-15). The Amen is a self-involving oath: the people affirm the justice of the sanction and place themselves under it should they commit the offense. The same liturgical assent appears when Ezra blesses the LORD at the reading of the law (Nehemiah 8:6) and in David's psalm of praise (1 Chronicles 16:36), and it echoes Israel's unanimous pledge at Sinai (Exodus 24:3).
- Deuteronomy 27:14-15 (BSB)“Then the Levites shall proclaim in a loud voice to every Israelite: ‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”The Levites announce each curse aloud, and the whole people answer.
- Nehemiah 8:6 (BSB)“Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.”When Ezra blessed the LORD at the reading of the law, the people answered with a double Amen.
- 1 Chronicles 16:36 (BSB)“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.” Then all the people said, “Amen!” and “Praise the LORD!””The people's Amen affirms and joins in what has been declared before God.
- Exodus 24:3 (BSB)“When Moses came and told the people all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all responded with one voice: “All the words that the LORD has spoken, we will do.””At Sinai the people also answered with one voice, committing themselves to the covenant.
General
When Moses and the priests called Israel to silence, what reason did they give for obeying God's commands?
Answer: They had already become the LORD's own people
Moses and the priests from the tribe of Levi called all Israel to be silent and listen, and then announced that on that very day Israel had become the LORD's own people. Therefore they were to obey His voice and keep His commands (27:9-10). The order matters: Israel is God's people first, by grace (God's undeserved kindness), and obedience follows as the fitting response. The Ten Commandments begin the same way, with God reminding Israel that He had already rescued them from slavery (Exodus 20:2), and God's choice of Israel rested on His love and His oath, not their greatness (7:7-8). Paul teaches the same order for Christians: saved by grace through faith, not by works, and then created in Christ for good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).
- Deuteronomy 27:9-10 (BSB)“Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel: “Be silent, O Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of the LORD your God. You shall therefore obey the voice of the LORD your God and follow His commandments and statutes I am giving you today.””Moses and the priests announce that Israel has become God's people and therefore must obey.
- Exodus 20:2 (BSB)““I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”The Ten Commandments likewise begin with God's act of redemption before any command is given.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”God chose and redeemed Israel because He loved them and kept His oath, not because of their greatness.
- Ephesians 2:8-10 (BSB)“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.”Paul teaches the same order: saved by grace, not by works, and then created for good works.
Theological
What is the logic connecting Israel's status and its obedience in 27:9-10?
Answer: They had already become the LORD's own people
The priestly proclamation is indicative before imperative: Israel has this day become the LORD's people, and therefore it must obey His voice and keep His commandments (27:9-10). Covenant belonging is not achieved by obedience but grounds it. The same structure frames the Decalogue, which opens with the redemption from Egypt (Exodus 20:2), and rests on the LORD's electing love and oath rather than Israel's merit (7:7-8). Paul states the pattern in its New Testament fullness: salvation by grace through faith, not of works, issuing in the good works God planned beforehand (Ephesians 2:8-10).
- Deuteronomy 27:9-10 (BSB)“Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel: “Be silent, O Israel, and listen! This day you have become the people of the LORD your God. You shall therefore obey the voice of the LORD your God and follow His commandments and statutes I am giving you today.””Moses and the priests announce that Israel has become God's people and therefore must obey.
- Exodus 20:2 (BSB)““I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”The Ten Commandments likewise begin with God's act of redemption before any command is given.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”God chose and redeemed Israel because He loved them and kept His oath, not because of their greatness.
- Ephesians 2:8-10 (BSB)“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.”Paul teaches the same order: saved by grace, not by works, and then created for good works.
General
Paul quotes the final curse of Deuteronomy 27 in Galatians 3. How does he use it?
Answer: To show that anyone depending on law-keeping is under a curse
The last curse is the broadest: it falls on anyone who does not carry out the words of the law, the whole law and not just the sins listed before it (27:26). Paul quotes this verse to show that everyone who relies on keeping the law to be right with God is under a curse, because the law requires doing everything it says, and the law declares no one righteous in God's sight (Galatians 3:10-11). Failing at even one point makes a person guilty of the whole law (James 2:10). But Paul goes on to the good news: Christ set His people free from the law's curse by taking that curse on Himself when He was hung on the cross (Galatians 3:13). To redeem means to set free by paying a price. Jesus, who never sinned, took the punishment His people deserved in their place, so that, united to Him, they receive God's righteousness as a gift (2 Corinthians 5:21).
- Deuteronomy 27:26 (BSB)“‘Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”The final curse covers anyone who fails to carry out the whole law.
- Galatians 3:10-11 (BSB)“All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.””Paul quotes this verse to show that relying on law-keeping leaves a person under the curse, since no one is justified by the law.
- James 2:10 (BSB)“Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”Failing at one point makes a person guilty of breaking the whole law.
- Galatians 3:13 (BSB)“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.””Christ redeemed His people from the law's curse by bearing it in their place on the cross.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 (BSB)“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”The sinless Christ was made sin for us so that we might receive God's righteousness in Him.
Theological
How does Paul employ 27:26 in Galatians 3:10?
Answer: To show that anyone depending on law-keeping is under a curse
The Ebal ceremony culminates in a comprehensive curse on whoever fails to put the law's words into practice (27:26), extending the sanction from the specific offenses to the law as a whole. Paul cites it to establish that all who rest on law-works for their standing before God lie under the curse, since the law demands perfect and continuous obedience and it justifies no one (Galatians 3:10-11; cf. James 2:10). The remedy is penal substitution: Christ redeemed His people from the law's curse by being made a curse in their stead, hanging on the tree (Galatians 3:13), the sinless one made sin for us so that God's righteousness is credited to us in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The curse the people affirmed with their Amen is borne by Christ for all who are in Him.
- Deuteronomy 27:26 (BSB)“‘Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”The final curse covers anyone who fails to carry out the whole law.
- Galatians 3:10-11 (BSB)“All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.””Paul quotes this verse to show that relying on law-keeping leaves a person under the curse, since no one is justified by the law.
- James 2:10 (BSB)“Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”Failing at one point makes a person guilty of breaking the whole law.
- Galatians 3:13 (BSB)“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.””Christ redeemed His people from the law's curse by bearing it in their place on the cross.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 (BSB)“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”The sinless Christ was made sin for us so that we might receive God's righteousness in Him.
General
Two of the curses explicitly mention sins committed in secret. Which two?
Answer: Making an idol and killing a neighbor
The first curse falls on anyone who makes an idol and erects it where no one can see (27:15), and a later one on anyone who kills his neighbor unseen (27:24). Many of the sins in this list, such as private idolatry, hidden violence, or abuse within the family, could easily escape human courts. The curses place them under God's judgment, and the people's Amen acknowledged that God sees what others do not. Scripture teaches that God will judge every hidden thing (Ecclesiastes 12:14), that nothing is hidden from His sight (Hebrews 4:13), and that our secret sins lie open before Him (Psalm 90:8).
- Deuteronomy 27:15 (BSB)“‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”The first curse falls on one who makes an idol and sets it up out of sight.
- Deuteronomy 27:24 (BSB)“‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”Another curse falls on one who kills his neighbor where no one sees.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14 (BSB)“For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.”God will judge every deed, including every hidden thing.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Nothing is hidden from God's sight; all must give account to Him.
- Psalm 90:8 (BSB)“You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.”Even secret sins are set in the light of God's presence.
Theological
Which two curses in 27:15-26 explicitly specify that the sin is committed in secret?
Answer: Making an idol and killing a neighbor
The series opens with a curse on the one who makes an idol and erects it privately (27:15) and later curses the one who kills his neighbor covertly (27:24). The explicit reference to secrecy suggests the character of the list as a whole: it largely addresses offenses that could evade human detection and judicial process, placing them directly under divine sanction, which the people ratify by their Amen. God is the judge of hidden things (Ecclesiastes 12:14), before whom all is laid bare (Hebrews 4:13) and secret sins are set before His face (Psalm 90:8).
- Deuteronomy 27:15 (BSB)“‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”The first curse falls on one who makes an idol and sets it up out of sight.
- Deuteronomy 27:24 (BSB)“‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”Another curse falls on one who kills his neighbor where no one sees.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14 (BSB)“For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.”God will judge every deed, including every hidden thing.
- Hebrews 4:13 (BSB)“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”Nothing is hidden from God's sight; all must give account to Him.
- Psalm 90:8 (BSB)“You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.”Even secret sins are set in the light of God's presence.
General
The curses in 27:18-19 protect what kind of people?
Answer: Vulnerable people, like the blind and widows
One curse falls on anyone who leaves a blind person to wander on the road, and another on anyone who deprives foreigners, orphans, or widows of justice (27:18-19). These were people with little power to protect themselves or to win a case in court. God places them under His own protection. The holiness laws forbid tripping up the blind and ground this in fearing God (Leviticus 19:14), Deuteronomy forbids depriving the foreigner and orphan of justice (24:17), and God promises to hear the cry of widows and orphans who are mistreated (Exodus 22:22-23).
- Deuteronomy 27:18-19 (BSB)“‘Cursed is he who lets a blind man wander in the road.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ ‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”Two curses protect the blind and those without power or family support.
- Leviticus 19:14 (BSB)“You must not curse the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.”The holiness laws forbid putting a stumbling block before the blind, grounded in the fear of God.
- Deuteronomy 24:17 (BSB)“Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.”Deuteronomy also forbids depriving foreigners and orphans of justice or exploiting widows.
- Exodus 22:22-23 (BSB)“You must not mistreat any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.”God promises to hear the cry of mistreated widows and orphans.
Theological
What class of people do the curses of 27:18-19 protect?
Answer: Vulnerable people, like the blind and widows
Two curses shield those least able to defend themselves: the blind, who can be left to wander on the road, and the sojourner, orphan, and widow, who can be deprived of justice (27:18-19). The LORD makes their cause His own. The same concern appears in the holiness code, where the prohibition on tripping the blind is grounded in the fear of God (Leviticus 19:14), in the Deuteronomic law of justice (24:17), and in the LORD's pledge to hear the cry of the oppressed widow and orphan (Exodus 22:22-23).
- Deuteronomy 27:18-19 (BSB)“‘Cursed is he who lets a blind man wander in the road.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ ‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’”Two curses protect the blind and those without power or family support.
- Leviticus 19:14 (BSB)“You must not curse the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.”The holiness laws forbid putting a stumbling block before the blind, grounded in the fear of God.
- Deuteronomy 24:17 (BSB)“Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.”Deuteronomy also forbids depriving foreigners and orphans of justice or exploiting widows.
- Exodus 22:22-23 (BSB)“You must not mistreat any widow or orphan. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.”God promises to hear the cry of mistreated widows and orphans.
General
Moses divided the tribes between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. What was each group's role?
Answer: The Gerizim tribes stood to bless, and the Ebal tribes for the curse
After crossing the Jordan, six tribes were to take their place on Mount Gerizim for the blessing of the people and six on Mount Ebal for the curse (27:12-13). Moses had assigned the mountains the same way earlier (11:29). The two facing mountains made a vivid picture of the two ways set before Israel: blessing for faithfulness and curse for rebellion. Joshua later arranged the people in the same way, half in front of Gerizim and half in front of Ebal (Joshua 8:33).
- Deuteronomy 27:12-13 (BSB)““When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.”Six tribes are assigned to each mountain, one group for blessing and one for cursing.
- Deuteronomy 11:29 (BSB)“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.”Moses had earlier assigned the blessing to Gerizim and the curse to Ebal.
- Joshua 8:33 (BSB)“All Israel, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded earlier, to bless the people of Israel.”In Joshua's day half the people stood before Gerizim and half before Ebal, as Moses had commanded.
Theological
What roles does 27:12-13 assign to the tribes on the two mountains?
Answer: The Gerizim tribes stood to bless, and the Ebal tribes for the curse
The tribes are divided six and six: one group on Gerizim for the blessing, the other on Ebal for the curse (27:12-13), in keeping with the earlier designation of 11:29. The geography dramatizes the covenant's two sanctions facing each other across the valley. Joshua 8:33 records the fulfillment, with half the people before each mountain.
- Deuteronomy 27:12-13 (BSB)““When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.”Six tribes are assigned to each mountain, one group for blessing and one for cursing.
- Deuteronomy 11:29 (BSB)“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.”Moses had earlier assigned the blessing to Gerizim and the curse to Ebal.
- Joshua 8:33 (BSB)“All Israel, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded earlier, to bless the people of Israel.”In Joshua's day half the people stood before Gerizim and half before Ebal, as Moses had commanded.
General
On which mountain were the plastered stones to be set up and the altar built?
Answer: Mount Ebal
Moses commanded that once Israel crossed the Jordan, the inscribed stones were to be set up on Mount Ebal, and an altar for worshiping the LORD built there (27:4-5). Ebal was paired with Mount Gerizim, and Moses had already named these two mountains as the places for proclaiming the blessing and the curse (11:29). Joshua later built the altar on Ebal exactly as Moses had commanded (Joshua 8:30). Nebo is where Moses viewed the land before his death, and Sinai is where the law was first given.
- Deuteronomy 27:4-5 (BSB)“And when you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to coat them with plaster. Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them.”The inscribed stones and an altar are to be set up on Mount Ebal.
- Joshua 8:30 (BSB)“At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,”Joshua built the altar on Mount Ebal as Moses had commanded.
- Deuteronomy 11:29 (BSB)“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.”Moses had already named Gerizim and Ebal as the two mountains for the blessing and the curse.
Theological
According to 27:4-5, where were the law stones and the altar to be erected?
Answer: Mount Ebal
The law stones and the altar are to be erected on Mount Ebal (27:4-5), one of the paired mountains Moses had already designated for the covenant ceremony of blessing and curse (11:29). Joshua's fulfillment explicitly follows the Mosaic command (Joshua 8:30). Nebo is the vantage point of Moses' final view of the land, and Sinai is the mountain of the original covenant; Ebal is the site of its renewal in the land.
- Deuteronomy 27:4-5 (BSB)“And when you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to coat them with plaster. Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them.”The inscribed stones and an altar are to be set up on Mount Ebal.
- Joshua 8:30 (BSB)“At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,”Joshua built the altar on Mount Ebal as Moses had commanded.
- Deuteronomy 11:29 (BSB)“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.”Moses had already named Gerizim and Ebal as the two mountains for the blessing and the curse.
General
True or False: At the altar on the mountain, the people were to present burnt offerings and also peace offerings, eating the latter with joy before the LORD.
Answer: True
This is true. On the altar of unshaped stones the people were to offer burnt offerings, which were wholly burned, and peace offerings, from which the worshipers themselves ate as they celebrated before the LORD (27:6-7). The covenant at Sinai had been confirmed with these same two kinds of offerings (Exodus 24:5), so the ceremony at Ebal renewed that covenant in the new land. Joshua carried it out with both kinds of offerings (Joshua 8:31). Eating together joyfully in God's presence is a regular part of worship throughout Deuteronomy (12:7).
- Deuteronomy 27:6-7 (BSB)“You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God. There you are to sacrifice your peace offerings, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the LORD your God.”At the Ebal altar Israel is to present burnt offerings and peace offerings and to eat and rejoice.
- Exodus 24:5 (BSB)“Then he sent out some young men of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.”At Sinai the covenant was likewise ratified with burnt offerings and peace offerings.
- Joshua 8:31 (BSB)“just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.” And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.”Joshua's ceremony at Ebal included both kinds of offerings.
- Deuteronomy 12:7 (BSB)“There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.”Eating in God's presence with joy is a regular feature of worship in Deuteronomy.
Theological
True or False: According to 27:6-7, the Ebal ceremony included both burnt offerings and peace offerings eaten with rejoicing before the LORD.
Answer: True
This is true. The Ebal altar was to receive both whole burnt offerings and peace offerings, the latter consumed by the worshipers in joyful fellowship before the LORD (27:6-7). The pairing recalls the ratification of the Sinai covenant (Exodus 24:5), marking Ebal as covenant renewal in the land, and Joshua's execution includes both (Joshua 8:31). Communion meals eaten with rejoicing in the LORD's presence are a hallmark of Deuteronomic worship (12:7).
- Deuteronomy 27:6-7 (BSB)“You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God. There you are to sacrifice your peace offerings, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the LORD your God.”At the Ebal altar Israel is to present burnt offerings and peace offerings and to eat and rejoice.
- Exodus 24:5 (BSB)“Then he sent out some young men of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.”At Sinai the covenant was likewise ratified with burnt offerings and peace offerings.
- Joshua 8:31 (BSB)“just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.” And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.”Joshua's ceremony at Ebal included both kinds of offerings.
- Deuteronomy 12:7 (BSB)“There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.”Eating in God's presence with joy is a regular feature of worship in Deuteronomy.
General
After crossing the Jordan, what were the Israelites to write on the large stones coated with plaster?
Answer: The complete law that Moses was giving them
Moses, together with the elders, commanded Israel to erect great stones as soon as they crossed the Jordan, cover them with plaster, and write on them every word of the law Moses was giving them (27:2-3), writing it clearly and legibly (27:8). The law would stand publicly in the land as the terms by which Israel was to live there. Moses himself wrote the law down and handed the written law to the priests and elders (31:9), and Joshua later carried out this command, inscribing Moses' law on stones in front of all Israel (Joshua 8:32).
- Deuteronomy 27:2-3 (BSB)“And on the day you cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, set up large stones and coat them with plaster. Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you.”On entering the land, Israel is to set up large plastered stones inscribed with the law.
- Deuteronomy 27:8 (BSB)“And you shall write distinctly upon these stones all the words of this law.””The writing on the stones is to be made clear and legible.
- Joshua 8:32 (BSB)“And there in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.”Joshua later carried this out, inscribing a copy of the law of Moses on stones before the people.
- Deuteronomy 31:9 (BSB)“So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.”Moses himself wrote this law down and entrusted it to the priests and elders.
Theological
What inscription do 27:2-3 and 27:8 require on the plastered stones?
Answer: The complete law that Moses was giving them
The first act on entering the land is to erect large plastered stones inscribed with the entire law, written very plainly (27:2-3, 8). The covenant's terms are published at the threshold of the inheritance, so Israel's life in the land is placed under the written word from the start. The command presupposes the written Torah Moses committed to the priests and elders (31:9), and Joshua executes it at Ebal, inscribing a copy of Moses' law on the stones before the assembly (Joshua 8:32).
- Deuteronomy 27:2-3 (BSB)“And on the day you cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, set up large stones and coat them with plaster. Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you.”On entering the land, Israel is to set up large plastered stones inscribed with the law.
- Deuteronomy 27:8 (BSB)“And you shall write distinctly upon these stones all the words of this law.””The writing on the stones is to be made clear and legible.
- Joshua 8:32 (BSB)“And there in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.”Joshua later carried this out, inscribing a copy of the law of Moses on stones before the people.
- Deuteronomy 31:9 (BSB)“So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.”Moses himself wrote this law down and entrusted it to the priests and elders.
General
What rule governed how the altar on the mountain was to be built?
Answer: It was to be made of whole stones no tool had shaped
The altar was to be built of whole, unshaped stones, with no iron tool used on them, and burnt offerings were to be offered on it (27:5-6). This matches the altar law given at Sinai, which said that shaping altar stones with tools would defile the altar (Exodus 20:25). The altar was to reflect God's instructions rather than human skill or decoration. Joshua later built the altar on Ebal exactly according to this rule (Joshua 8:31).
- Deuteronomy 27:5-6 (BSB)“Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them. You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God.”The altar on Ebal must be made of whole stones that no iron tool has touched.
- Exodus 20:25 (BSB)“Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.”The altar law at Sinai forbids shaping altar stones with tools, since doing so would defile it.
- Joshua 8:31 (BSB)“just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.” And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.”Joshua built the Ebal altar exactly by this rule and offered sacrifices on it.
Theological
What construction requirement does 27:5-6 place on the altar at Ebal?
Answer: It was to be made of whole stones no tool had shaped
The Ebal altar was to consist of unhewn stones untouched by iron, and burnt offerings were to be presented on it (27:5-6). The requirement applies the Sinai altar law, under which dressing the stones with a tool profanes the altar (Exodus 20:25). Worship is ordered by God's word, not enhanced by human artistry. Joshua 8:31 records that the altar was built exactly as Moses' written law prescribed.
- Deuteronomy 27:5-6 (BSB)“Moreover, you are to build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must not use any iron tool on them. You shall build the altar of the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt offerings to the LORD your God.”The altar on Ebal must be made of whole stones that no iron tool has touched.
- Exodus 20:25 (BSB)“Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.”The altar law at Sinai forbids shaping altar stones with tools, since doing so would defile it.
- Joshua 8:31 (BSB)“just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.” And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.”Joshua built the Ebal altar exactly by this rule and offered sacrifices on it.