Deuteronomy 5:4-5 - The Decalogue The Basis Of The Covenant, The Essence Of The Whole Law, And The Condition Of Life And

The Lord talked with you face to face . God spoke to them immediately, in their presence and to their face, from the mount, as one person might to another. There is a slight difference in form between the phrase here and that in Exodus 33:11 and Deuteronomy 34:10 , where it is used in reference to Moses, but it is so slight ( בְּפָּנִים instead of אֶל־פָּנִים ) that no difference of meaning can be elicited. God spake directly to the people, as he did to Moses, only Moses was admitted to closer communion with him than the people were. This difference is sufficiently indicated in Deuteronomy 34:5 , where the mediatory function of Moses, in the promulgation of the Law and the making of the covenant, is described as necessitated by the fear of the people, and their not going up into the mount (cf. Exodus 19:19 , etc.). This is referred to more fully afterwards (verse 23, etc.). I stood between the Lord and you ; i . e . acted as mediator; LXX ; εἱστήκειν ἀνὰ μέσον (cf. Galatians 3:19 ).