THEOSISEphraem the Syrian
If you heed My call, you will be dearer to Me than any other nation, for you are the one I have selected for Myself from among all the tribes.
Exodus 19:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers
If therefore you will hear my voice, and keep my covenant, you shall be my peculiar possession above all people: for all the earth is mine.
וְעַתָּ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֑י וִהְיִ֨יתֶם לִ֤י סְגֻלָּה֙ מִכָּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים כִּי־לִ֖י כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
The Church Fathers on this verse
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Theodoret of Cyrus
What is the significance of the declaration, ‘You shall be My chosen people from every nation; for the entire earth is Mine’? I am the Lord, the Creator and Sovereign of all, and as the Creator, I show care for all of creation; yet, I have set you apart as a chosen people for Myself. Furthermore, He proclaimed, ‘You shall be My royal priesthood, and the people shall be consecrated’ (Ex. 19:6). Just as He selected the Levites over the other tribes of Israel and dedicated them to the holy priesthood—not out of disregard for the others, but so that through them He could provide for all the tribes—He also chose the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Read more (50 words)
This choice was twofold: first, so that the Lord Christ would come from their lineage according to the flesh, and secondly, that through their experiences, He might reveal His power and guide all humanity in the ways of God. The term ‘elect’ (περιούσιος) is rendered by Simmachus as ‘excellent’ (έξαίρετος).
Wlastow G.K.
"You are my heritage, for the entire earth belongs to me," observes O. Gerlach, highlighting the profound importance of Israel as the vessel through which salvation was made accessible to all humanity. When the Lord, who owns the entirety of creation, selects a single nation, it serves the purpose of benefiting everyone. Furthermore, the assertion that the entire earth is under the Lord's dominion counters any belief in national deities, a common theme in pagan religions. The subsequent verse clarifies the reasons and objectives behind God's choice of Israel among all the nations.
Cross references
Passages read together with this verse.
- Deut 14:2Because thou art a holy people to the Lord thy God: and he chose thee to be his peculiar people of all nations that are upon the earth.
- Deut 7:6Because thou art a holy people to the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee, to be his peculiar people of all peoples that are upon the earth.
- Deut 26:18And the Lord hath chosen thee this day, to be his peculiar people, as he hath spoken to thee, and to keep all his commandments:
- Mal 3:17And they shall be my special possession, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day that I do judgment: and I will spare them, as a man spareth his son that serveth him.
- Ex 15:26Saying: If thou wilt hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and do what is right before him, and obey his commandments, and keep all his precepts, none of the evils that I laid upon Egypt, will I bring upon thee: for I am the Lord thy healer.
- Ex 23:22But if thou wilt hear hi voice, and do all that I speak, I will be an enemy to thy enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee.
- Deut 4:20But the Lord hath taken you and brought you out of the iron furnaces of Egypt, to make you his people of inheritance, as it is this present day.
- Deut 10:14Behold heaven is the Lord's thy God, and the heaven of heaven, the earth and all things that are therein.