John Calvin Commentary Deuteronomy 27:1

"And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandment which I command you this day." — Deuteronomy 27:1 (ASV)

And Moses, with the elders. This precept is of the same character as those that have preceded it. For, just as God would have His precepts written on the door-posts and on the borders of their garments, so that they might constantly meet their eyes, so also would He have a monument existing at the very entrance of their land, from which the people might learn that they lived in it, so that they might worship God purely.

Therefore, so that the knowledge of the Law would not be obscured or in any way obliterated by the people’s carelessness, God would have its summary inscribed in a conspicuous place. From this, we can understand the similarity I have referred to between the private houses of individuals and the whole land.

When the precepts were written on the doors, everyone was admonished that his house was sacred to God. The same was true for the whole land, so that whoever entered it might know that it was, as it were, the sanctuary of heavenly doctrine. In this way, their zeal might be stirred up to the pure worship of God.

The purpose of the plain and distinct writing of the Scripture, referred to in verse 8, was to remove (the excuse of²³⁷) ignorance.

²³⁷ Added from the French.