The day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb. — The Church of Israel dated from Sinai, as the Church of Christ does from Pentecost. It is noticeable that the giving of the Law appears to have taken place about fifty days after the Passover in Egypt. Jewish writers associate the Feast of Pentecost with the memory of the event. A similar association, and a contrast between the first and last Pentecost, appears to have been present to St. Paul’s mind in 2 Corinthians 3. The law given at Sinai is the “ministration of death,” and is contrasted with the “ministration of the Spirit” — the letter that killeth with the Spirit that giveth life. (Comp. also Galatians 4:24-26, and Hebrews 12:18-24.) The word “specially” is not in the Hebrew of this verse.
The day... in Horeb is not only to be regarded as a special subject of instruction; it is the root of the whole matter.
Gather me the people together. — The Greek here is εκκλησίασον, which might be paraphrased according to New Testament language, “Form a Church of this people,” The “day of the assembly” alluded to in this and other passages (as Deuteronomy 10:4) may be similarly paraphrased as “the day of the Church.” It seems to be the source of the expression used by St. Stephen, “the Church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38). Thus the analogy between Israel’s receiving the letter of the law at Sinai, and the gift of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem is still further brought out.