A frequent misinterpretation portrays this verse as God elitistly restricting divine revelation to Moses alone, implying the people are unworthy or that a permanent priestly class should control access to Scripture, but the context reveals the Israelites' own fear of God's presence led to this arrangement, with the law meant for public teaching and collective obedience. Another error is using it to demand blind submission to human teachers as if they uniquely stand 'by God,' overlooking Moses' repeated public recitations and the law's accessibility to all Israel for personal application.
Deuteronomy 5:31
King James Version (1769)
31 But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.
God directs Moses to stand near Him to receive the complete set of commandments, statutes, and judgments, which Moses must then teach the Israelites so they can obey them in the land God is giving them. This highlights Moses' role as the divinely appointed mediator who conveys God's authoritative instructions directly to the people, emphasizing the purpose of the law as a guide for covenant faithfulness and righteous living in the Promised Land.