In this verse Yahweh gives the reason why he is making this covenant with Israel. This statement also explains why he has the right to require that the Israelites obey the commandments of verses 7-21, which are the terms of the covenant. This historical prologue is like those found in treaties of that time between rulers and leaders of states.

I am the LORD your God: this standard phrase may be translated “I, Yahweh, am your God.” Most translations, however, are the same as Revised Standard Version.

Who brought you out: that is, “who led you out” or “who rescued you from.”

The house of bondage means “the country where you were slaves.” New International Version has “the land of slavery,” and Revised English Bible “the land where you lived as slaves.” The Israelites were not slaves in the sense of being forced to work without pay, and being the property of someone, but rather they were forced by the Egyptians to do heavy construction work. But at the same time they were provided with food and allowed to live in their homes in Goshen. So in languages where a distinction must be made between “slaves” as owned by someone, and people forced to do hard work, we may translate “… from Egypt where you were forced to do hard labor.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .