Deuteronomy 5:29

“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”

Wilhelmus a Brakel (1635-1711)

When God is said to desire something which does not occur, such as when He states, “O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear Me,...that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deu. 5:29), or, “O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments! then had thy peace been as a river” (Isa. 48:18), He is speaking in the manner of men. Strictly speaking, such can never be said concerning the omniscient, omnipotent, immutable, and most perfect God. Rather, it indicates God’s displeasure toward sin and how He delights in holiness. It indicates that sin is the reason why those blessings are withheld from them – blessings which they, according to His promise, would have received as a reward upon godliness. The promises are made upon condition of obedience which is granted to the elect according to God’s immutable purpose. When God says, “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that He should return from His ways, and live?” (Ezek. 18:23), this does not suggest that God’s will is impotent. Rather, it indicates that God has no pleasure in the destruction of men, inasmuch as they are His creatures. He has pleasure in the exercise of righteousness and godliness, and in blessing the godly.

(From: “The Christian’s Reasonable Service”)

John Calvin (1509-1564)

O that there were such an heart in them. God signifies that they would not be so firm and faithful in keeping their promises, as they were ready and willing to make them; and thus that hypocrisy was not altogether banished, or purged from their minds. Moreover, He figuratively (improperly) assumes a human feeling, because it would be vain and absurd for Him to desire what it was in His power to confer. Certainly He has the power of bending and directing men’s hearts whithersoever He pleases. Why, then, does He ‘wish’ that it were given to the people from some other quarter, that they should be always kept in the path of duty, except that, speaking in the character of a man, He shows that it was rather to be wished than hoped that the people would constantly persevere in their fidelity? Wherefore this and similar passages have been ignorantly abused by some, to establish man’s free will. They understand this passage, as if man’s will were capable of bending either way, and that he possessed the power of doing right, whilst God without interfering looked on at the event; as if God’s secret counsel, and not rather the end and use of external teaching, were referred to here. But we, taught by innumerable testimonies of Scripture, maintain, that it is the attribute of God alone to give what He here requires. So also immediately afterwards He says, that he wishes it may be well with the Israelites and their children, viz., because it is certain that it depends on men whether they are happy or not, as often as God invites them, when they refuse the grace offered to them; yet does it not therefore follow, that it depends on every man’s free will to attain happiness for himself. But here we must consider God’s will as it is set before us in His word, not as it is hidden in Himself; for, while by His word He invites all promiscuously to (eternal) life, He only quickens by His secret inspiration those whom He has elected. In sum, although God approves of the people’s answer, he says that there will be too much difficulty in the performance of it, for the event to accord with it.

(From: “Commentary”)

John Gill (1697-1771)

O that there were such an heart in them, &c.] Not that there is properly speaking such volitions and wishes in God; but, as Aben Ezra observes, the Scripture speaks after the language of the children of men; and may be considered as upbraiding them with want of such an heart, and with weakness to do what they had promised; and, at most, as approving of those things they spoke of as grateful to him, and profitable to them: the words may be rendered, “who will give {l} that they had such an heart”; not to me, but to them, as Aben Ezra notes; they cannot give it to themselves, nor can any creature give it to them; none but God can, and therefore they ought to have prayed to him to give them an heart to hearken and do; agreeably to which is the Arabic version,

“it is to be wished by them, that such an heart would continue with them;”

which they by their language signified was in them: that they would fear me; which is not naturally in the heart of man, is a gift of God, a part of the covenant of grace, is implanted in regeneration, and is no inconsiderable branch of it; it is opposed to pride, and is consistent with faith and joy, and is increased by views of the grace and goodness of God, and is a distinguishing character of a good man:

(From: “Exposition of the Old Testament”)

Thomas Halyburton (1674-1712)

Now, in this verse we have three things considerable which we shall very shortly open, and thence deduce a truth to be insisted on:

1. We have the thing that God misses or desiderates in this people, and that is, ‘such a heart,’ whereby shortly we are to understand such a heart as might suit their engagements and was necessary in order to perform them. What sort of heart that is may afterwards be more particularly shown.

2. We have the way wherein God takes notice of this, “O that there were in them!” or, as it is in the Hebrew, “Who shall give them to have such a heart?” God condescends to speak after the manner of men that we may understand him, and here we are not to think that God wants anything needful to him, he is God blessed for ever, or that he labours under any defect of power that he cannot accomplish what he would have, nor that he is capable of any uneasiness or desire of what he has not. To admit of any of those, which commonly are found in men when they wish, were to blaspheme the Lord. What meaneth then this wish, will ye say? I answer: (1.) It speaks the want of that which is wished for. (2.) God’s knowledge of this defect, which others could not discern. (3.) The acceptableness of such a heart to him. (4.) The necessity of it in order to the performance of these engagements. (5.) His real kindness to the people.

3. We have in the words the importance of this defect pointed at, and that from the absolute necessity of this heart to a double end: (1.) Unto their glorifying God, by a punctual performance of their engagements: ‘O that they had such a heart, that they might fear me, and keep all thy commandments always!’ (2.) Unto their advantage and their posterity’s, ‘that it might be well with them and their children for ever;’ as if it had been said in a word, ‘Without this heart, which they want, they will neither keep my commandments, nor consequently will they possess those advantages which I would give them, if they did.’

(From: “Works”)