Moses uniquely transitions from breaking the tablets in anger to personally crafting both replacement tablets and the ark, making him simultaneously destroyer and restorer of God's covenant.
Deuteronomy 10
New Tablets and the Ark
1At that time the LORD said to me, “Cut two stone tablets like the first, and come up to me onto the mountain, and make an ark of wood.
2I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.”
3So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two stone tablets like the first, and went up onto the mountain, having the two tablets in my hand.
4He wrote on the tablets, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spoke to you on the mountain out of the middle of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them to me.
5I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are as the LORD commanded me.
6(The children of Israel traveled from Beeroth Bene Jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest’s office in his place.
7From there they traveled to Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water.
8At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the LORD’s covenant, to stand before the LORD to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.
9Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD your God spoke to him.)
10I stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD listened to me that time also. The LORD would not destroy you.
11The LORD said to me, “Arise, take your journey before the people; and they shall go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give to them.”
What God Requires
12Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
13to keep the LORD’s commandments and statutes, which I command you today for your good?
14Behold, to the LORD your God belongs heaven, the heaven of heavens, and the earth, with all that is therein.
15Only the LORD had a delight in your fathers to love them, and he chose their offspring after them, even you above all peoples, as it is today.
16Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked.
17For the LORD your God, he is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awesome, who doesn’t respect persons or take bribes.
18He executes justice for the fatherless and widow and loves the foreigner in giving him food and clothing.
19Therefore love the foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
20You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him. You shall cling to him, and you shall swear by his name.
21He is your praise, and he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen.
22Your fathers went down into Egypt with seventy persons; and now the LORD your God has made you as the stars of the sky for multitude.
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Theme
Moses recounts God's restoration of the covenant after Israel's golden calf rebellion, describing how he carved new stone tablets and constructed the ark to house them. The chapter transitions from historical narrative to direct exhortation, with Moses calling Israel to wholehearted devotion to their covenant God. He emphasizes that God requires fear, love, obedience, and justice—particularly care for the vulnerable—from His chosen people who have witnessed His mighty acts.
Context
This chapter continues Moses' historical review from chapter 9, moving from Israel's rebellion to covenant restoration before transitioning to the ethical demands that will dominate the following chapters.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-5 New Stone Tablets Moses recounts carving replacement tablets for the Ten Commandments and placing them in the wooden ark he constructed.
- 6-9 Levitical Appointment A parenthetical note about Aaron's death and the tribe of Levi's consecration to bear the ark and serve as priests.
- 10-11 Divine Mercy and Mission God spares Israel from destruction and commands them to proceed toward the promised land.
- 12-16 Requirements for Covenant Living Moses outlines what God requires: fear, love, obedience, and circumcised hearts rather than stubborn rebellion.
- 17-22 God's Character and Israel's Response The chapter concludes by describing God's justice and love, calling Israel to mirror His care for foreigners and vulnerable people.
New Tablets and the Ark
10:1–10:11 law instruction solemn
Moses describes making new stone tablets and the ark to contain them, along with the setting apart of the tribe of Levi for priestly service. God's mercy prevails as He renews the covenant and commands the people to possess the land.
person_contrast
Moses uniquely transitions from breaking the tablets in anger to personally crafting both replacement tablets and the ark, making him simultaneously destroyer and restorer of God's covenant.
What God Requires
10:12–10:22 law instruction solemn
Moses summarizes what God requires: to fear, love, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion while keeping His commandments. He emphasizes God's sovereignty, justice, and special love for Israel, calling them to love foreigners as they were once foreigners in Egypt.
person_contrast
Moses uniquely combines the Hebrew verbs for "fear" (yare) and "love" (ahab) toward God in a single sentence, creating theological tension between reverence and intimacy that appears nowhere else in Deuteronomy.
Insights
Moses uniquely combines the Hebrew verbs for "fear" (yare) and "love" (ahab) toward God in a single sentence, creating theological tension between reverence and intimacy that appears nowhere else in Deuteronomy.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
Deuteronomy 10:1 3 references
Lexicals 3
Exodus 34:1 Lexical
The LORD said to Moses, “Chisel two stone tablets like the first. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the…
Exodus 34:4 Lexical
He chiseled two tablets of stone like the first; then Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up to Mount Sinai, as…
1 Kings 8:9 Lexical
There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant…
Deuteronomy 10:2 1 reference
Deuteronomy 10:3 5 references
Lexicals 5
Exodus 34:1 Lexical
The LORD said to Moses, “Chisel two stone tablets like the first. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the…
Exodus 34:4 Lexical
He chiseled two tablets of stone like the first; then Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up to Mount Sinai, as…
Exodus 25:10 Lexical
“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, and a c…
Exodus 37:1 Lexical
Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Its length was two and a half cubits, and its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit…
1 Kings 8:9 Lexical
There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant…
Deuteronomy 10:4 5 references
Lexicals 5
Deuteronomy 5:22 Lexical
The LORD spoke these words to all your assembly on the mountain out of the middle of the fire, of the cloud, and of the…
Deuteronomy 9:10 Lexical
The LORD delivered to me the two stone tablets written with God’s finger. On them were all the words which the LORD spok…
Exodus 34:28 Lexical
He was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets t…
Deuteronomy 4:13 Lexical
He declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even the ten commandments. He wrote them on two ston…
Exodus 34:1 Lexical
The LORD said to Moses, “Chisel two stone tablets like the first. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the…
Deuteronomy 10:5 2 references
Lexicals 2
Deuteronomy 10:6 4 references
Lexicals 4
Numbers 33:31 Lexical
They traveled from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene Jaakan.
Numbers 3:4 Lexical
Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered strange fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai, and they…
Exodus 28:1 Lexical
“Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to…
Joshua 24:33 Lexical
Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in the hill of Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill country…
Deuteronomy 10:8 4 references
Lexicals 4
Numbers 18:2 Lexical
Bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, near with you, that they may be joined to you, an…
1 Chronicles 23:13 Lexical
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his son…
Deuteronomy 21:5 Lexical
The priests the sons of Levi shall come near, for them the LORD your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in…
1 Chronicles 16:37 Lexical
So he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the LORD’s covenant, to minister before the ark continually, a…
Deuteronomy 10:9 5 references
Lexicals 5
Deuteronomy 18:1 Lexical
The priests and the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the…
Deuteronomy 14:27 Lexical
You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
Joshua 18:7 Lexical
However, the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and th…
Deuteronomy 14:29 Lexical
The Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, as well as the foreigner living among you, the fatherles…
Deuteronomy 12:12 Lexical
You shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, and your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants,…
Deuteronomy 10:10 2 references
Deuteronomy 10:13 4 references
Lexicals 4
Deuteronomy 30:16 Lexical
For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and h…
Deuteronomy 28:15 Lexical
But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to the LORD your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments an…
Deuteronomy 6:2 Lexical
that you might fear the LORD your God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you—you, your son,…
Deuteronomy 8:11 Lexical
Beware lest you forget the LORD your God, in not keeping his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I com…
Deuteronomy 10:15 2 references
Deuteronomy 10:16 2 references
Lexicals 2
Deuteronomy 10:17 1 reference
Deuteronomy 10:18 5 references
Lexicals 5
Deuteronomy 24:17 Lexical
You shall not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, nor take a widow’s clothing in pledge;
Malachi 3:5 Lexical
I will come near to you to judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against th…
Deuteronomy 27:19 Lexical
‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, fatherless, and widow.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
Jeremiah 22:3 Lexical
The LORD says: “Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no…
Deuteronomy 26:12 Lexical
When you have finished tithing all the tithe of your increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, then you…
Deuteronomy 10:22 3 references
Lexicals 3
Isaiah 47:13 Lexical
You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels. Now let the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticat…
Deuteronomy 28:62 Lexical
You will be left few in number, even though you were as the stars of the sky for multitude, because you didn’t listen to…
Deuteronomy 1:10 Lexical
The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the sky for multitude.
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