Deuteronomy 10

New Tablets of Stone

1 "At that time the LORD said to me, ¹'Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain and ²make an ark of wood.

2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and ³you shall put them in the ark.'

3 So I made an ark ⁴of acacia wood, and ⁵cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand.

4 And ⁶he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments^[a]7that the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire ⁸on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me.

5 Then I turned and ⁹came down from the mountain and ¹⁰put the tablets in the ark that I had made. ¹¹And there they are, as the LORD commanded me."

6 (The people of Israel ¹²journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan^[b] to Moserah. ¹³There Aaron died, and there he was buried. And his son Eleazar ministered as priest in his place.

7 ¹⁴From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with brooks of water.

8 At that time ¹⁵the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi ¹⁶to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD ¹⁷to stand before the LORD to minister to him and ¹⁸to bless in his name, to this day.

9 ¹⁹Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God said to him.)

10 ²⁰"I myself stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights, ²¹and the LORD listened to me that time also. The LORD was unwilling to destroy you.

11 ²²And the LORD said to me, 'Arise, go on your journey at the head of the people, so that they may go in and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers to give them.'

Circumcise Your Heart

12 "And now, Israel, ²³what does the LORD your God require of you, but ²⁴to fear the LORD your God, ²⁵to walk in all his ways, ²⁶to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

13 and ²⁷to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today ²⁸for your good?

14 Behold, ²⁹to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, ³⁰the earth with all that is in it.

15 Yet ³¹the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.

16 Circumcise therefore ³²the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer ³³stubborn.

17 For the LORD your God is ³⁴God of gods and ³⁵Lord of lords, ³⁶the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is ³⁷not partial and takes no bribe.

18 ³⁸He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

19 ³⁹Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

20 ⁴⁰You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and ⁴¹hold fast to him, and ⁴²by his name you shall swear.

21 ⁴³He is your praise. He is your God, ⁴⁴who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.

22 Your fathers went down to Egypt ⁴⁵seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you ⁴⁶as numerous as the stars of heaven.

Deuteronomy 10 Commentary

Chapter 10

God's mercies to Israel after their rebellion. (1-11) An exhortation to obedience. (12-22)

Verses 1-11 Moses reminded the Israelites of God's great mercy to them, notwithstanding their provocations. There were four things in and by which the Lord showed himself reconciled to Israel. God gave them his law. Thus God has intrusted us with Bibles, sabbaths, and sacraments, as tokens of his presence and favour. God led them forward toward Canaan. He appointed a standing ministry among them for holy things. And now, under the gospel, when the pouring forth of the Spirit is more plentiful and powerful, the succession is kept up by the Spirit's work on men's hearts, qualifying and making some willing for that work in every age. God accepted Moses as an advocate or intercessor for them, and therefore appointed him to be their prince and leader. Moses was a type of Christ, who ever lives, pleading for us, and has all power in heaven and in earth.

Verses 12-22 We are here taught our duty to God in our principles and our practices. We must fear the Lord our God. We must love him, and delight in communion with him. We must walk in the ways in which he has appointed us to walk. We must serve him with all our heart and soul. What we do in his service we must do cheerfully, and with good will. We must keep his commandments. There is true honour and pleasure in obedience. We must give honour to God; and to him we must cleave, as one we love and delight in, trust in, and from whom we have great expectations. We are here taught our duty to our neighbour. God's common gifts to mankind oblige us to honour all men. And those who have themselves been in distress, and have found mercy with God, should be ready to show kindness to those who are in the like distress. We are here taught our duty to ourselves. Circumcise your hearts. Cast away all corrupt affections and inclinations, which hinder you from fearing and loving God. By nature we do not love God. This is original sin, the source whence our wickedness proceeds; and the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be; so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God, Ro. 8:5-9 . Let us, without delay or reserve, come and cleave to our reconciled God in Jesus Christ, that we may love, serve, and obey him acceptably, and be daily changed into his image, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord. Consider the greatness and glory of God; and his goodness and grace; these persuade us to our duty. Blessed Spirit! Oh for thy purifying, persevering, and renewing influences, that being called out of the state of strangers, such as our fathers were, we may be found among the number of the children of God, and that our lot may be among the saints.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 34:1, 2
• 2. Exodus 25:10
• 3. Exodus 25:16, 21
• 4. Exodus 25:10; Exodus 37:1
• 5. Exodus 34:4
• 6. Exodus 34:28
• 7. Exodus 20:1
• 8. See Deuteronomy 9:10
• 9. Exodus 34:29
• 10. Exodus 40:20
• 11. 1 Kings 8:9
• 12. Numbers 33:30, 31
• 13. [Numbers 20:28; Numbers 33:38]
• 14. Numbers 33:32, 33
• 15. Numbers 3:6; Numbers 8:14; Numbers 16:9; [1 Chronicles 23:13]
• 16. Numbers 4:5, 15
• 17. Deuteronomy 17:12; Deuteronomy 18:5, 7
• 18. Deuteronomy 21:5; Leviticus 9:22; See Numbers 6:23-26
• 19. See Numbers 18:20
• 20. Deuteronomy 9:18, 25
• 21. Deuteronomy 9:19
• 22. Exodus 32:34; Exodus 33:1
• 23. [Micah 6:8]
• 24. See Deuteronomy 6:2, 13
• 25. See Deuteronomy 5:33
• 26. See Deuteronomy 6:5
• 27. Deuteronomy 7:11
• 28. Deuteronomy 6:24
• 29. 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 6:18; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalms 115:16; Isaiah 66:1
• 30. Exodus 19:5; Psalms 24:1
• 31. Deuteronomy 4:37; [Deuteronomy 7:7]
• 32. Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; [Acts 7:51]
• 33. See Deuteronomy 9:6
• 34. Joshua 22:22; Psalms 136:2; Daniel 2:47; Daniel 11:36
• 35. Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16
• 36. Nehemiah 9:32; See Deuteronomy 7:21
• 37. 2 Chronicles 19:7; Job 34:19; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Galatians 2:6; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:17
• 38. Psalms 68:5; Psalms 146:9; [Deuteronomy 24:17; Exodus 22:22]
• 39. Exodus 22:21; Exodus 23:9; Leviticus 19:33, 34
• 40. [See ver. 12 above]
• 41. Deuteronomy 11:22; Deuteronomy 13:4; Deuteronomy 30:20
• 42. See Deuteronomy 6:13
• 43. Psalms 22:3; Psalms 109:1; Jeremiah 17:14
• 44. 2 Samuel 7:23; Psalms 106:21, 22
• 45. Genesis 46:27; Exodus 1:5; [Acts 7:14]
• 46. Deuteronomy 28:62; Nehemiah 9:23; See Genesis 15:5

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew words
• [b]. Or the wells of the Bene-jaakan

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 10

In this chapter an account is given of an order to Moses to hew two tables of stone, on which the Lord would write the words that were on the first, and to make an ark and put them into it, all which was accordingly done, De 10:1-5 and of some of the journeys of the children of Israel, De 10:6,7 and of the separation of the tribe of Levi to the service of the sanctuary, De 10:8,9 and of Moses's stay in the mount forty days and nights, and his success there, and the direction he had to lead on the people of Israel towards Canaan's land, De 10:10,11 and who by various arguments are exhorted to fear the Lord, and serve him, and keep his commands, De 10:12-22.