Deuteronomy 10:1-11

The Covenant Renewed

1 "The Lord said to me at that time, 'Cut two stone tablets like the first ones and come to Me on the mountain and make a wooden ark.

2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets you broke, and you are to place them in the ark.'

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

4 Then, on the day of the assembly, the Lord wrote on the tablets what had been written previously, the Ten Commandments that He had spoken to you on the mountain from the fire. The Lord gave them to me,

5 and I went back down the mountain and placed the tablets in the ark I had made. And they have remained there, as the Lord commanded me."

6 The Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-jaakan^[a] to Moserah.^[b] Aaron died and was buried there, and Eleazar his son became priest in his place.^[c]

7 They traveled from there to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water.

8 "At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi^[d] to carry the ark of the Lord's covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve Him, and to bless in His name, as it is today.

9 For this reason, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance like his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God told him.^[e]

10 "I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights like the first time. The Lord also listened to me on this occasion; He agreed not to annihilate you.

11 Then the Lord said to me, 'Get up. Continue your journey ahead of the people, so that they may enter and possess the land I swore to give their fathers.'

Deuteronomy 10:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or from the wells of Bene-jaakan, or from the wells of the Jaakanites
• [b]. Nm 33:31
• [c]. Nm 20:22-29
• [d]. Ex 32:26-29
• [e]. Nm 18:20