Deuteronomy 4:13

13 "So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, 1the Ten Commandments; and 2He wrote them on two tablets of stone.

Deuteronomy 4:13 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 4:13

And he declared unto you his covenant
So the law was called, because it contained, on the part of God, things which he would have done or avoided, to which were annexed promises of long life and happiness in the land he gave them; and they, on their part, agreed to hearken to it, and obey it, ( Exodus 24:3 Exodus 24:7 ) ,

which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments;
which see at large in ( Exodus 20:1-17 ) , and in this book afterwards repeated, ( Deuteronomy 5:6-21 ) ,

and he wrote them upon two tables of stone;
to denote the durableness of them; the Targum of Jonathan says on tables of sapphire; but it is most likely that they were written on tables of marble, since there were great quantities of it in Mount Sinai; (See Gill on Exodus 31:18).

Deuteronomy 4:13 In-Context

11 "You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom.
12 "Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form -only a voice.
13 "So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.
14 "The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.
15 "So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,

Cross References 2

  • 1. Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 10:4
  • 2. Exodus 31:18; Exodus 34:1, 28

Footnotes 1

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