Deuteronomy 4:13

13 He proclaimed his covenant to you, which he ordered you to obey, the Ten Words; and he wrote them on two stone tablets.

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 approached and stood at the foot of the mountain; and the mountain blazed with fire to the heart of heaven, with darkness, clouds and thick mist.
12 Then ADONAI spoke to you out of the fire! You heard the sound of words but saw no shape, there was only a voice.
13 He proclaimed his covenant to you, which he ordered you to obey, the Ten Words; and he wrote them on two stone tablets.
14 At that time ADONAI ordered me to teach you laws and rulings, so that you would live by them in the land you are entering in order to take possession of it.
15 "Therefore, watch out for yourselves! Since you did not see a shape of any kind on the day ADONAI spoke to you in Horev from the fire,
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.