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Deuteronomy Chapter Ten                            

 

Deuteronomy 10

The Second Pair of Tablets (v.1~11)

The Essence of the Law (v.12~22)

New King James Version (NKJV)

 

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 Deuteronomy 10:1 and of some of the journeys of the children of Israel Deuteronomy 10:6 and of the separation of the tribe of Levi to the service of the sanctuary Deuteronomy 10:8 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 Deuteronomy 10:10 and who by various arguments are exhorted to fear the Lord and serve him and keep his commands Deuteronomy 10:12.

 

Deuteronomy 10:1   “At that time the Lord said to me ‘Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first and come up to Me on the mountain and make yourself an ark of wood.

   YLT  1`At that time hath Jehovah said unto me Grave for thee two tables of stone like the first and come up unto Me into the mount and thou hast made for thee an ark of wood

At that time the Lord said unto me .... On the fortieth day mentioned in the preceding chapter as Aben Ezra or at the end of forty days as Jarchi; not of the first forty for then were given him the first two tables of stone with the law written on them which he broke when he came down; but at the end of the second forty days as some think when he had fallen before the Lord and entreated him for the people and as a token of his reconciliation to them gave the following order:

hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first &c. Of the same sort of stone of the same size and form with those God gave him in the mount the first time he was there and which he broke in his descent from thence; they were the work of God but these were to be hewed by Moses: the order seems to be given between the request Moses made to see the glory of the Lord and the proclamation made of it see Exodus 34:1 and come up unto me into the mount; Mount Sinai; this was certainly the third time of his going up there and where he continued forty days and nights; but whether he continued there so long the second time may be a matter of question though he certainly did the third time; see Exodus 32:30.

and make thee an ark of wood; Jarchi thinks this was not the ark Bezaleel made but made after and is that which went out to battle; and some take it to be a temporary ark made for the present purpose till that was finished; but Aben Ezra is of opinion it is the same that Bezaleel made: and it may be said to be made by Moses because he was not only ordered to make it but it was by his orders and the direction he gave to Bezaleel that it was made; and this seems the more probable because there the tables remained Deuteronomy 10:5.

 

Deuteronomy 10:2   2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke; and you shall put them in the ark.’

   YLT  2and I write on the tables the words which were on the first tables which thou hast broken and thou hast placed them in the ark;

And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest ....F1See a Sermon of mine on this text called "The Law in the Hand of Christ." Though they were hewn by Moses the writing on them was the Lord's; and the very same laws in the same words without any alteration or variation were written by him on these as on the former; partly to show the authenticity of them that they were of God and not Moses of a divine original and not human; and partly to show the invariableness of them that no change had been made in them though they had been broken by the people; of which Moses's breaking the tables was a representation:

and thou shall put them in the ark; which being a type of Christ may signify the fulfilment of the law by him who is the end the fulfilling end of the law for righteousness to every believer; and that as this was in his heart to fulfil it so it is in his hand as a rule of faith and conversation to his people.

 

Deuteronomy 10:3   3 “So I made an ark of acacia wood hewed two tablets of stone like the first and went up the mountain having the two tablets in my hand.

   YLT  3and I make an ark of shittim wood and grave two tables of stone like the first and go up to the mount and the two tables in my hand.

And I made an ark of shittim wood .... That is ordered it to be made and it was made by Bezaleel and that of shittim wood: so the ark that was put into the holy of holies was made of this wood; see See Gill on Exodus 25:10; see Gill on Exodus 37:1

and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; two marble ones as the Targum of Jonathan; that is he ordered them to be hewed and took care that they should be exactly made as the former were of which he had perfect knowledge having received them of the Lord and brought them with him down the mount:

and went up into the mount having the two tables in my hand; in order to have the words of the law the ten commands written on them these being only hewn stones without anything on them: they were very probably marble of which great quantities were near at hand.

 

Deuteronomy 10:4   4 And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing the Ten Commandments which the Lord had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me.

   YLT  4`And He writeth on the tables according to the first writing the Ten Matters which Jehovah hath spoken unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly and Jehovah giveth them unto me

And he wrote on the tables according to the first writing .... The same laws in the same letters:

the ten commandments which the Lord spake unto you in the mount; in Mount Sinai on which he descended and from whence he delivered the decalogue by word of mouth in an audible manner that all the people could hear it:

out of the midst of the fire; in which he descended and where he continued and from whence he spake so that it was indeed a fiery law:

in the day of the assembly; when all the people of Israel were assembled together at the bottom of the mount to hear it:

and the Lord gave them unto me; the two tables when he had wrote upon them the ten commands.

 

Deuteronomy 10:5   5 Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are just as the Lord commanded me.”

   YLT  5and I turn and come down from the mount and put the tables in the ark which I had made and they are there as Jehovah commanded me.

And I turned myself .... From the Lord out of whose hands he had received the tables:

and came down from the mount; with the two tables in his hand as before one in one hand and the other in the other hand:

and put the tables in the ark which I had made; or ordered to be made:

and there they be as the Lord commanded me; there they were when Moses rehearsed what is contained in this book on the plains of Moab about thirty eight years after the putting them into it; and there they continued to be when the ark was brought into Solomon's temple 1 Kings 8:9 and there they were as long as the ark was in being; which may denote the continuance of the law in the hands of Christ under the Gospel dispensation as a rule of walk and conversation to his people.

 

Deuteronomy 10:6   6 (Now the children of Israel journeyed from the wells of Bene Jaakan to Moserah where Aaron died and where he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his stead.

   YLT  6`And the sons of Israel have journeyed from Beeroth of the sons of Jaakan to Mosera there Aaron died and he is buried there and Eleazar his son doth act as priest in his stead;

And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan .... Not when or soon after they removed from Sinai; for if this place is the same with Benejaakan as is generally supposed they had a great many journeys mansions and stations before they came to it; see Numbers 33:31 and besides since Aaron according to this account died at their next station from hence that was thirty eight years after their departure from Mount Sinai; and it is hard to say what should be the reason of making mention of these two or three journeys here; and whereas they are here said to journey front the place here mentioned

to Mosera; on the contrary in Numbers 33:31 they are said to depart from Mosera and pitch in Benejaakan; which is accounted for by their going backwards and forwards and so both may be true. Aben Ezra is of opinion that Beeroth Benejaakan or the wells of the children of Jaakan is not the same with Bene Jaakan nor Mosera the same with Moseroth; but Beeroth is Kadesh and Mosera is the name of the desert of Mount Hor; and it is certain that Moseroth was the twenty seventh station and Mosera or the desert of Mount Hor where Aaron died was the thirty fourth and therefore must be distant; see Numbers 33:30 which seems to agree with what follows:

there Aaron died and there he was buried; it is certain that Aaron died on Mount Hor Numbers 20:23 or there died and was buried when in the desert of Mosera:

and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead; so that though the high priest died the office continued and the law of it remained in force and the tribe of Levi was separated for the service of the sanctuary as afterwards expressed.

 

Deuteronomy 10:7   7 From there they journeyed to Gudgodah and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah a land of rivers of water.

   YLT  7thence they journeyed to Gudgodah and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah a land of brooks of water.

From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah .... Which Jarchi takes to be the same with Horhagidgad and so do most; see Numbers 33:32 but Aben Ezra says it is not but is a general name including Zalmonah Punon and Oboth places the Israelites came to after they removed from Mount Hor where Aaron died; see Numbers 33:41.

and from Gudgodah to Jotbath a land of rivers of waters; which the above writer takes to be the same with Beer the well Numbers 21:16 and by this description of it it was a place where there was much water.

 

Deuteronomy 10:8   8 At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord to stand before the Lord to minister to Him and to bless in His name to this day.

   YLT  8`At that time hath Jehovah separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of Jehovah to stand before Jehovah to serve Him and to bless in His name unto this day

At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi .... Not at the time that Moses came down from the mount with the tables of the law but some considerable time after even after the tabernacle was erected; nor at the time that Aaron died and Eleazar succeeded him but many years before that; unless there was a fresh separation of them or a renewal of it when Eleazar became high priest in his father's stead; and so that being mentioned is the reason of its being repeated here:

to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord; even that into which the law sometimes called the covenant was put and therefore here called the ark of the covenant: when this was carried from place to place as it was especially in the wilderness it was the business of the Levites to bear it particularly the Kohathites; Numbers 3:31

to stand before the Lord to minister unto him; that is to his priests in the tabernacle and to keep and guard that:

and to bless in his name unto this day; not to bless the people which was the work of the priest but to sing praise in the name of the Lord to give thanks unto him and bless and praise him.

 

Deuteronomy 10:9   9 Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance just as the Lord your God promised him.)

   YLT  9therefore there hath not been to Levi a portion and inheritance with his brethren; Jehovah Himself [is] his inheritance as Jehovah thy God hath spoken to him.

Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren .... In the division of the land of Canaan because being separated to the service of the sanctuary he had no leisure to plough and sow as Jarchi observes:

the Lord is his inheritance as the Lord thy God promised him; not in a spiritual sense for so the Lord was an inheritance and portion of other Israelites; though these being taken off of worldly employments and devoted to sanctuary service might have more communion with God than others; but in a temporal sense provision being made particularly by tithes which were the Lord's for their maintenance; and so the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan paraphrase the words;"gifts which the Lord gave him are his inheritance;'see Numbers 18:20.

 

Deuteronomy 10:10   10 “As at the first time I stayed in the mountain forty days and forty nights; the Lord also heard me at that time and the Lord chose not to destroy you.

   YLT  10`And I -- I have stood in the mount as the former days forty days and forty nights and Jehovah hearkeneth unto me also at that time; Jehovah hath not willed to destroy thee.

And I stayed in the mount according to the first time forty days and forty nights .... Which is to be connected with Deuteronomy 10:6 and relates what passed before he came down from the mount with the two tables; as that he stayed there as long as he did when he received the first tables and fasted also as long as he did then; see Exodus 34:28.

and the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also; to his prayer on the behalf of the people:

and the Lord would not destroy thee; though he had threatened it and their sin had deserved it.

 

Deuteronomy 10:11   11 Then the Lord said to me ‘Arise begin your journey before the people that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’

   YLT  11`And Jehovah saith unto me Rise go to journey before the people and they go in and possess the land which I have sworn to their fathers to give to them.

And the Lord said unto me arise take thy journey before the people .... Here Moses goes on with his relation of things at Mount Sinai how that upon his supplication for the people on account of the destruction they were threatened with for their idolatry the Lord was graciously pleased not only to hear him and forgive the people but ordered him to go before them and lead them on towards the land of Canaan he had promised them Exodus 32:34

that they may go in and possess the land which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them; and which had it not been for their later murmurings and rebellions they had been in the possession of it in a little time especially after their departure from Sinai.

 

Deuteronomy 10:12   12 “And now Israel what does the Lord your God require of you but to fear the Lord your God to walk in all His ways and to love Him to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul

   YLT  12`And now Israel what is Jehovah thy God asking from thee except to fear Jehovah thy God to walk in all His ways and to love Him and to serve Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul

And now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee .... For all these favours bestowed upon them the forgiveness of their sins and a fresh intimation of their possession of the land of Canaan and the renewal of the promise of it made to their fathers:

but to fear the Lord thy God; to fear him with a filial fear to fear him and his goodness and him for his goodness sake and particularly for his pardoning grace and mercy vouchsafed to them; see Psalm 130:4

to walk in all his ways; prescribed and directed to by him every path of duty whether moral ceremonial or judicial:

and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul; for that is the best service which springs from love and love constrains unto and which is hearty and sincere as that is and is performed in the best manner such are capable of.

 

Deuteronomy 10:13   13 and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?

   YLT  13to keep the commands of Jehovah and His statutes which I am commanding thee to-day for good to thee?

To keep the commandments of the Lord and his statutes .... Both the ten commands and all others:

which I command thee this day for thy good; promises of temporal good things introduction into the land of Canaan possession of it and continuance in it being made to obedience to them.

 

Deuteronomy 10:14   14 Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God also the earth with all that is in it.

   YLT  14`Lo to Jehovah thy God [are] the heavens and the heavens of the heavens the earth and all that [is] in it;

Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens are the Lord's thy God .... Made and possessed by him; the airy and starry heaven the third heaven which is the heaven of heavens the seat of the divine Majesty the habitation of angels and glorified saints:

the earth also with all that therein is; that is his property and at his disposal being made by him and all that is upon it or contained in it even whatsoever is on or in the whole terraqueous globe; see Psalm 115:15.

 

Deuteronomy 10:15   15 The Lord delighted only in your fathers to love them; and He chose their descendants after them you above all peoples as it is this day.

   YLT  15only in thy fathers hath Jehovah delighted -- to love them and He doth fix on their seed after them -- on you out of all the peoples as [at] this day;

Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them .... Though the heavens and the earth and all the inhabitants of them are the Lord's by creation yet he had a special regard unto and a peculiar complacency in the fathers of the Israelites Abraham Isaac and Jacob; from whence arose some particular expressions of love to them signified by various acts of kindness done them and promises made unto them:

and he chose their seed after them even you above all the people as it is this day; to be a special people to him to enjoy civil and religious privileges greater than any other; and particularly to have his law given to them his tabernacle and worship set up among them which were at this time and which gave them the preference to all other nations; see Deuteronomy 4:7.

 

Deuteronomy 10:16   16 Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart and be stiff-necked no longer.

   YLT  16and ye have circumcised the foreskin of your heart and your neck ye do not harden any more;

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart .... Content not yourselves with nor put your confidence in outward circumcision of the flesh but be concerned for the circumcision of the heart; for removing from that whatever is disagreeable to the Lord even all carnality sensuality hypocrisy and superfluity of naughtiness and for having that put there which is well pleasing in his sight; and which though it is the work of God and he only can do it and has promised it yet such an exhortation is made to bring men to a sense of their need of it and of the importance of it and to show how agreeable it is to the Lord and so to stir them up to seek unto him for it; see Deuteronomy 30:6.

and be no more stiffnecked; froward obstinate and disobedient as they had been hitherto; Deuteronomy 9:6.

 

Deuteronomy 10:17   17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords the great God mighty and awesome who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.

   YLT  17for Jehovah your God -- He [is] God of the gods and Lord of the lords; God the great the mighty and the fearful; who accepteth not persons nor taketh a bribe;

For the Lord your God is God of gods .... Of angels and civil magistrates who are sometimes so called: these are his creatures act for him and under him and are accountable to him:

the Lord of lords; of the kings and princes of the earth who have their crowns sceptres and kingdoms from him and hold them of him by and under whom they reign and decree judgment and who are subject to his authority and control:

a great God; as the perfections of his nature the works of his hands the blessings of his providence and grace and the extensiveness of his dominion in heaven earth and hell show him to be:

a mighty and a terrible; mighty and powerful to help protect and defend his people; terrible to his and their enemies even to the kings of the earth:

which regardeth not persons; but bestows his favours whether in a way of providence or grace according to his sovereign will and pleasure without regard to the works and merits of men their characters or circumstances:

nor taketh reward; or bribes to avert threatened and deserved judgments; see Job 36:18.

 

Deuteronomy 10:18   18 He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow and loves the stranger giving him food and clothing.

   YLT  18He is doing the judgment of fatherless and widow and loving the sojourner to give to him bread and raiment.

He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow .... Who have none to help them and whose patron and defender he is and will do them justice himself and take care that it is done them by others or avenge their injuries for he is a Father of the fatherless and a judge of the widow in his holy habitation; Psalm 68:5.

and loveth the stranger in giving him food and raiment; one that is in a foreign country at a distance from his native land and destitute of friends; such God in his providence takes care of and expresses his love and kindness to by giving them the necessaries of life food and raiment.

 

Deuteronomy 10:19   19 Therefore love the stranger for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

   YLT  19`And ye have loved the sojourner for sojourners ye were in the land of Egypt.

Love ye therefore the stranger .... Because the Lord loves him; and another reason follows particularly binding on the Israelites:

for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt; and therefore should sympathize with such and show them compassion relieve them in distress and afford them whatever they want and is in the power of their hands to communicate to them; remembering their own condition in Egypt and how welcome such a treatment would have been to them then as well as the kind and careful providence of God towards them at that time.

 

Deuteronomy 10:20   20 You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and to Him you shall hold fast and take oaths in His name.

   YLT  20`Jehovah thy God thou dost fear Him thou dost serve and to Him thou dost cleave and by His name thou dost swear.

Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God .... Which includes the whole worship of him external and internal:

him shalt thou serve; heartily and sincerely according to his revealed will and him only:

and to him shall thou cleave; and not turn aside to follow other gods and worship them:

and swear by his name; and his only whenever it is necessary to take an oath which should not be done rashly or on trivial accounts; and never by any creature but by the living God; see Deuteronomy 6:13.

 

Deuteronomy 10:21   21 He is your praise and He is your God who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen.

   YLT  21He [is] thy praise and He [is] thy God who hath done with thee these great and fearful [things] which thine eyes have seen:

He is thy praise .... The object and matter of it who deserves the praises of all his creatures because of his perfections works and blessings of goodness; for all mercies temporal and spiritual come from him and therefore he is greatly to be praised for them: praise is his due and it is comely in his people to give it to him; see Jeremiah 17:14.

and he is thy God which hath done for thee these great and terrible things which thine eyes have seen; which were done upon the Egyptians for their sakes both in the land of Egypt and at the Red sea; and also what he had done for them in the wilderness to Sihon and Og kings of the Amorites Psalm 106:22.

 

Deuteronomy 10:22   22 Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons and now the Lord your God has made you as the stars of heaven in multitude.

   YLT  22with seventy persons did thy fathers go down to Egypt and now hath Jehovah thy God made thee as stars of the heavens for multitude.

Thy fathers went down into Egypt with seventy persons .... That is in all; for there were not seventy besides Jacob and the patriarchs his sons but with them; see Genesis 46:26 and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude; as he promised they should be Genesis 15:5.

 

──John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible