Did Moses write the Ten Commandments on the second set of stone tablets, or did God? Some Bible disputers point out what they say are two contradictory scriptures. They claim that one account says God wrote the Commandments on the second set of tablets, and another says Moses did. There are also some Christians who believe and teach this. Let’s examine these claims and see if they’re correct.
In Exodus chapter 20, the LORD spoke the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel (Exodus 20:1-17). In Exodus chapter 24, the LORD told Moses to come up to the mountain and he would give him some tablets of stone with the words of the Ten Commandments which he had spoken to the children of Israel.
Exodus 24:12
12 And the LORD said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain, and be there: and I will give you tablets of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that you may teach them.
So Moses went up the mountain to meet with God.
Exodus 31:18
18 And he (God) gave to Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him on Mount Sinai, two tablets of testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
Exodus 32:15-16
15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand: the tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.
16 And the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
These verses tell us that God gave Moses two tablets of stone made by God, and written by God.
Moses was on the Mountain for more than 40 days. While he was gone, the people got tired of waiting, and they wondered if he was even coming back, so they pressured Aaron into making a golden calf for them to worship. When Moses came down from the mountain and saw the golden calf, and the people worshiping it, he threw the tablets down and broke them.
Later, God told Moses to cut two tablets out of stone like the first ones and to bring them up to him on the mountain. The LORD told Moses that He, (the LORD) would write the same words that He (the LORD) had written on the first set of tablets.
Exodus 34:1
1 And the LORD said to Moses, Cut two tablets of stone like the first: and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
Exodus 34:4
4 And he (Moses) cut two tablets of stone like the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up to mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone.
Now, read the next two verses carefully.
Exodus 34:27-28
27 And the LORD said to Moses, Write these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.
28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote on the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Ok. There’s the seeming contradiction. In verse 27, God told Moses to write these words. Then verse 28 says, He wrote on the tablets. This seems to say that Moses wrote the Ten Commandments on the second set of tablets, but is that what it says? The simple answer is No. Moses explains all the details to the Israelites later in Deuteronomy 10:1-4. Compare these verses with Exodus 34:1-4.
Deuteronomy 10:1-4
1 At that time the LORD said to me, Cut two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain; and make an ark of wood.
2 And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke, and you will put them in the ark.
3 And I made an ark of shittim wood and cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and went up into the mountain, with the two tablets in my hand.
4 And he (the LORD) wrote on the tablets, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spoke to you from the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them to me.
5 And I turned around and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, as the LORD commanded me.
Both of these accounts are pretty much the same. They tell us that God wrote the commandments on the first set of stone tablets, and the second set as well. So, what did God tell Moses to write? Let’s look at it a little closer.
Exodus 34:27
27 And the LORD said to Moses, Write these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.
Now look back at the verses before these. Namely verses 11-26 of chapter 34.
The LORD gave Moses some instructions for the time after they would come into the promised land. These are the words he told Moses to write (Exodus 34:1-26).
Then the Bible says Moses was there with the Lord 40 days and 40 nights and HE (the LORD) wrote the words of the covenant on the second set of tablets. No contradiction.
Many seeming contradictions can be cleared up with just a little Bible study. We shouldn’t be so quick to doubt or accept the criticisms of non-believers. The Bible was written a long time ago, in a different culture, and in a different language. Much has changed since then with the culture as well as grammar, and it’s not always easy to understand at first glance. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to truly understand his word. The more we read, and study the Bible, the more we will understand. So pray, read, and study God’s word every day. God will be with you as you do.
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