Deuteronomy 10:4

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 10:4 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which Jehovah spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and Jehovah gave them unto me.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which Jehovah spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and Jehovah gave them unto me.
Deuteronomy 10:4 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 10

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
4And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which Jehovah spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and Jehovah gave them unto me.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he wrote on the tables according to the first writing, etc.] 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.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing--that is, not Moses, who under the divine direction acted as amanuensis, but God Himself who made this inscription a second time with His own hand, to testify the importance He attached to the ten commandments. Different from other stone monuments of antiquity, which were made to stand upright and in the open air, those on which the divine law was engraven were portable, and designed to be kept as a treasure. JOSEPHUS says that each of the tables contained five precepts. But the tradition generally received, both among Jewish and Christian writers is, that one table contained four precepts, the other six.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“These verses are closely connected with the preceding chapter, and state very briefly the results of the intercession of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 9:25-29. The people are reminded that all their blessings and privileges, forfeited by apostasy as soon as bestowed, were only now their own by a new and most unmerited act of grace on the part of God, won from Him by the self-sacrificing mediation of Moses himself Deuteronomy 10:10. Deuteronomy 10:1-5. The order for making the ark and tabernacle was evidently given before the apostasy of the people (Exo. 25ff); but the tables were not put in the ark until the completion and dedication of the tabernacle Exodus 40:0. But here as elsewhere…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“he wrote: Deu 9:10; Exo 34:28 the ten: Deu 4:13 commandments: Heb. words which: Deut. 5:4-21; Exod. 20:1-17 out of the: Deu 4:11-15, Deu 5:22-26; Exo 19:18; Heb 12:18, Heb 12:19 in the day: Deu 9:10, Deu 18:16; Exo 19:17 Deuteronomy 10:5”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification