He declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even the ten commandments. He wrote them on two stone tablets.
Parallel Translations
-
He declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even the ten commandments. He wrote them on two stone tablets.
-
And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
-
And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even the ten words; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone.
Cross-references (11)
Passages linked to Deuteronomy 4:13 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Exodus 34:28 He was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
- Exodus 31:18 When he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses the two tablets of the covenant, stone tablets, written with God’s finger.
- Exodus 24:12 Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and stay here, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commands that I have written, that you may teach them.”
- Deuteronomy 9:9-11 When I had gone up onto the mountain to receive the stone tablets, even the tablets of the covenant which Yahweh made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. Yahweh delivered to me the two stone tablets written with God’s finger. On them were all the words which Yahweh spoke with you on the mountain out of the middle of the fire in the day of the assembly. It came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights that Yahweh gave me the two stone tablets, even the tablets of the covenant.
- Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine;
- Deuteronomy 10:1-5 At that time Yahweh said to me, “Cut two stone tablets like the first, and come up to me onto the mountain, and make an ark of wood. 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.” So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two stone tablets like the first, and went up onto the mountain, having the two tablets in my hand. He wrote on the tablets, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which Yahweh spoke to you on the mountain out of the middle of the fire in the day of the assembly; and Yahweh gave them to me. I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are as Yahweh commanded me.
- Exodus 24:17-18 The appearance of Yahweh’s glory was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. Moses entered into the middle of the cloud, and went up on the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
- Deuteronomy 5:1-21 Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, “Hear, Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears today, that you may learn them, and observe to do them.” Yahweh our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Yahweh didn’t make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive today. Yahweh spoke with you face to face on the mountain out of the middle of the fire, (I stood between Yahweh and you at that time, to show you Yahweh’s word; for you were afraid because of the fire, and didn’t go up onto the mountain) saying, “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make a carved image for yourself—any likeness of what is in heaven above, or what is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me; and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God; for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who misuses his name. “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as Yahweh your God commanded you. You shall labor six days, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God, in which you shall not do any work— neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore Yahweh your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. “Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God commanded you; that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land which Yahweh your God gives you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
- Hebrews 9:19-20 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.”
- 2 Corinthians 3:7 But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face, which was passing away,
- Hebrews 9:4 having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (9 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain God joineth this condition to his covenant.
God joineth this condition to his covenant.
Or, words.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And he declared unto you his covenant,.... So the…
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, Exo 24:3,
which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; which see at large in Exo 20:1, and in this book afterwards repeated, Deu 5:6,
Read full note →
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 Exo 31:18.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Stone. Josephus (Antiquities iii. 4, 6,) says, that each…
Stone. Josephus (Antiquities iii. 4, 6,) says, that each table contained five precepts, two and a half being inscribed on one side. The Jews now suppose that four appeared on one table, and six on the other. But each table probably contained an entire copy of the law. (Calmet) --- It hence appears, that there are just ten precepts. (Worthington) --- But the manner of dividing them is rather uncertain. St. Augustine and Catholics in general place the three commandments, which regard God, by themselves. See Exodus xx. 1. Their greater importance and length would require as much space as the other seven, which ascertain the mutual duties of people to each other. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 13. Ten commandments — Literally, ten words. Comp. Exo_20:1-17.
13. Ten commandments — Literally, ten words. Comp. Exo_20:1-17.
Upon two tables of stone — Comp. Exo_31:18; Exo_34:1.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 13. his covenant, which he commanded you] Heb. berîth…
13. his covenant, which he commanded you] Heb. berîth (prob. from a root = to bind) meant any compact, contract or bargain: between friends, 1Sa_18:3; man and wife, Pro_2:17; master and servant, Job_41:4; king and people, 2Sa_5:3; former foes, whether individuals, id. Deu_3:12 f., or peoples, J, Exo_23:32; Deu_7:2 (the only instance in D of its non-religious use); conqueror and conquered, 1Sa_11:1. Berîth might apply either to the transaction or to the binding conditions on which it was based; the covenant or the terms of the covenant, i.e. ordinance or constitution. When the parties were of unequal power the terms were imposed by the stronger. So between God and Israel; His covenant which He commanded, here and Deu_29:1. Used first in a religious sense by JE, Gen_15:18, etc. of God’s covenant with the patriarchs; Exo_19:5; Exo_24:7 ff. etc. with Israel at Ḥoreb; less used by the prophets, e.g. Hos_6:7; Hos_8:1; Jer_11:10; Jer_31:32; but very frequent in Deu_4:31; Deu_7:12; Deu_8:18, etc., with patriarchs (cp. Deu_6:18, Deu_9:5, Deu_11:9, etc.); Deu_4:13; Deu_4:23, Deu_5:2, Deu_9:9; Deu_9:11; Deu_9:15, at Ḥoreb; Deu_17:2 (?), Deu_29:1; Deu_29:9; Deu_29:12; Deu_29:14; Deu_29:21; Deu_29:25 renewed in Mo‘ab. The terms commanded by God were the words of the covenant, J, Exo_34:28, or the covenant alone as here, i.e. the Decalogue, but in Deu_29:1 the whole Deuteronomic Code; book of the covenant, E, Exo_24:7, the Ḥoreb legislation, but in 2Ki_23:2 f., 21, cp. Deu_29:21, the Deuteronomic Code. The tables of the Decalogue were the tables of the covenant, Deu_9:9; Deu_9:11; Deu_9:15; hence D’s characteristic name for the Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, Deu_10:8, Deu_31:9; Deu_31:25 and in Josh. A covenant was solemnised by a sacrificial feast, Gen_21:28 ff; Gen_31:46; Gen_31:54. Hence probably the phrase to cut or strike a covenant (karath berîth), cp. ὅρκια τέμνειν. Beyond the frequent use of this phrase, e.g. Deu_4:23, D nowhere associates the covenant with sacrifice. God makes (karath) it and it is His; swears to it; forgets it not, keeps, fulfils and establishes it, Deu_4:31, Deu_7:12, Deu_8:18, etc.; keeping covenant and true love, Deu_7:9; Deu_7:12. Israel enters into it, Deu_29:12, and is bound to keep and to do it, passim.
the ten commandments] Words. So also Deu_10:4. E, Exo_20:1, all these words. A gloss in Exo_34:28 has the ten words. See Driver’s note on both passages; and below on Deu_5:5, ‘The Ten Words.’
Read full note →
he wrote them upon two tables of stone] See below on Deu_5:22. On the ‘covenants’ mentioned in the Pentateuch see Driver, Exod. p. 175.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (13) His covenant . . . ten commandments.—See on…
(13) His covenant . . . ten commandments.—See on Deuteronomy 5.
He wrote them.—See on Deu_10:2.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain His covenant; God"s gracious engagement with Israel for their…
His covenant; God"s gracious engagement with Israel for their good, and by which they were bound to observe all his commandments. God declared this at Sinai when he uttered the ten commandments (words, "the words of the covenant, the ten words", (Exo_34:28) which he afterwards gave to Moses on two tables of stone, written with the finger of God. (Exo_24:12 Exo_31:18) Besides these, there were other statutes and ordinances which Moses was commanded to teach the people, and which, with them, comprised the Law given at Sinai (see Exodus 21. and following chapters).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Moses continues to speak to the people of Israel.
Read full note →
He declared
"Yahweh declared"
to you
Here "you" refers to the Israelites who were at Mount Horeb.
in the land that you are crossing over to take possession of
"after you have crossed over the Jordan River and taken possession of the land"
translationWords
declare
covenant
command
Ten Commandments
Yahweh
statute
ordinance
possess
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 4:13 The covenant is the key theological idea of…
4:13 The covenant is the key theological idea of Deuteronomy and perhaps of the entire Old Testament. A covenant was a legal arrangement involving two or more parties who entered into agreements with mutually binding obligations. The covenant at Sinai (Exod 20–23) codified this relationship between the Lord and Israel; in Deuteronomy, Moses interpreted and expanded the covenant for the new generation that was about to conquer and occupy the Promised Land. • The Ten Commandments (literally the ten words, “decalogue”) are so much at the heart of the covenant text and its requirements as to be equated with the covenant. The first four words regulate relationship with God, while the last six regulate human relationships. • two stone tablets: All legal documents, including covenant texts, were copied for the benefit of all involved parties. God had his copy (the stone tablets) laid inside the Ark of the Covenant in the sanctuary (see Exod 25:16, 21; 31:18; 40:20; cp. Deut 31:26); Israel’s copy was written in the books of Exodus (Exod 20:1-17) and Deuteronomy (Deut 5:6-21).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.