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Deuteronomy 10

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At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.

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And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.

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And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.

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And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the Lord gave them unto me.

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And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me.

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And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest’s office in his stead.

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From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters.

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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 unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

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Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him.

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And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also, and the Lord would not destroy thee.

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And the Lord said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.

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And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

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To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

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Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

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Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.

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Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

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For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:

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He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

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Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

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Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

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He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.

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Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

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Deuteronomy 10

The making of new tablets and the ark, following Moses' intercession, reconstitutes the covenant after breach, while the setting apart of the Levites as covenant servants establishes an order dedicated to the LORD's presence. The command to circumcise your hearts introduces interior religion—the removal of fleshly resistance to covenant obedience—a metaphor that Paul will later spiritualize in Romans and Colossians. The assertion that the LORD is God of gods, mighty and awesome, yet shows no partiality and loves the foreigner, synthesizes divine transcendence and particular covenantal care, while the reminder that Israel itself were foreigners in Egypt grounds the obligation to love the foreigner in Israel's own liberation and alien status. This chapter shifts from legal stipulation to theological vision and internal transformation, preparing the way for the specific laws that follow by establishing the heart-change that all external obedience presupposes.

Deuteronomy 10:22

Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky — the patriarchal promise of star-like numerousness (Gen 15:5, 22:17) is being fulfilled in the wilderness generation. This multiplication represents the first partial actualization of covenant blessing.

Deuteronomy 10:17

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes — the divine attributes (great, mighty, awesome, impartial, uncorruptible) establish the LORD's absolute transcendence and justice. No human wealth or status can sway divine judgment, rendering all humans equal before the throne.

Deuteronomy 10:18

He defends the fatherless and the widow and loves the alien, giving them food and clothing — the LORD's justice is not abstract but concretely expressed in defense of the vulnerable (orphans, widows, foreigners). The active verbs (defends, loves, gives) portray a God whose majesty is inseparable from compassion for those without earthly advocates.

Deuteronomy 10:19

And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt — Israel's obligation to love and protect the ger (foreigner/resident alien) flows from historical memory: Israel itself experienced alienation and vulnerability in Egypt. The covenant people's laws must reflect the compassion their ancestors needed and received.

Deuteronomy 10:20

Fear the LORD your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name — the covenant's core postures are reiterated: fear, service, clinging (the Hebrew dabaq, to cleave), and oath-taking in the divine name. These actions bind Israel inseparably to the LORD.

Deuteronomy 10:21

He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes — the exodus-wonders are reclaimed as personal memory and present testimony. The connection between remembering wonders and praising the LORD establishes gratitude as the covenant's affective center.

Deuteronomy 10:7

From there they traveled to Gudgodah and on to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water — the journey continues through wilderness and toward abundance (streams). The emphasis on water suggests the narrative movement toward the promised land's fertility.

Deuteronomy 10:8

At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name. This is why Levites have no share or inheritance among their fellow Israelites — the Levites are sanctified for two primary functions: carrying the ark (the physical sanctuary) and priestly service (ministering, blessing). Their lack of inherited land makes them wholly dependent on covenant provisions and tithes.

Deuteronomy 10:9

The LORD is their inheritance, as the LORD your God told them — the Levites' inheritance is not territorial but theological: the LORD himself becomes their portion and provision. This uniqueness mirrors the temple's later role: the Levites stand outside normal tribal structures, wholly devoted to covenant maintenance.

Deuteronomy 10:10

Now I had stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, for forty days and forty nights, and the LORD listened to me at this time also; it was not his will to destroy you — Moses' third 40-day vigil is confirmed, along with the LORD's gracious hearing. The repetition of 40 days and nights underscores the covenant's restoration through intercession.

Deuteronomy 10:11

The LORD said to me, 'Go, lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land I swore to give to their ancestors' — after the covenant's renewal, the command shifts from intercession to leadership: Moses must now guide the people toward the promised land. The oath to the ancestors provides the theological ground for the continued journey.

Deuteronomy 10:12

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to all his commands, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul — the covenant's essential requirement is compressed into four interlocking commands: fear, obedience, love, and wholehearted service. These represent the inner and outer dimensions of covenant fidelity.

Deuteronomy 10:13

And to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good — the commands are not arbitrary or oppressive but are given for Israel's welfare. Obedience to the covenant is presented as enlightened self-interest: the law's observance produces blessing.

Deuteronomy 10:14

To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it — the statement of divine ownership establishes the ground for covenant obligation: the LORD's universal sovereignty means Israel's loyalty is not a negotiable option but the recognition of reality. All creation is the LORD's domain.

Deuteronomy 10:15

Yet the LORD set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations — despite universal divine ownership, the LORD's particular election of Israel represents a choice grounded in love, not merit. The fathers' election extends to their descendants, establishing Israel's unique covenantal status.

Deuteronomy 10:16

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer — the call for heart-circumcision (the Hebrew mulah of the levav) is the central spiritual demand of Deuteronomy. Internal circumcision parallels physical circumcision: removing the foreskin of the heart means excising hardness, resistance, and stubbornness that prevent obedience. This inward cutting away of resistance is prerequisite for true covenant fidelity.

Deuteronomy 10:1

At that time the LORD said to me, 'Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark' — after the intercession, the LORD commands renewal: new tablets to replace the broken ones, and an ark (aron) to contain and protect them. The wooden ark (likely acacia wood) suggests craftsmanship and permanence.

Deuteronomy 10:2

I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the ark' — the divine writing is reiterated: the very words inscribed on the destroyed tablets are rewritten on new ones. The ark's function is to preserve and sanctify the covenantal text, protecting it from further destruction.

Deuteronomy 10:3

So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands — Moses' obedience is immediate: he crafts the ark and ascends the mountain with the blank tablets. The parallelism with 9:9 suggests renewed covenant-receptivity.

Deuteronomy 10:4

The LORD wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments that he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me — the Ten Commandments are the core content of the covenant, the fundamental law written by the divine finger. Their rewriting represents covenant renewal and restoration after the golden calf crisis.

Deuteronomy 10:5

Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD commanded me, and they have remained there — the tablets are safely housed in the ark, preserved as the written foundation of the covenant community. The testimony (the Hebrew edut, meaning covenant stipulations) is thus protected and sanctified.

Deuteronomy 10:6

The Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene Jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest — the itinerary notice marks the wilderness journey's progression. Aaron's death and replacement by Eleazar signals transition in priestly authority within the covenant community.