Deuteronomy 9:10

9:10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger ¹  of God, and on them was everything ²  he ³  said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly.

Deuteronomy 10:1

The Opportunity to Begin Again

10:1 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark. ⁴ 

Deuteronomy 10:4

10:4 The Lord ⁵  then wrote on the tablets the same words, ⁶  the ten commandments, ⁷  which he ⁸  had spoken to you at the mountain from the middle of the fire at the time of that assembly, and he ⁹  gave them to me.

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¹ sn The very finger of God. This is a double figure of speech (1) in which God is ascribed human features (anthropomorphism) and (2) in which a part stands for the whole (synecdoche). That is, God, as Spirit, has no literal finger nor, if he had, would he write with his finger. Rather, the sense is that God himself – not Moses in any way – was responsible for the composition of the Ten Commandments (cf. Exod 31:18; 32:16; 34:1).

² tn Heb “according to all the words.”

³ tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise at the beginning of vv. 12, 13). See note on “he” in 9:3.

⁴ tn Or “chest” (so NIV, CEV); NLT “sacred chest”; TEV “wooden box.” This chest was made of acacia wood; it is later known as the ark of the covenant.

⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Heb “according to the former writing.” See note on the phrase “the same words” in v. 2.

⁷ tn Heb “ten words.” The “Ten Commandments” are known in Hebrew as the “Ten Words,” which in Greek became the “Decalogue.”

⁸ tn Heb “the Lord.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

⁹ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” earlier in this verse.