Deuteronomy10

Moses recounts God's command to prepare new stone tablets and an ark, upon which the LORD rewrote the Ten Commandments. He then reminds Israel of the Levites' unique separation for service and his own intercession for the people. The chapter culminates in a profound exhortation for Israel to fear, love, and obey the LORD with all their heart, emphasizing His greatness and their chosen status.

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Renewal of the Covenant Tablets

At that time the LORD said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood.

And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you are to place them in the ark.”

So I made an ark of acacia wood, chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands.

And the LORD wrote on the tablets what had been written previously, the Ten Commandments that He had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the assembly. The LORD gave them to me,

and I went back down the mountain and placed the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD had commanded me; and there they have remained.

Journey and the Death of Aaron

The Israelites traveled from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried, and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest.

From there they traveled to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with streams of water.

The Separation of the Tribe of Levi

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 serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day.

That is why Levi has no portion or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God promised him.

I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, like the first time, and that time the LORD again listened to me and agreed not to destroy you.

Then the LORD said to me, “Get up. Continue your journey ahead of the people, that they may enter and possess the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”

What God Requires: Fear, Love, and Justice

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD that I am giving you this day for your own good?

Behold, to the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, and the earth and everything in it.

Yet the LORD has set His affection on your fathers and loved them. And He has chosen you, their descendants after them, above all the peoples, even to this day.

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and stiffen your necks no more.

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.

He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing.

So you also must love the foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

You are to fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name.

He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome wonders that your eyes have seen.

Your fathers went down to Egypt, seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Study Notes for Deuteronomy 10

Verse 1

This passage links back to the events following the Golden Calf incident (Exodus 34), detailing God’s command to Moses to prepare a second set of tablets. The Ark of the Covenant, made of acacia (shittim) wood, was required to house the renewed law.

Verse 2

God’s willingness to rewrite the law demonstrates His grace and commitment to the covenant despite Israel’s immediate failure. The second set of tablets symbolizes the renewal of the relationship.

Verse 4

The Ten Commandments (Decalogue) were written by God Himself, confirming that the content of the law remained unchanged, even though the physical tablets were replaced.

Verse 6

This brief geographical interlude summarizes key stages of the wilderness journey, including the death of Aaron. While Numbers 20 places Aaron’s death at Mount Hor, 'Mosera' here may refer to the region surrounding the mountain.

Verse 8

This verse recalls the formal dedication of the Levites to specialized service shortly after the covenant renewal. Their primary roles included bearing the Ark, ministering to God in the sanctuary, and blessing the people in His name.

Verse 9

Because the Levites were separated for sacred duties, they were not allotted tribal territory in Canaan. God himself was designated as their inheritance, meaning they were supported by the tithes and offerings of the other tribes.

Verse 10

This second forty-day intercession (following the Golden Calf incident) was critical. Moses' successful pleading (the LORD hearkened unto me) secured God's pardon and prevented the destruction of the nation.

Verse 12

This is the central theological question and answer of Deuteronomy, defining true covenant obedience. God requires a holistic response involving reverence ('fear'), practical faithfulness ('walk'), deep affection ('love'), and committed action ('serve').

Verse 13

The law is presented not as a harsh burden but as something commanded 'for thy good.' Obedience is beneficial, designed to promote the well-being and flourishing of the covenant community.

Verse 14

The phrase 'heaven and the heaven of heavens' emphasizes Yahweh’s absolute sovereignty and transcendence over all creation. This universal dominion contrasts sharply with His intimate choice of Israel (v. 15).

Verse 15

Israel’s election is based entirely on God’s sovereign, initiating love for their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their chosen status is a gift of grace, not a reward for merit.

Verse 16

Moses calls for internal, spiritual transformation rather than mere external ritual. To 'circumcise the foreskin of your heart' means removing spiritual stubbornness and opening oneself fully to God’s will.

Verse 17

God is defined as the supreme ruler ('God of gods, and Lord of lords') who acts with perfect justice. He is impartial and cannot be swayed by bribery or human rank.

Verse 18

God’s supreme power is manifested in His defense of the most vulnerable members of society: the fatherless, the widow, and the resident alien ('stranger'). Ethical action is inseparable from theological truth.

Verse 19

Israel is commanded to extend the same love and care to the stranger that God shows, rooted in their own historical experience of being oppressed strangers in Egypt.

Verse 21

Israel’s praise must be directed toward God because He personally intervened in their history, performing 'great and terrible things' (like the Exodus) to establish them as His people.

Verse 22

This verse contrasts the small origins of Israel (seventy persons under Jacob) with their massive present population. This demographic miracle serves as evidence of God’s faithfulness to the covenant promises.

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Deuteronomy10

Renewal of the Covenant Tablets

Journey and the Death of Aaron

The Separation of the Tribe of Levi

What God Requires: Fear, Love, and Justice

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