Deuteronomy 10:2
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What's remarkable here is that God doesn't change the Law itself after the people broke it, but instead, He writes it anew. This shows that the core commands of God are unchangeable, and His faithfulness remains even when we fail. This renewal, with the Law placed in the ark, foreshadows how Christ fulfills and embodies God's unyielding, steadfast love and justice for us.
And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
After the devastating incident where Israel broke the first stone tablets containing God's covenant law, God instructs Moses to hew new ones. God promises to rewrite the very same words on these new tablets, demonstrating His unwavering faithfulness and that His law remains unchanged. These renewed tablets, containing the unalterable covenant, are then to be placed in the ark, signifying God's continued presence and commitment to His people despite their failures.
The Israelites broke the first tablets of God's law. You'd think that would be the end of it. But God's response is not condemnation, but a remarkable act of grace and renewal.
After Israel's devastating sin of the golden calf, God didn't just cancel the covenant. He commanded Moses to hew new stone tablets. And even more astonishing, He declared He would write the same words on them again. This wasn't a punishment or a lesser substitute; it was a profound demonstration that God's commitment to His covenant and His law remained steadfast, even when His people failed spectacularly. This renewal wasn't about changing the law, but about showing that God's wrath had been turned away, paving the way for reconciliation.
Did the new tablets mean the law had changed? Or was it a sign of something deeper? This passage makes it clear: God's requirements didn't shift.
The crucial point here is that the words written on the second set of tablets were identical to the first. God wasn't revising His law. The law remains God's perfect standard, an unchangeable reflection of His holy character. Even after Israel's sin, the requirement to love and obey God and neighbor was the same. The renewal of the tablets signifies the enduring authority and importance of God's law as the basis for the covenant relationship, a truth that still stands today.
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These renewed tablets weren't just kept anywhere. They were placed in a special container – the Ark. What does this tell us about where God's law resides?
The command to place the new tablets into the Ark of the Covenant is significant. The Ark was the most sacred object in Israel, representing God's tangible presence dwelling among His people. By placing the law within it, God signified that His covenant, His presence, and His word were intrinsically linked. The law wasn't just a set of rules to be stored away; it was to be held in the very heart of God's dwelling place on earth. Later interpretations also see the Ark as a type or symbol pointing towards Christ, in whom God's law is perfectly fulfilled and His presence is fully realized.
Understand the original words
dabar · Hebrew Noun
In a covenantal context, these refer to the Law or the foundational moral stipulations given by God to His people to govern their lives and conduct before Him.
This passage describes the initial command for Moses to hew new tablets after the first were broken, mirroring the command in Deuteronomy 10:1 and setting the stage for God's re-writing of the Law.
Jeremiah 31:33This verse speaks of a future covenant where God promises to write His laws on the hearts and minds of His people, drawing a powerful parallel to the physical tablets being re-written and fulfilling the spirit of the Law being internalized.
2 Corinthians 3:3Paul directly references the Law written on stone tablets, contrasting it with the new covenant where believers become 'letters of Christ' written by the Spirit, highlighting the shift from external law to internal transformation.
Hebrews 9:4This passage describes the contents of the ark, mentioning the gold pot holding the manna and Aaron's rod, but crucially, it states that the ten commandments were 'in it,' underscoring the significance of the tablets and their placement.
pooleDeuteronomy 10:2: "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."
No text from Poole on this verse.
gillDeuteronomy 10:2: "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."
And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest,.... (a) Though they were hewn by Moses, the writing on them was the Lord's; and the very same laws, in the same words, without any alteration or variation, were written by him on these as on the former; partly to show the authenticity of them, that they were o…
What's remarkable here is that God doesn't change the Law itself after the people broke it, but instead, He writes it anew. This shows that the core commands of God are unchangeable, and His faithfulness remains even when we fail. This renewal, with the Law placed in the ark, foreshadows how Christ fulfills and embodies God's unyielding, steadfast love and justice for us.
After the devastating incident where Israel broke the first stone tablets containing God's covenant law, God instructs Moses to hew new ones. God promises to rewrite the very same words on these new tablets, demonstrating His unwavering faithfulness and that His law remains unchanged. These renewed tablets, containing the unalterable covenant, are then to be placed in the ark, signifying God's continued presence and commitment to His people despite their failures.
After the devastating incident where Israel broke the first stone tablets containing God's covenant law, God instructs Moses to hew new ones. God promises to rewrite the very same words on these new tablets, demonstrating His unwavering faithfulness and that His law remains unchanged. These renewed tablets, containing the unalterable covenant, are then to be placed in the ark, signifying God's continued presence and commitment to His people despite their failures.
"And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.’" — What's remarkable here is that God doesn't change the Law itself after the people broke it, but instead, He writes it anew. This shows that the core commands of God are unchangeable, and His faithful…
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Last reviewed October 2026
