Exodus 32:15
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The detail that the tablets were written on "both sides" is significant. It implies a completeness and fullness of the Law, containing everything essential, leaving no room for additions or subtractions, as the text later warns.
After a tumultuous encounter with God on Mount Sinai, Moses descends with the stone tablets containing the Law. He encounters Joshua, who had been waiting for him, and together they hear the sounds of revelry from the Israelite camp. As they draw closer, Moses realizes the true horror of their actions: the people have created and are worshipping a golden calf.
Imagine holding the very words of God in your hands. What does it mean that they were written on both sides?
The text in Exodus 32:15 highlights a remarkable detail: the tablets of the Law were written on both sides. This isn't just a physical characteristic; it speaks to the profound completeness and thoroughness of God's revelation.
Moses descended from the mountain, not empty-handed, but with a weighty burden. What does this physical weight symbolize for his mission?
As Moses 'turned and went down from the mount,' he carried the very covenant he had received from God. This physical act is rich with symbolic meaning:
Understand the original words
eduth · Hebrew Noun
The legal or authoritative record of God’s covenant with Israel. It serves as a witness or evidence of the holy standards God established for His people.
This passage directly references the Law written by God's finger on stone tables, similar to Exodus 32:15, emphasizing the divine origin and nature of the commandments.
Exodus 31:18This verse, which precedes the account of the golden calf, mentions God giving Moses the two tables of testimony, written with the finger of God, providing the immediate context for the tables Moses carried down.
Deuteronomy 5:22This passage reiterates that the Lord spoke the commandments directly to Israel and wrote them on two stone tablets, highlighting the significance of the 'testimony' Moses carried, as mentioned in Exodus 32:15.
Jeremiah 17:1This verse uses the imagery of sin being written on the 'table of their hearts' with a 'pen of iron,' drawing a parallel to the divine inscription on stone tablets, illustrating how God's law is meant to be inwardly internalized, not just outwardly inscribed.
Psalm 119:11This Psalm speaks of hiding God's word in one's heart, connecting to the idea that the divine writing on the tablets was intended to be internalized and lived out, not just observed as an external artifact.
cambridgeExodus 32:15: "And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written."
15 . of the testimony ] The expression is P’s (see on Exodus 25:16 ); and will have been introduced here by RP[219] on the basis of Exodus 31:18 a, Exodus 34:29 . E would have written ‘the tables of stone ’ ( Exodus 31:18 b). [219] See pp. xi, xii. written on both their sides , &c.]…
wesleyExodus 32:15: "And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written."
32:15 On both their sides - Some on one table and some on the other, so that they were folded together like a book, to be deposited in the ark.
The detail that the tablets were written on "both sides" is significant. It implies a completeness and fullness of the Law, containing everything essential, leaving no room for additions or subtractions, as the text later warns.
After a tumultuous encounter with God on Mount Sinai, Moses descends with the stone tablets containing the Law. He encounters Joshua, who had been waiting for him, and together they hear the sounds of revelry from the Israelite camp. As they draw closer, Moses realizes the true horror of their actions: the people have created and are worshipping a golden calf.
After a tumultuous encounter with God on Mount Sinai, Moses descends with the stone tablets containing the Law. He encounters Joshua, who had been waiting for him, and together they hear the sounds of revelry from the Israelite camp. As they draw closer, Moses realizes the true horror of their actions: the people have created and are worshipping a golden calf.
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"Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written." — The detail that the tablets were written on "both sides" is significant. It implies a completeness and fullness of the Law, containing everything essential, leaving no room for additions or subtracti…
