The Ten Commandments Written on Stone

The Ten Commandments Written on Stone Ask most Americans about the Ten Commandments, and they envision Charlton Heston holding two engraved, round-topped, large, brownstone tablets in each arm. Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, 1956 Western artworks have almost uniformly portrayed the tablets with rounded tops composed of brown or black stone from the Middle Ages onward. Moses with the Ten Commandments, Rembrandt, 1659

Paintings and drawings imagine how God engraved the words on each of the tablets, both slabs carved from the side of Mount Sinai for Moses. Alex Levin, Israel Now, set aside all you’ve imaged about Moses and these tablets and consider an alternate possibility, one perhaps utterly foreign to what you’ve been taught. Imagine God sitting on a sky-blue stone throne, and the stone below also blue.1 God then extracts stone from the foundation below His throne, inscribing His Ten Commandments onto two tablets of this blue-colored stone. Like most portable ancient stone tablets, these were rectangular with four corners.2 Their text doesn’t resemble modern Hebrew, the characters in Paleo-Hebrew, or the closely related earlier Pictographic-Hebrew. God wrote His word in the language His people could read and understand. Having descended the mountain, Moses, in anger, smashes these tablets. While God graciously grants him new tablets in replacement, the second circumstances are slightly different, as God has Moses carve out these new tablets, similar to the old. Only then does God again engrave His message on them. Moses deposits the tablets into a box, called the ark of the covenant, already crafted according to God’s instruction. The lid, or box cover, is the mercy seat, where God descends to His people, between the two 1 While the Bible doesn’t specifically say God was seated on a throne, the context of a meal is where everyone is sitting. While the nomadic elders likely reclined on the ground, the text implies God was seated as Exodus points out what was under His feet. For something to be under His feet, He would either be standing or sitting on a throne – the throne more likely showing His status as the greater party to this covenant. 2 Notable Middle and New Kingdom Egyptian Stelae had rounded tops, yet these were large monuments designed for permanent placement. Egyptians rounded their top to represent the sky. Moses’ tablets were already sky-blue. Small transportable tablets designed for moving information over a distance, such as the 14th century BC Amarna tablets, tend to be rectangular. The larger of these, note EA27, is 8 x 5 inches, rectangular, and about an inch thick.

golden cherubs on each side. This represented God’s throne, where angels surround Him in the throne room of heaven. The supporting evidence for the described scene, albeit indirect, comes from the Bible. We’ll start first with this setting, at Mount Sinai, during the exodus out of Egypt... Exodus 24:9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. The Hebrew word translated sapphire stone could be sapphire gems or lapis lazuli. The latter stone contextually fits with this region. The Sinai Peninsula was an ancient and modern source for lapis lazuli. The text’s emphasis is on its color. Even our modern word sapphire comes from the Latin “saphirus” and Greek “sapheiros,” both simply meaning “blue.” Lapis lazuli, a semi-precious stone, has been treasured for its intense blue color since antiquity. Unlike sapphire gemstones, lapis lazuli is found in much larger sizes, and it’s readily able to be carved into a tablet. Many have called Lapis lazuli the stone of heaven. Lapis is Latin for stone (lapidary), and lazuli has Persian origins, meaning azure. Azure is, by definition, the bright blue color of a cloudless sky. The sky, also called heaven, is blue.3 When the ESV describes the stone as “like the very heaven for clearness,” this could also say “like the sky itself for purity.” 3 When God created the heavens at the beginning (Genesis 1:1), this included the terrestrial heavens (sky), the celestial heavens (home of planets and stars), and the spiritual heaven (God’s dwelling place).

God meeting with and hosting a meal for the elders of Israel was typical to major agreements in this ancient culture. This was a covenant meal. In those days, you only ate with people that were allies, or friends, or family. This meal signified that God was entering into a covenant with His people, with who He would identify. The meal showed God’s acceptance of these people, with Moses and Aaron and the seventy-two elders representing the entire nation. As the story continues, we now have that scene tied to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. The seventy-four had gone up onto the mountain but not toward the top.4 While in the presence of God and able to see the color of the stone under His feet, they didn’t come to Him face to face, as Moses was about to do.5 And, for both, seeing Him or face-to-face cannot be taken to look upon God in his fullness as they would have been consumed. Moses, now leaving the larger group of elders, continues to draw closer to God... Ex. 24:12 The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.” 15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The Jews reasonably believe that God took some of the stone below His feet to craft the tablets for the Ten Commandments He gave to Moses.6 Ex. 32:16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. Having come down the mountain, Moses smashes these God-made tablets out of anger.7 Ex. 32:19 And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 4 Exodus 24:1-2 5 Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10. The focus on God’s feet implies they couldn’t see all of God. Based on later interaction with Moses, God likely shrouded His upper body in a cloud or darkness. (Exodus 22:21; 24:15; 33:18-23). Moses seeing God’s back was enough to change him. 6 Consider the Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim 38a, plus commentaries on the Mishnah, including Mishnah of Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 14, and Obadiah Bertinoro on Mishnah, Avot 5:6. Also, a literal translation of Exodus 24:12 could read, “... I may give you the tablets of the stone...,” the text pointing to the only stone previously mentioned in Exodus 24:10. 7 Jews have a fast commemorating the destruction of these tablets on the 17th of Tammuz.

Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us by Charles Foster, 1897 God graciously replaces the tablets, but this time requires Moses to carve out the new tablets, similar to the first ones, and take them to Him. God again writes the Ten Commandments on these new tablets. Ex. 34:1 The LORD said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. 3 No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. Don’t miss that God wanted the replacement tablets to look like the first. If the first were blue lapis lazuli, Moses would have carved out two similar tablets, including shape and size. Remember, he carried the first ones down and knew what they looked like and felt like. We’re not told the size of the tablets, and Jewish tradition has conflicting ideas on this. The ark was constructed before the tablets were given, so God’s container constrains their maximum size.8 Art and movies often make the tablets huge, even beyond what the ark would have held, but such tablets of solid rock would be almost impossible to carry. 8 See Exodus 25:10. Two and a half cubits by one and a half cubits by one and a half cubits high are approximately 45 inches x 27 inches x 27 inches tall.

One Jewish idea held the tablets were about 20 inches by 20 inches and 10 inches thick.9 A rock slab that large would weigh about 380 lbs.10 Other rabbinic sources reduce the size in half to 20 inches by 10 inches wide and 10 ten inches thick, still a massive 190 lbs. There was no way Moses was carrying these down the mountain. A 9” x 13” tablet, one inch thick, would weigh around 11 pounds. The text on the tablets doesn’t require as much space as most imagine. Remember, ancient Hebrew has no vowels, so the words are much shorter. The tablets may have been even smaller, as implied by Exodus 34:4 – Moses “took in his hand the two tablets of stone.” Here, in Hebrew, the singular “hand” infers Moses carried them both in one hand. This aligns itself with a significant detail noted elsewhere about Moses; by the command of God, he also usually had a staff requiring the use of his other hand.11 The total weight of the ark of the covenant with its contents also implies small tablets. The ark was to be carried by four people over long distances.12 Others have worked on estimates of this weight, taking into account the size and density of the wood, the gold overlay’s weight, and more. Using larger tablet sizes, one arrived at 288 pounds, still far too heavy for four people, each bearing a load of 72 pounds.13 Another revised these numbers, assuming small tablets both carried in one hand. He arrived at 183 pounds.14 Each man then bore about 46 pounds, heavy but manageable. The tablets were possibly as small as 6” x 9” to stay around this manageable weight and maintain a legible text. What happened to the pieces of the broken tablets? While the Bible doesn’t directly respond to this question, Jewish tradition records a reasonable explanation.15 They gathered up the pieces and kept them alongside the new intact copy inside the ark. They did so because the broken fragments included the divinely written name of God.16 Even in pieces, this was sacred stone. Deut. 10:1 “At that time the LORD said to me, ‘Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to me on the mountain and make an ark of wood. 2 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.’ 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the 9 Talmud Bava Batra 14a (this section includes a lengthy discussion on how much space everything in the ark would have occupied, including the thickness of the walls. They seem to think the tablets needed to consume most of the available space. 10 Albeit, they believed God carved the letters clear through, so if, perhaps, a quarter of its mass was removed for lettering, that would reduce its weight to about 285 lbs. 11 Called the “staff of God” in Exodus 4:20. See also Exodus 4:1-17. See Moses using it in Exodus chapter 7 through 10, plus 17. 12 The poles to each side were designed for two men from and back on each side, a total of four: Exodus 25:14. They were carried on the shoulder: Numbers 7:9; 1 Chronicles 15:15. 13 Josiah Derby, mentioned by Elihu A. Schatz, see note 10. 14 Elihu A. Schatz, The Weight of the Ark of the Covenant, retrieved on January 1, 2022, from jewishbible.org. He assumed “that the tablets were each 25 centimeters long by 20 centimeters wide by 2 centimeters thick, and the density of the stone was 156 pounds/cubic foot (2.5 gram/cubic centimeter).” He estimated 11 lbs for the tablets. He did not include the weight of the tablet fragments, so it’s likely the tablets were even smaller than his estimate. 15 Talmud Bava Batra 14b 16 The ark and its contents were closely associated with the name of God, see 2 Samuel 6:2.

assembly. And the LORD gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark that I had made. And there they are, as the LORD commanded me.” The Jewish understanding of “you shall put them in the ark” included both the broken tablets and the new tablets, hereafter both called “the two tablets of stone”17 as the second set was an exact copy. The bluestone found under God’s feet, used for the tablets, represents more than the sky or heaven. Consider Ezekiel’s vision of the throne of God: Ezek. 1:26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance.18 The very throne of God has the same appearance as sapphire or lapis lazuli. While Exodus doesn’t explicitly say they saw God seated on a throne on the mountain, it evokes the same idea. Everywhere God stands or sits is holy, and this blue represents God’s holiness, something the Law was designed to reveal to His people. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne.19 This is also why God commanded the ever-present tassels on Israeli garments to have a cord of blue. They were to remind of the Ten Commandments, given in blue, and the need for holiness before a Holy God.20 When the ark was being moved, it was covered in blue, similarly reminding the people.21 Num. 15:37 The LORD said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow5 after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. 40 So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. 41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD your God.” 17 1 Kings 8:9. At different times, other items were also inside the ark. Manna in Exodus 16:33-34. Our most exhaustive list comes in Hebrews 9:4, it includes the tablets (plural), the urn of manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded (Numbers 17:8, 10) initially kept in front of the ark. 18 Also, Ezekiel 10:1 19 Psalms 97:1-2 – The whole of heaven and earth should be holy as heaven is God’s throne and the earth His footstool: Isaiah 66:1 (Matthew 5:34-35). 20 This blue also shows up in other articles associated with the tabernacle and temple, including the veil and curtain. 21 Numbers 4:5-6

The covered ark, FreeBibleImages.org This foundation of holiness explains why Isaiah sees Israel with a foundation of sapphire or lapis lazuli.22 God’s people are on a rock of righteousness. To this day, blue is a significant color to the nation of Israel23 as Jeremiah prophesies that Jerusalem will be called the throne of God24 and, as we’ve seen, that throne is blue. Knowing the tablets were deposited in the ark of the covenant, consider the completed imagery of the whole. The ark’s cover included a seat bounded by two golden cherubim at each end, wings spread, and 22 Isaiah 54:11-14 23 Consider the color on their flag. 24 Jeremiah 3:17, also Ezekiel 43:7.

facing the mercy seat.25 This represents the throne room of heaven, quite similar to Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne bounded by angelic beings proclaiming His holiness.26 Below that seat, the bluestones of the Law are in the box. The pavement under God’s feet is still this stone of blue. It’s fitting this includes stones broken by man, representing God’s law which man readily breaks. Likewise, there are intact stones, showing God’s law continues, though broken by man. The high priest came once a year to this mercy seat, on the Day of Atonement, with a blood offering for Israel’s sins.27 The tabernacle provided a picture of God’s salvation from the events in the Garden of Eden. Of course, it pointed to the need for salvation in Jesus Christ. This we can see more clearly looking back on it. But, for those using it, all the items presented visuals to teach God’s people about Him. As the Challies graphic shows... #1. The Altar: God saves sinners through sacrifice. #2. The Laver: God cleanses and washes sinners whiter than snow. #3. The Tabernacle: God lives among His people, though sinners. #4. The Showbread: God fellowships with His people, though sinners. #5. The Lampstand: God gives light to His people, though sinners. #6. The Incense Altar: God hears His people, though sinners. #7. The Curtain or Veil: God is separate from sinners, yet there is a way into His presence for sinners #8. The Ark of the Covenant: God reigns over His people in holiness, though they are sinners. Further, the tabernacle provided a contrasting picture to the Garden of Eden, visually revealing God was restoring the relationship He once had with our first parents. 25 Exodus 25:17-22; 37:6; 1 Samuel 4:4 26 Isaiah 6:1-3; here the angels are Seraphs (fiery heralds) rather than guardians. 27 And it was from here that God met with Moses and gave instruction for His people: Exodus 25:22.

The Garden of Eden The Tabernacle Humankind was expelled from the east28 Access granted at the east entrance29 A defined place of service to God30 A walled place of service to God31 God walked here with His people32 God walks among His people33 Tree of Life34 The Lampstand35 – a stylized representation of Cherubim blocking the entrance to the Garden36 the Tree of Life. Cherubim intertwined in the tabernacle curtains and veil37 The high priest came before God at His mercy seat, passing by and through items with all this imagery. There, below this representative throne, God’s Ten Commandments on bluestone represent God’s holiness and righteousness. Yes, God had provided a way for people to again come into His Holy presence. Eternity builds on this theme... Eternity – New Heavens and New Earth God’s people allowed to enter from every direction38 A walled place of service to God39 God walks there with His people40 Tree of Life is there41 The Cherubim removed42 28 Genesis 3:24 29 Exodus 27:13-16 30 Genesis 2:15 31 Numbers 3:6-10 32 Genesis 3:8 33 Leviticus 26:12; Exodus 29:44-45; Exodus 33:14 34 Genesis 2:9; 3:22-24 35 Exodus 25:31-40 36 Genesis 3:24 37 Exodus 26:1, 31; 36:8, 35 38 Revelation 21:12-13, 24-25; Luke 13:29 39 Revelation 21:13; 22:3; Revelation 7:15; Daniel 7:14 40 Revelation 21:3 41 Revelation 22:1-2 42 Revelation 21:24-26