Were the 10 commandments duplicated on 2 tablets?

BibleAsk Team

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Speaker 1

Alright, so Dolph asks. Happy Sabbath Bible ask team. I just wanted to ask a question about the Table of Stones. How many commandments were written on each tablet? A friend of mine told me that since the commandments established to covenant, it is likely that they were duplicated on both tablets in which a copy was made for each party. It got me confused as okay, so I’m going to back up here with the both tablets in which a copy was made for each party. It got me confused as I’m used to, but I don’t have any proof or historical evidence about it. Hope you can answer my question. God bless us all.

Speaker 2

Amen. That’s a great question, Dolph. And actually it was kind of new to me too when I’d heard this. So the Bible doesn’t specify whether or not it was transcribed twice. If you look in the Book of Exodus as well as in the Book.

Speaker 3

Of Deuteronomy, when it says that the.

Speaker 2

Ten Commandments were given, it just says that there was two tablets and there were the Ten Commandments on them. It doesn’t say one tablet had the Ten Commandments and the other had the Ten Commandments. It doesn’t specify that in the Bible. However, there is a tradition or a story that as far as how a Jewish covenant was established, it was that it was two copies of the same covenant so that each participant in that covenant would have a copy of it.

Speaker 3

In a sense.

Speaker 2

How the story is that the two copies meaning that the first copy of the Ten Commandments was God’s copy and the second copy was our copy as humankind. And that’s an interesting possibility.

Speaker 3

As far.

Speaker 2

As making a covenant or making any kind of contract. And that’s true as far as making a contract, that’s how it would be.

Speaker 3

The buyer and the seller, there’s always.

Speaker 2

A copy of the contract for each party. So that’s kind of where the idea comes from. However, the Bible isn’t very clear as to whether or not that’s the case. But what is interesting is when you read about the giving of the table, the two tablets is they’re put in the Ark of the Covenant, which is in the most holy place and that is the most inner part of the sanctuary. And so to me it’s more saying that these Ten Commandments are very precious and important to God and to us, but not necessarily that there are two copies, because I don’t know that for a fact and that’s not specified in the Bible. So that’s kind of where that idea comes from. But as far as biblically speaking, we don’t know that for sure. Jerry, do you have any thoughts on that?

Speaker 4

Oh, like you, that’s my thought too is the Bible just doesn’t specify it. But I just know traditionally a lot of people understood it, that it is the four on one tablet and the six on the other. That’s what I’ve always understood. And that makes sense, right? The ones regarding relationship to God and then the one regarding our relationship to others. But who knows? I’ve heard other really interesting stories, too, right. That the Ten Commandments may have been originally on like, sapphire or like a blue stone. Have you heard that one?

Speaker 2

I have heard that, actually, and that’s why I believe it’s in sorry if I’m picturing this numbers 1517, I’m not off the top of my head, but basically where it talks about that the Jews were to have a ribbon of blue on the hem of their garment to signify the law of God. And so that’s another reason why people say, oh, the Ten Commandments were written on a blue stone because the blue was to remind the Jews of the Ten Commandments. And that’s why blue is so important in Jewish culture. But again, we don’t know that for a fact.

Speaker 4

Yeah, fun things we get to find out.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I want to go to heaven and see exactly for sure.

Speaker 3

But again, like I said, we don’t.

Speaker 2

Know as far as the two stones. But I did want to say something really quick. So when we talk about the Ten Commandments and then being on two stones and it being Ten Commandments, I think it’s very interesting that God gave us two hands with ten fingers. And I always think of how important that is as far as spiritual concept, God, jesus said the greatest of these commandments is to love God. The first four, in a sense, loving your parents is kind of the fifth. It’s part of loving God. And the other five are loving man. And on these two hang all the law and the prophets. All the commandments are summed up in love for God and love for man. And I just think it’s just a good spiritual concept in that sense that half of the Ten Commandments are on 1 st and the other half are on the other, because it’s more about your relationship with God and your relationship with man as far as the dynamic of the Ten Commandments. So if I was going to say my thoughts, I would think it would be all the commandments on the two stones.

Speaker 2

But again, I don’t know for sure. But if you want to look for yourself where it’s even mentioned in the Bible, that would be Exodus 34 28 as well as Deuteronomy 413. But again, there’s no specification, right.

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