Exodus 24:12
And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
Original Language Analysis
יְהוָ֜ה
And the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֜ה
And the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
2 of 19
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
עֲלֵ֥ה
Come up
H5927
עֲלֵ֥ה
Come up
Strong's:
H5927
Word #:
5 of 19
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
הָהָ֖רָה
to me into the mount
H2022
הָהָ֖רָה
to me into the mount
Strong's:
H2022
Word #:
7 of 19
a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)
וֶֽהְיֵה
H1961
וֶֽהְיֵה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
8 of 19
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
שָׁ֑ם
H8033
וְאֶתְּנָ֨ה
and be there and I will give
H5414
וְאֶתְּנָ֨ה
and be there and I will give
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
10 of 19
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
12 of 19
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
לֻחֹ֣ת
thee tables
H3871
לֻחֹ֣ת
thee tables
Strong's:
H3871
Word #:
13 of 19
probably meaning to glisten; a tablet (as polished), of stone, wood or metal
וְהַתּוֹרָה֙
and a law
H8451
וְהַתּוֹרָה֙
and a law
Strong's:
H8451
Word #:
15 of 19
a precept or statute, especially the decalogue or pentateuch
וְהַמִּצְוָ֔ה
and commandments
H4687
וְהַמִּצְוָ֔ה
and commandments
Strong's:
H4687
Word #:
16 of 19
a command, whether human or divine (collectively, the law)
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
H834
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
17 of 19
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
Cross References
Deuteronomy 5:22These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.Exodus 31:18And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.Hebrews 9:4Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;Jeremiah 31:33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.2 Corinthians 3:3Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.Exodus 24:18And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.Exodus 24:15And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.Exodus 24:2And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.2 Corinthians 3:7But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:Deuteronomy 4:14And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern law codes were often inscribed on stone (like Hammurabi's stele). God's stone tablets signified permanence and divine origin. Moses' extended time on the mountain (40 days, v. 18) creates crisis below (golden calf, ch. 32).
Questions for Reflection
- Why does God write the law on stone rather than leaving oral tradition—what does written revelation accomplish?
- How does God writing with His own finger emphasize the law's divine origin?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
God summons Moses higher and longer—'be there' (וֶהְיֵה־שָׁם, veheyeh-sham) suggests extended stay. God will give stone tablets (לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן, luchot ha'even)—permanent, imperishable record. 'Law and commandments which I have written' (הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי, hatorah vehammitzvah asher katavti)—God Himself writes, not Moses. The ten words are literally inscribed by God's finger (31:18, Deuteronomy 9:10). Purpose: 'that thou mayest teach them'—Moses receives revelation to transmit. The stone tablets endure (until Moses breaks them, 32:19); the written word outlasts oral tradition.