And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.

DEUTERONOMY 10:3KJV
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Deuteronomy 10:3 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 10:3 mean?

Deuteronomy 10:3 describes Moses making a wooden chest out of acacia wood and carving two new stone tablets, like the first ones, before going up the mountain with these tablets in his hands. This verse shows Moses preparing to receive the commandments from God again after the first tablets were broken.

Moses is speaking to the Israelites, reminding them of what happened after they sinned with the golden calf. He explains how he followed God’s instructions by making an "ark" (a chest) and new "tables of stone" to replace the ones he broke earlier. The verse highlights Moses’ obedience and the careful preparation for restoring the covenant between God and Israel.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 10:3

  • "Ark" (אָרוֹן, ’aron, H727): This word refers to a chest or box, here meaning the special container for the tablets. It emphasizes the care and reverence for the commandments.
  • "Shittim" (שִׁטִּים, shittim, H7848): This is acacia wood, a durable wood common in the region. Its use shows the practical and lasting nature of what Moses built.
  • "Hewed" (פָּסַל, pasal, H6458): This word means to carve or shape, showing Moses’ active role in preparing the new tablets, not just receiving them passively.
  • "Tables" (לוּחַ, luach, H3871) and "stone" (אֶבֶן, eben, H68): These words refer to the stone tablets, the physical objects on which the commandments were written. The repetition stresses their importance and the restoration of what was lost.

Why Deuteronomy 10:3 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Moses himself made the new tablets and the ark, showing his personal responsibility and involvement in restoring the covenant.
  • The detail about the materials and the process emphasizes the seriousness and care taken in handling God’s instructions.
  • By recalling this event, Moses reminds the people of their history and the importance of obedience and reverence for God’s commands, setting the stage for the laws that follow in Deuteronomy.

Where else these words appear

“hewed” Hebrew H6458 · used in 6 verses

  • Exodus 34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.
  • Exodus 34:4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.
  • 1 Kings 5:18 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.

“shittim” Hebrew H7848 · used in 28 verses

  • Exodus 25:5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
  • Exodus 27:1 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.
  • Exodus 37:1 And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:

“tables” Hebrew H3871 · used in 33 verses

  • 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.
  • Exodus 38:7 And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards.
  • Deuteronomy 10:5 And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me.