And 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.

EXODUS 31:18KJV
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Exodus 31:18 (KJV)

What does Exodus 31:18 mean?

Exodus 31:18 describes how, after God finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, God gave Moses two stone tablets called the "tables of testimony," which were inscribed by God’s own finger. These tablets contained the written record of God's covenant and commands for the Israelites.

In this verse, the scene is Moses on Mount Sinai, having received direct instructions from God. The "tables of testimony" are physical objects—stone tablets—that serve as a permanent, tangible sign of the agreement between God and the people of Israel. The detail that they are "written with the finger of God" emphasizes their divine origin and authority, setting them apart from anything made by human hands.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 31:18

  • "tables" (לוּחַ, luach): This word refers to flat stone slabs, highlighting that these were solid, enduring objects meant to last and be preserved.
  • "testimony" (תֵּעוּדָה, eduth): This term means "witness" or "evidence," showing that the tablets were not just commands but served as a witness to the covenant relationship between God and Israel.
  • "written" (כָּתַב, kathav): The verb here stresses that the writing was not ordinary; the verse says it was done by God Himself, underlining the sacredness and authority of what was written.
  • "finger" (אֶצְבַּע, etsba): The phrase "written with the finger of God" is a vivid way of saying that the inscription was directly from God, not mediated through any human scribe.

Why Exodus 31:18 matters

  • Exodus 31:18 makes clear that the commandments were not just spoken but physically given in a permanent form, underscoring their importance and unchanging nature.
  • The verse highlights the unique role of Moses as the mediator who receives God’s direct communication and brings it to the people.
  • By stressing that the tablets were written by God’s own "finger," the verse sets up the seriousness of what happens when the tablets are later broken, and it emphasizes the direct involvement of God in forming Israel’s identity and law.

Where else these words appear

“finger” Hebrew H676 · used in 28 verses

  • Exodus 8:19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
  • Leviticus 14:16 And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD:
  • Psalms 144:1 A Psalm of David. Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:

“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.
  • Deuteronomy 4:13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
  • 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.

“Sinai” Hebrew H5514 · used in 34 verses

  • Exodus 16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
  • Exodus 34:32 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.
  • Numbers 9:5 And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.

“testimony” Hebrew H5715 · used in 57 verses

  • Exodus 16:34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
  • Exodus 40:21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
  • 1 Chronicles 29:19 And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.