Exodus 32:15 kjv
And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
Exodus 32:15 nkjv
And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.
Exodus 32:15 niv
Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.
Exodus 32:15 esv
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written.
Exodus 32:15 nlt
Then Moses turned and went down the mountain. He held in his hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.
Exodus 32 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 24:12 | "Come up to Me on the mountain and wait there... I will give you the tablets of stone..." | God's intent to give written law. |
| Ex 31:18 | "And when He had finished speaking with him... He gave Moses the two tablets of the Testimony..." | Divine origin and the "finger of God." |
| Ex 34:1 | "Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on the tablets the words..." | God provides replacement tablets. |
| Ex 34:28 | "...He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments." | God writes the renewed covenant. |
| Deut 4:13 | "He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments, and He wrote them on two tablets of stone." | Confirmation of divine authorship. |
| Deut 5:22 | "These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain... and He wrote them on two tablets of stone..." | The Ten Commandments written by God. |
| Deut 9:10 | "When I went up into the mountain... the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God..." | Emphasizes divine authorship ("finger"). |
| Deut 9:11 | "...at the end of forty days and forty nights the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant." | Tablets as the core of the covenant. |
| Deut 10:4 | "And He wrote on the tablets, according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments..." | God duplicates His original writing. |
| Heb 8:10 | "For this is the covenant that I will make... I will put My laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts..." | New Covenant: Law written internally. |
| Jer 31:33 | "...I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts..." | Prophecy of the inward, spiritual law. |
| 2 Cor 3:3 | "...clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." | Contrast: Old Law (stone) vs. New (heart). |
| Ps 19:7-8 | "The law of the LORD is perfect... the testimony of the LORD is sure..." | The perfection and reliability of God's law. |
| Ps 119:96 | "I have seen the limits of all perfection, but Your commandment is exceedingly broad." | God's law is comprehensive and perfect. |
| Rom 7:12 | "Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good." | The divine nature of the law. |
| Josh 1:8 | "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night..." | Importance of studying God's written word. |
| Rev 22:18-19 | "...If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues... if anyone takes away... God shall take away his part..." | Warning against altering divine revelation. |
| Isa 30:8 | "Go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever." | Significance of writing as enduring witness. |
| Dan 5:5 | "In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall..." | God's direct, mysterious writing. |
| Rom 2:15 | "...they show the work of the law written in their hearts..." | Conscience as evidence of God's moral law. |
| Luke 11:20 | "But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." | The "finger of God" in action (compare Ex 31:18). |
| Ex 32:19 | "So it was, as soon as he came near the camp... he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them..." | The dramatic breaking of the tablets. |
Exodus 32 verses
Exodus 32 15 Meaning
Exodus 32:15 describes Moses descending from Mount Sinai, carrying the two tablets upon which God had inscribed His laws. The key detail highlighted is that these stone tablets, which contained the "Testimony" or covenant terms, were uniquely inscribed on both their front and back surfaces. This particular detail emphasizes the completeness, divine origin, and unalterable nature of the commandments given by God to Israel.
Exodus 32 15 Context
Exodus chapter 32 is a pivotal and dramatic account in the narrative of Israel's journey from Egypt. Immediately preceding verse 15, Moses has been on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights, receiving the divine law and instructions for the Tabernacle (Ex 24-31). During this time, the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, growing impatient and rebellious, pressured Aaron to make a golden calf idol (Ex 32:1-6). God reveals their sin to Moses and expresses His fierce anger, threatening to destroy the nation and make a great nation from Moses alone (Ex 32:7-10). However, Moses intercedes passionately on behalf of Israel, appealing to God's character and covenant promises (Ex 32:11-14). Verse 15 marks the transition from Moses' intercession on the mountain back to the reality of Israel's apostasy. He is physically descending, carrying the very embodiment of the covenant that the people have just betrayed. This sets the stage for Moses witnessing their idolatry and the breaking of the tablets in righteous anger.
Exodus 32 15 Word analysis
And Moses turned: Implies a conscious shift from God's presence on the mount to the Israelite camp. It signifies a transition from holy communion to confront sinful reality.
and went down: A physical descent, symbolizing the carrying of divine truth from the realm of the sacred (Mount Sinai, a place of direct revelation) down to the people.
from the mountain: Refers to Mount Sinai (also called Horeb), the very site where God manifested His glory and gave His covenant. This highlights the tablets' immediate, direct divine origin.
with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand:
- two tablets: Representing the two sections of the Ten Commandments (duties to God and duties to neighbor) and symbolizing a binding covenant between two parties (God and Israel).
- Testimony: Hebrew "עֵדוּת" (`edut), meaning "witness" or "testimony." These tablets were the tangible witness to the covenant between God and Israel, testifying to His will and their obligations. They held the terms of the divine treaty.
- in his hand: Signifies Moses as the mediator, personally carrying God's tangible revelation to His people.
the tablets were written on both sides:
- Hebrew "כְּתֻבִים מִשְּׁנֵי עֶבְרֵיהֶם" (ketuvim mishnei evreihem). This is a unique and significant detail.
- In ancient Near Eastern treaty documents, writing on both sides was rare. Often, clay tablets or scrolls would be written on one side or only partially on the second.
- Significance:
- Completeness and Fullness: No space was left for additional, later additions, emphasizing the exhaustive nature of God's commands. It signifies that the law was entirely perfect and sufficient as given by God.
- Divine Origin: Unlike human documents which might leave room for negotiation or further clauses, this suggests an all-encompassing divine declaration.
- Weightiness/Authority: Writing on both sides emphasizes the density and profound significance of the content. It was packed with divine truth.
- Durability and Protection: Being inscribed on both sides might also symbolically denote the tablets' capacity to contain the complete, unchanging will of God.
on the one side and on the other were they written: This is a direct, emphatic repetition to stress the detail, further cementing its significance. It ensures that the reader understands this peculiar feature and its implications for the nature of the divine law.
Exodus 32 15 Bonus section
The writing on "both sides" might also serve as a polemic against the often haphazard or limited documentation of commands by human rulers or even deities in ancient Near Eastern religions. Yahweh's law is presented as perfectly formed, complete, and leaving no room for doubt or omission. This feature emphasizes the unyielding nature of God's perfect law, which is meant to permeate all aspects of life, as if there is no "blank side" to circumvent or ignore. This meticulous detail underscores the absolute, uncompromising nature of divine revelation in contrast to human imperfection or compromise.
Exodus 32 15 Commentary
Exodus 32:15 serves as a bridge, transitioning from Moses' profound encounter with God to the shocking reality of Israel's idolatry. The emphasis on Moses physically carrying the "tablets of the Testimony," inscribed by God Himself on both sides, profoundly underscores the immense weight and divine authority of the law that Israel had so quickly abandoned. The detail of writing on "both sides" signifies not just a physical characteristic but theological completeness and a lack of hidden clauses. It contrasts the full, exhaustive divine will with the superficial and rebellious actions of the people. This act of God in providing a physically tangible, thoroughly written law establishes the seriousness of the covenant. When Moses subsequently breaks these tablets, it is a visible representation of Israel's shattering of their covenant with God through their apostasy. This foreshadows the need for grace and renewal, which God provides by reinscribing His law on new tablets.