Exodus 32:16 meaning, Cross Ref, ai commentary KJV NIV ESV NLT

Exodus 32:16 kjv

And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

Exodus 32:16 nkjv

Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.

Exodus 32:16 niv

The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

Exodus 32:16 esv

The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

Exodus 32:16 nlt

These tablets were God's work; the words on them were written by God himself.

Exodus 32 16 Cross References

Verse	Text	Reference
Exod 24:12	The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to Me... and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commands I have written..."	God promises to give and write the Law.
Exod 31:18	When He finished speaking with him... He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.	Confirms God's direct writing ("finger of God").
Deut 4:13	He declared to you His covenant... the Ten Commandments... which He wrote on two tablets of stone.	Reinforces divine writing of the covenant.
Deut 5:22	These are the commandments the LORD proclaimed... Then He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.	Affirms God's personal writing of the Commandments.
Exod 34:1	Cut out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words... which you broke.	God commits to rewriting the same words on new tablets.
Exod 34:28	And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights... And he wrote upon the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.	Note on Moses writing some of the covenant on the second set, distinguished from God writing the commandments.
Deut 9:10	The LORD gave me the two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God...	Reiterates divine engraving ("finger of God").
Deut 9:17	I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, and I broke them before your eyes.	Moses' act of breaking the tables due to Israel's sin.
Deut 10:2	And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets... and you shall put them in the ark.	God promises to restore His word after the breaking.
1 Ki 8:9	There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses had put there at Horeb...	Emphasizes the significance of the tablets in the Ark.
2 Chron 5:10	There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had put there...	Reinforces the tablets' presence in the Ark as a sacred object.
Rom 2:15	They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts...	Law written on hearts under the New Covenant.
2 Cor 3:3	You show that you are a letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit... not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.	Contrast: Old Covenant (stone) vs. New Covenant (heart by Spirit).
Heb 8:10	For this is the covenant... I will put My laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts...	New Covenant fulfillment of the law written inwardly.
Jer 31:33	I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.	Prophecy of the New Covenant's inward transformation.
Ezek 11:19	I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them... and I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.	New heart and spirit for obedience to God's law.
Ps 19:7-8	The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul...	Describes the nature and power of God's Law.
Isa 30:8	Now go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book...	Contrast with human writing, highlighting divine permanence.
Job 19:24	That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever!	Similar imagery of permanence of writing in stone.
Hab 2:2	And the LORD answered me: "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets..."	Command for human prophet to write clearly.
Rev 21:14	And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.	Illustrates names inscribed permanently as foundational.

Exodus 32 verses

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Exodus 32 16 Meaning

Exodus 32:16 states that the stone tablets, containing the Ten Commandments, were not merely God-inspired, but were directly crafted by God Himself ("the work of God"), and the inscription on them was also personally written by God ("the writing of God"), indicating His direct divine authorship and absolute authority. The term "graven" emphasizes the permanent and unalterable nature of these divine commands. This verse underscores the supreme origin and sacredness of the Law.

Exodus 32 16 Context

Exodus 32 presents one of the most significant and tragic events in Israel's wilderness journey: the making and worship of the golden calf. Moses is still on Mount Sinai receiving divine instruction, including the detailed plans for the Tabernacle. Simultaneously, down in the plain, the impatient Israelites, feeling abandoned by Moses and God, compel Aaron to fashion an idol for them. This directly violates the first and second commandments, which God Himself is in the process of writing on the very tablets Moses is about to bring down. Verse 16 immediately follows Moses and Joshua's descent from the mountain. Its declaration of the divine origin of the tablets stands in stark contrast to the human-made, idolatrous calf they are about to witness, making Israel's sin all the more grievous. The tables represent the very essence of God's covenant with Israel, soon to be broken by their idolatry, symbolizing the inherent conflict between divine holiness and human rebellion.

Exodus 32 16 Word analysis

And the tables: וְהַלֻּחֹת (vəhal·luḥōṯ). Luḥot refers to stone tablets, specifically the two tablets on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. The definitive article "the" indicates these are specific, already mentioned tablets (from Exod 24:12; 31:18). They are the tangible medium of God's direct revelation.
were the work: מַעֲשֵׂה (maʿăśēh). Ma'aseh signifies "work, deed, product, handiwork." Here, it means God Himself manufactured or created the stone tablets, implying divine craftsmanship and material integrity, setting them apart from any human creation.
of God: אֱלֹהִים (ʾĕlōhīm). Elohim is a common Hebrew generic term for God. Its use here stresses the supreme divine origin, emphasizing that the source is the one true God, not a mere idol.
and the writing: וְהַמִּכְתָּב (vəham·miktāḇ). Miktav means "writing, inscription, document." This points specifically to the script or words inscribed on the tablets.
was the writing: מִכְתַּב (miktab). The repetition, both here and for "work," is a stylistic device in Hebrew (an epexegetical repetition) used for emphasis, stressing that everything about the inscription—its content, form, and very existence—originated from God.
of God: אֱלֹהִים (ʾĕlōhīm). Reinforces divine authorship of the specific written words.
graven: חָרוּת (ḥārūṯ). Ḥarut is a passive participle from the root ḥarat (חָרַת), meaning "to engrave, carve, cut into." This term highlights the permanence of the inscription; it wasn't temporary like ink on parchment but deeply cut into the stone, signifying immutability and durability. It also implies that the words were not merely imposed onto the surface but were intrinsic to the very substance of the tablets.
upon the tables: עַל־הַלֻּחֹת (ʿal-halluḥōṯ). Literally, "upon the tablets." This phrase anchors the divine work and writing to the very objects Moses carried, setting the stage for their symbolic significance and dramatic breaking in the next verses.

Exodus 32 16 Bonus section

The phrase "finger of God" found in Exodus 31:18, associated with the writing on these tablets, signifies God's direct, personal, and irresistible power. It reappears in Luke 11:20 when Jesus casts out demons by the "finger of God," equating His miraculous power with that same divine force that delivered the Law, demonstrating His authority over evil and connection to the very power of the covenant God. This imagery thus links the old covenant's foundation to the power manifest in the new. Jewish tradition sometimes expanded on the miraculous nature of these "graven" letters, suggesting they were not merely surface-level but miraculously legible from both sides or were solid blocks, enhancing their divine distinctiveness. This verse strongly polemicizes against all forms of idolatry, highlighting the stark contrast between God's eternal, solid, self-authored truth and humanity's fleeting, corruptible, and self-made illusions.

Exodus 32 16 Commentary

Exodus 32:16 is a profoundly significant verse, standing as a theological declaration that emphasizes the unparalleled divine authority and origin of God's Law. The double emphasis ("work of God... writing of God") is not merely repetitive but serves to underscore total divine causation. This was not a human document; the tablets themselves were supernaturally formed, and the Ten Commandments inscribed on them were personally etched by the finger of God (Exod 31:18).

The word "graven" (ḥarut) is critical, portraying the law as an indelible, permanent, and unchangeable testament. Unlike the impermanent human-made golden calf which could be ground into powder (Exod 32:20), God's Law was physically carved in stone, representing its eternal and unyielding nature. This directly counters the human tendency to alter, ignore, or reinterpret God's commands. The Law’s divine crafting and writing leave no room for human claim to authority over it.

Moreover, the location of this declaration—just before Moses descends to witness the golden calf idolatry—heightens the tragedy of Israel's sin. The very Law against idols, personally created and written by God, was being worshipped by those who stood under its coming judgment. This scene beautifully sets up the New Testament understanding of the Law's limitations in bringing transformation, paving the way for a law written on the heart by the Spirit, leading to true and lasting obedience.