Deuteronomy 10:5
And I turned my selfe and came downe from the mount, and put the Tables in the Arke which I had made, and there they be, as the Lord commanded me. Deuteronomy 10:5 (KJV)
This verse is part of Moses’ recounting of the events that followed the Israelites’ worship of the golden calf (Exodus 32). In Deuteronomy, Moses describes receiving new stone tablets and placing them in the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred container constructed according to God’s instructions (Exodus 25:10‑22). The Ark was built under the direction of the primary craftsman Bezaleel (Exodus 37:1).
Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Bible and consists mainly of speeches delivered by Moses to the people before they entered the Promised Land. In this passage Moses is recalling how, after the golden calf incident, he went up the mountain, spent forty days and nights in God’s presence, and received the commandments anew.
The verse begins, “And I turned myself and came down from the mount,” indicating Moses’ return from Mount Sinai to the camp of the Israelites. This descent marks the transition from the divine presence back to the people, and it underscores the seriousness of the covenant that Moses was about to reaffirm.
Moses continues, “and put the tables in the ark which I had made.” The two stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments were placed inside the Ark as a means of preserving and protecting the divine law. The Ark itself had been made according to the detailed specifications God gave, and its purpose was to house the most sacred objects of Israel’s worship.
By stating that the tablets were placed “as the LORD commanded me,” Moses highlights his obedience to God’s explicit instruction. This act demonstrates the importance of preserving and honoring God’s commandments as central to the covenant relationship between God and His people.
Overall, Deuteronomy 10:5 reminds believers of the reverence and obedience required in their relationship with God. Just as Moses carefully preserved the tablets and followed God’s instructions, we are called to honor and obey God’s commands in our own lives, recognizing the tablets as the foundation of the covenant with the Lord.
