The Ten Commandments are often seen as the clearest expression of divine moral law. Nevertheless, questions have been raised concerning their consistency and the manner of their transmission.
This entry examines questions relating to the differences between the Ten Commandments found in Exodus and Deuteronomy, and the question of who did the actual writing on the second set of tablets.
Two versions of Ten Commandments? (Exodus 20 and Exodus 34)
The version of the Ten Commandments most familiar to all is the one in Exodus 20:1-17, also known as the Ethical Decalogue, (Exodus 24:12, 31:18; Deut 5:22). This first set of tablets was destroyed by Moses in anger after Israel’s idolatry (Exodus 32:19).
A second version, often called the Ritual Decalogue, is found in Exodus 34:1-28. Exodus 34:27-28 suggests that the preceding words (Exodus 34:11-26) refer to the Ten Commandments.
The substantial differences between the two versions cannot be overlooked. For example, Exodus 34:25 includes a commandment to “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning” which is not present in Exodus 34.
The explanation for these differences is that Exodus 34:11-26 is distinct from the actual Ten Commandments intended for the tablets. In Exodus 34:1, God explicitly states that He Himself would write the words—the same Ten Commandments as on the first tablets. This is reinforced by Deut 10:4, where Moses recounted that God wrote the commandments. Thus, Exodus 34:27 likely refers to other instructions (Exodus 34:11-26) that God commanded Moses to write separately, not necessarily on the tablets themselves.
Who wrote the Ten commandments on the second tablet—Moses or God?
A surface reading of Exodus 34:27-28 in many English translations might imply that Moses wrote on the tablets. For example:
- NIV: Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.
- KJV: And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
- ESV: So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
However, when considered within the broader context, the phrasing remains ambiguous and does not exclude the possibility that it was God who inscribed the tablets. Clearer passages shed light on this ambiguity:
- In Exodus 34:1, God explicitly declared His intention to write the commandments Himself.
- Moses’ later recounting in Deut 10:1-5 further affirms that God inscribed the second set of tablets.
Therefore, the answer is clear that it was God who wrote the Ten Commandments on the second tablet. The “he” in Exodus 34:28 refers to God.
Two version of Ten Commandments? (Exodus 20 and Deut 5)
At first glance, Exodus 20:1-17 and Deut 5:5-21 appear nearly identical. However, careful comparison reveals differences.
What are these differences? (using NIV)
The most significant difference lies in the 4th Commandment concerning the reason to observe / remember the Sabbath day. Exodus 20:11 connects Sabbath to God’s creation while Deut 5:15 connects Sabbath to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.
| Exodus 20 | Deuteronomy 5 |
| v8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day… On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. | v12-15 “Observe the Sabbath day… On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. |
Other differences are relatively minor and do not change the meaning expressed:
- Addition of “as the Lord your God has commanded you” in Deut 5: Fourth, Fifth Commandment
- Slightly different phrasing, without meaningful difference in meaning: Fourth, Fifth, Tenth Commandment
- Order switched: Tenth Commandment
Why these differences could matter?
From Deuteronomy 5:1-5, Moses is recounting events that have happened, including the Ten Commandments that were given by God in the first tablet, which was destroyed. How could Moses have been able to reproduce what had been said by God?
The most logical answer is that Moses referred to the second set of tablets, which, according to Exodus 34:1, contained the same words as the first. These differences identified could lead one to suspect the truthfulness of Exodus 34:1—whether God did inscribed the same words.
However, there is a plausible explanation for these differences: Moses, while recounting the events at Horeb, may not have quoted the commandments word-for-word from the tablets. This is suggested by:
- The minor addition of phrases like “as the LORD your God has commanded you”.
- Deut 5:5, where Moses explicitly states he was narrating what God had said, not reading verbatim from the tablets.
Therefore, the difference could be easily explained by the imperfect memory of Moses in recounting the words that were said by God. The version of the Ten Commandments presented in Exodus 20 should be considered more reliable, as it is conveyed within a direct narrative account presumed to be accurate, rather than a retrospective recounting.