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.
Parallel translations
- WEB Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand; tablets that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other they were written.
- BSB Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.
- 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.
- NASB Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other.
- 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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Moses descends carrying the two stone tablets of the testimony, written on both sides. The covenant document itself is being brought down to the people.
Overview
The tablets represent God's gracious self-revelation and the terms of His covenant with Israel. That they were written on both sides emphasizes the completeness of the law. The scene heightens the tragedy that follows, as Moses carries the holy covenant straight into a camp engulfed in covenant-breaking.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Deut 9:15So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
- Exod 31:18And 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.
- Exod 40:20And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:
- Ps 19:7The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
- Exod 16:34As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
- Exod 24:18And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
- Deut 5:22These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
- Rev 5:1And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 32:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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