I was sure that Deuteronomy 911 was finished. I was about to prepare it to post when the Father graciously gave me a second look at the verse. I used biblehub.com because the Strong’s is not the best at allowing me to find the meaning of high-use words like “give/gave”.

And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. Deuteronomy 9:11 (KJV)

“The Lord gave.” That amazing statement took a moment to sink in. The Eternal, the Almighty God, and the Creator of everything came down to His creation and gave a way to be in relationship with Him. He took the time to meet Moses, on that mountain, so he could lead His chosen people to their inheritance.

God gave and He still gives, why, because He wants to. Moses obeyed and went up Mount Horeb and God gave. The Children of Jacob had complained about bitter water, food, and no water at all and He still gave them a way to fellowship with Him.

H5414 nathan to give, put, set, and many other uses

Strong’s Hebrew: 5414. נָתַן (nathan) — to give, put, set (biblehub.com)

“Two tables of stone.” Why not one tablet? The count, examples, concepts, and metaphors of “two” are throughout the Bible. The Grace in Torah website has many good points and is worth the look.

The first answer to my question is one tablet for “love God” and the second for “love man”. There are times and things in Scripture where it takes two things to make “one”. Evening and morning make a day, a man and a woman become one flesh, and we need to love God and man to follow the commands of the Father. I see those two tablets making up the two sides of the human heart. (Yes, I am stopping at one answer.)

H8147 shenayim or shettayim  two

Strong’s Hebrew: 8147. שְׁנַ֫יִם (shenayim or shettayim) — two (a cardinal number) (biblehub.com)

Hebrew Numbers 1-10 | GRACE in TORAH   

“The covenant.”

I forget how deep, wide, and high is the idea and act of covenant. God gave Adam and Eve the first covenant and it involved two trees. One tree brought darkness and the other still shines out giving life and healing. By the time Moses received the two tablets, there were three notable covenants that the Father had given. Noah and Abraham had been given the other two.

Abram’s covenant in Genesis 15 is the best exemplar and the most graphic example of cutting a covenant. The animals were cut in two and the two symbols, the smoking firepot, and the burning torch, went down the middle of the pieces. If you will, God “cut” Israel a covenant by having them go from one shore to the other side while passing through two walls of water as a pillar of cloud and fire kept watch over them. Then on Horeb, they got the conditions.

H1285 berith a covenant

Strong’s Hebrew: 1285. בְּרִית (berith) — a covenant (biblehub.com)Hebrew Word of the Week – Brit (hebrew4christians.com)