Deuteronomy 10 - Summary

Historical setting

Deuteronomy is Moses' address to Israel in the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River, before they cross into Canaan. The time is the end of the forty years of wandering in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. Moses is old and will not enter the land; he is preparing the next generation to possess it. The passage recalls events from decades earlier: the moment when Moses broke the first stone tablets, received new ones from God, and the people learned the consequences of that rebellion. The reader already knows from earlier narratives that Aaron, the first high priest, has died during the wilderness years, and that Eleazar his son has replaced him.

Life and customs

In Israelite understanding, the ark of the covenant is the supreme sacred object, a wooden chest that holds the written covenant. Only the tribe of Levi may handle it and serve at the sanctuary; this is their inheritance instead of farmland like other tribes. Circumcision was the sign of the covenant with Abraham; used here metaphorically, "circumcise the heart" means remove stubbornness and unbelief, just as physical circumcision removed a covering. "Stiffnecked" is a standard term for rebelliousness. An Egyptian stranger was a foreigner living in Israel; the law required fair treatment because Israel itself had been powerless foreigners in Egypt. When Moses says the Lord "taketh reward" in verse 17, he means the Lord cannot be bribed, unlike human judges. The phrase "fear the LORD thy God" combines reverence, obedience, and proper reverence for divine authority.

What the text says

Verses 1-5 record Moses fulfilling God's command: he hews new stone tablets, makes a wooden ark, receives the commandments written by God's hand, and places the tablets in the ark as instructed. Verses 6-7 note Israel's travel route and mention Aaron's death and burial at Mosera, with his son Eleazar succeeding him as priest. Verse 8 states that at that time God set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark, stand before God in ministry, and bless in his name, continuing "unto this day." Verse 9 explains that Levi therefore has no land inheritance; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised. Verse 10 records that Moses remained on the mountain forty days and nights again, and God heard him and chose not to destroy Israel. Verse 11 commands Moses to lead the people onward to take the land sworn to their fathers.

Verses 12-13 pose the central question: what does God require of Israel? The answer is to fear the Lord, walk in his ways, love him, serve him with all heart and soul, and keep his commandments for their good. Verses 14-15 establish God's ownership of heaven and earth and his choice of Israel's descendants above all peoples. Verse 16 commands circumcision of the heart and an end to stiffneckedness. Verses 17-18 describe God as supreme among gods, mighty and terrible, who shows no favoritism and no partiality to bribes, but executes justice for orphans and widows and loves the stranger by providing food and clothing. Verse 19 applies this: Israel must love the stranger because they themselves were strangers in Egypt. Verses 20-21 require Israel to fear, serve, and cling to the Lord, swearing by his name, because he alone is their praise and has done great and terrible things they have witnessed. Verses 22 conclude by noting Israel's ancestors entered Egypt as seventy persons, but the Lord has multiplied them like the stars.

Takeaways

• God restores the covenant after Israel's breaking of the first tablets, establishing the ark as its permanent house and the Levites as its keepers.
• Israel's fundamental obligation is not ritual alone but love and loyalty to God, paired with justice and mercy toward the powerless and the foreigner.
• Israel's election rests not on its own merit but on God's choice of the ancestors and God's character as one who executes justice and loves the stranger.