Exodus 32:15
New International Version
Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.

New Living Translation
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.

English Standard Version
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
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.

NASB 1995
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.

NASB 1977
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.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain. And the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other.

Amplified Bible
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand; tablets that were written on both sides—they were written on one side and on the other.

Christian Standard Bible
Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides—inscribed front and back.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides—inscribed front and back.

American Standard Version
And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And LORD JEHOVAH came to an agreement concerning the evil that He said to do to his people.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tables of testimony were in his hands, tables of stone written on both their sides: they were written within and without.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Moses returned from the mount, carrying the two tables of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides,

English Revised Version
And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Moses turned and went down the mountain carrying the two tablets with God's words. They were written on both sides, front and back.

Good News Translation
Moses went back down the mountain, carrying the two stone tablets with the commandments written on both sides.

International Standard Version
Then Moses turned and went down 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.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

Literal Standard Version
And Moses turns, and goes down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony [are] in his hand, tablets written on both their sides; they [are] written on this [side] and on that [side];

Majority Standard Bible
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.

New American Bible
Moses then turned and came down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, front and back.

NET Bible
Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. The tablets were written on both sides--they were written on the front and on the back.

New Revised Standard Version
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back.

New Heart English Bible
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.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand; tablets that were written on both their sides. They were written on one side and on the other.

Young's Literal Translation
And Moses turneth, and goeth down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony are in his hand, tables written on both their sides, on this and on that are they written;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Moses Descends with the Tablets
15Then 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. 16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.…

Cross References
2 Corinthians 3:3
It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Corinthians 3:7
Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory,

Hebrews 9:4
containing the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark were the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.

Exodus 24:12
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and stay here, so that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction."

Exodus 31:18
When the LORD had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

Exodus 32:16
The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

Exodus 34:29
And when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was unaware that his face had become radiant from speaking with the LORD.


Treasury of Scripture

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.

turned

Exodus 24:18
And 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.

Deuteronomy 9:15
So 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.

the testimony

Exodus 16:34
As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

Exodus 40:20
And 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:

Deuteronomy 5:22
These 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.

written

Revelation 5:1
And 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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Front Hand Hands Inscribed Law Moses Mount Mountain Side Sides Stones Tables Tablets Testimony Turned Turneth Writing Written
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Front Hand Hands Inscribed Law Moses Mount Mountain Side Sides Stones Tables Tablets Testimony Turned Turneth Writing Written
Exodus 32
1. The people in the absence of Moses, caused Aaron to make a calf
7. God informs Moses, who intercedes for Israel, and prevails
15. Moses comes down with the tablets
19. He breaks them
20. He destroys the calf
22. Aaron's excuse for himself
25. Moses causes the idolaters to be slain
30. He prays for the people














THE DESCENT OF MOSES FROM SINAI, AND THE SUPPRESSION OF THE IDOLATRY.

(15) And Moses turned--i.e., "returned," or "set out on his return," apparently without making any communication to Joshua, who was waiting for him not far off (see Exodus 32:17).

The two tables . . . were in his hand.--In Deuteronomy 9:15 we read that the two tables were in his "two hands," which is more exact, and more as we should have expected.

The tables were written on both their sides.--Babylonian tablets and Assyrian monoliths have usually writing on both sides, Egyptian monoliths rarely. It has been calculated that the 172 words of the Decalogue could easily have been inscribed in letters of a fair size on the four surfaces indicated, if the tablets were 27 inches long by 18 inches broad, and that two tablets of this size could readily have been conveyed in a man's two hands (Keil).

Verse 15-19. - MOSES BREAKS THE TWO TABLES. The entire conference between God and Moses being now ended, Moses hastened to descend from the mount, and interpose in the crisis that had arisen, he took carefully the two tables of stone, which he had received, in his two hands (Deuteronomy 9:15), and set out on his return to the camp. On the way, he fell in with Joshua, who must have been on the watch for his descent, and the two proceeded together. When a certain portion of the distance had been traversed, the sounds of the festivity which was going on in the camp reached their ears; and Joshua, mistaking the nature of the shouts, suggested that fighting was in progress (ver. 17). Moses, however, better instructed in the actual nature of the proceedings (vers. 7, 8), caught their character more correctly, and declared that what he heard was nothing but shouting (ver. 18). Soon afterwards, the camp came into sight - a disorderly crowd, half stripped of their garments (ver. 25), was singing choruses and dancing round the figure which Aaron had cast - the sights and sounds were those of a dissolute orgy - Moses was struck with horror and in the frenzy of his indignation, dashed the two tables to the ground and broke them into fragments (ver. 19). The people, he felt, were utterly unworthy of the holy laws which he had brought them - they had "altogether gone out of the way" - they had become "abominable" - at the moment he perhaps despaired of obtaining mercy for them, and expected their entire destruction. God had not as yet told him whether he would "turn from his fierce wrath," or not. Verse 15. - The two tables... were in his hand. In Deuteronomy 9:15, using greater particularity, Moses says that they were "in his two hands." One was in each hand probably. Written on both their sides. This is the case generally with Assyrian and Babylonian tablets, but not with Egyptian ones, which are moreover scarcely found at this early date. Here we seem to have again an indication that some of the Israelitic civilisation had come to them from "Ur of the Chaldees."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Moses
מֹשֶׁה֙ (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

turned
וַיִּ֜פֶן (way·yi·p̄en)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6437: To turn, to face, appear, look

and went down
וַיֵּ֤רֶד (way·yê·reḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

the mountain
הָהָ֔ר (hā·hār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

with the two
וּשְׁנֵ֛י (ū·šə·nê)
Conjunctive waw | Number - mdc
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

tablets
לֻחֹ֥ת (lu·ḥōṯ)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3871: To glisten, a tablet, of stone, wood, metal

of the Testimony
הָעֵדֻ֖ת (hā·‘ê·ḏuṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5715: Testimony

in his hands.
בְּיָד֑וֹ (bə·yā·ḏōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

They
הֵ֥ם (hêm)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

were inscribed
כְּתֻבִים֙ (kə·ṯu·ḇîm)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine plural
Strong's 3789: To grave, to write

on
מִן־ (min-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

both
מִשְּׁנֵ֣י (miš·šə·nê)
Preposition-m | Number - mdc
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

sides,
עֶבְרֵיהֶ֔ם (‘eḇ·rê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5676: A region across, on the opposite side

front
מִזֶּ֥ה (miz·zeh)
Preposition-m | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

and back.
וּמִזֶּ֖ה (ū·miz·zeh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that


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OT Law: Exodus 32:15 Moses turned and went down (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 32:14
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