Bible Strands
Exodus 34:4
So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals. He rose early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hands, he went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator recounts Moses’ preparation to ascend Mount Sinai immediately after the LORD’s command to replace the broken tablets. This action follows the strict boundary decree that no other person or livestock may approach the mountain.
The words — The verb וַ/יִּפְסֹל (va/i.yif.Sol) literally means “he cut out” or “chiseled,” detailing the physical labor Moses performed. The phrase כָּ/רִאשֹׁנִים (ka./ri.sho.Nim) translates as “like the former,” specifying that the new tablets were fashioned to match the original set.
The thread — The command to ascend Sinai and the restoration of the stone tablets recur in Exodus 34:1–28 and Deuteronomy 10:1–5. The motif of early morning obedience preceding a divine encounter appears in Numbers 24:3 and 1 Kings 19:8.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that covenant renewal demands deliberate, obedient action before any divine revelation. It establishes that human preparation must precede and align with specific divine instruction.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.