Exodus 34:28 Meaning: Who Wrote the Ten Commandments?
He was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
And he was there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
And he is there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights; bread he hath not eaten, and water he hath not drunk; and he writeth on the tables the matters of the covenant--the ten matters.
— And he was there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread, and drank no water. — And he wrote on the tables the words of the covenant, the ten words.
Meaning in one sentence
Exodus 34:28 tells of Moses' forty-day fast and the writing of the covenant.
Context
This verse comes near the end of a long, pivotal chapter. The people have sinned with the golden calf. Moses broke the first set of tablets in anger. Now God is restoring the covenant. He tells Moses to chisel two new stone tablets and bring them up the mountain. God declares that He will write on them (Exodus 34:1). Moses obeys. Then he stays with the Lord for forty days and nights, neither eating nor drinking, sustained entirely by God's power. The chapter records the terms of the renewed covenant, and this verse summarizes the result: the words of the covenant are written on the tablets. The question of who actually did the writing has drawn attention across centuries.
Key Words
The Hebrew verb translated “he wrote” (va-yikhtov) has no explicit subject. It could refer back to Moses, the nearest named person, or to God, who said in verse 1, “I will write on the tablets.” The word “covenant” (berit) describes a solemn agreement, here between God and Israel, with the ten commandments as its core terms. The phrase “forty days and forty nights” appears elsewhere in Scripture as a period of testing and completeness, the flood, the wilderness wanderings, Elijah’s journey, Jesus’ temptation. Moses’ lack of food and water is not a model for imitation; it is a sign of supernatural enabling. God sustained him so that His servant could receive the covenant terms without distraction.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christian readers across traditions have noticed the ambiguity in “he wrote.” Some point to Exodus 34:1, where God says “I will write on the tablets,” and to Exodus 31:18, where the tablets are said to be “written with God’s finger.” They conclude that God wrote the ten commandments. Others note that the verb comes right after a description of Moses, and that in verse 27 God tells Moses, “Write these words.” They understand Moses as the human writer, recording the covenant terms God had just spoken. Both sides affirm that the message is from God and that the covenant is His gift. The verse does not settle the question grammatically, so Christians have held differing convictions while agreeing on the divine origin of the commandments.
A common misunderstanding
Living This Out
This week, if you find yourself with extended time alone, no meals to prepare, no distractions, consider it an invitation to be with God. Moses had forty days stripped of ordinary routines, sustained only by the presence of the Lord. You may not have forty days, but even an hour set aside without your phone or to-do list can remind you that God gives you what you need, not always bread but always Himself. Let the words of the covenant, God’s promises and commands, become what you carry down from that time.
Main takeaway: After Israel’s failure, God restored His covenant and wrote His words on stone, showing His unchanging commitment to His people.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Moses stayed with God on the mountain for a very long time. He didn't eat any food or drink any water, but God took care of him. God wrote His special rules on stone tablets so His people would know how to love Him.
For ages 9, 12
Moses spent forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai with God. He didn't eat or drink anything, God kept him alive by His own power. During that time, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments again, written on two stone tablets. Even though the people had sinned with the golden calf, God was giving them a second chance. This shows that God never gives up on His people.
Questions People Ask
Did Moses really go without food and water for forty days?
Yes, the verse states that he neither ate bread nor drank water. Commentators like John Calvin see this as a supernatural miracle that gave Moses angel‑like endurance for the time he spent in God’s presence. It was not a human feat of willpower but a special enabling for his unique role as mediator of the covenant.
Who wrote the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets, God or Moses?
The Hebrew text does not make the subject of “he wrote” explicit. God says in Exodus 34:1, “I will write on the tablets,” while in verse 27 God tells Moses, “Write these words.” Some Christians understand God as the writer, pointing to Exodus 31:18 where the tablets are “written with God’s finger.” Others understand Moses as the writer because the verb follows a description of him. Both views affirm the divine origin of the commandments.
Why did Moses have to go up the mountain again in Exodus 34?
Moses had broken the first set of tablets after the golden calf incident (Exodus 32:19). God called him to chisel new stones and return to the mountain so the covenant could be restored. The forty days and nights on this second ascent mirrored the first (Exodus 24:18), confirming that Moses’ authority and the covenant itself were still valid.
What are the “words of the covenant” in this verse?
The verse calls them “the ten commandments,” but the immediate context (Exodus 34:11, 26) contains a series of commands about worship, feasts, and offerings. Many scholars see these commands as the covenant terms that accompanied the Ten Commandments. The phrase “words of the covenant” therefore probably includes both the Decalogue and the specific requirements God gave to Moses on the mountain.
How is this forty-day fast different from the one in Exodus 24:18?
The first forty days (Exodus 24:18) resulted in the original tablets that Moses broke. This second forty-day period (Exodus 34:28) was for the renewal of the covenant after the people’s sin. Commentators note that this fast also underscores God’s grace: instead of abandoning Israel, He gives them a fresh copy of His law and a restored relationship.
For pastors & researchers
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