What is the context?
The mountain instructions end with something Moses can carry back to Israel: two stone tablets inscribed by God. God has already spoken His commands to the people; now Moses receives their written testimony. Deuteronomy identifies the writing as the Ten Commandments and connects the tablets with the words Israel heard at the mountain (Deuteronomy 4:9–14; 9:9–11).
The chapter closes with God giving His testimony. The next chapter turns to what the people have been doing while Moses is away. That contrast matters: the covenant is not simply an agreement Israel has devised, and the people’s response will be measured against what God has said.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Wesley and Calvin understand God’s finger here as His direct power and authorship: the inscription comes from God. Both also explain the tablets as a lasting witness to His will; the verse does not describe the physical shape of God or state how the commands were divided between the two stones.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
Paul later draws an explicit contrast between stone tablets and human hearts. The Corinthians are a letter from Christ, written by the Spirit of the living God on hearts rather than stone (2 Corinthians 3:1–6). He does not dismiss Sinai as something worthless: he calls its ministry glorious, then explains the greater glory of the Spirit’s life-giving work (2 Corinthians 3:7–11).
The connection shows a larger purpose than preserving instructions in writing. Through Christ, God is at work in the people who receive His word, giving life and making them a living testimony that others can read. The stone tablets belong to the unfolding story of that greater work.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.