God’s Covenant
Numeric features in Exodus 32:15-16 confirm the accuracy of these two verses. 1) God wrote on two tablets of stone by engraving His words. 2) It was in the language of God.1 3) The content was the Ten Commandments, and the covenant with Israel (Exodus 24:12 & 34:28).
And Moses turned, and went down from the mountain with the two tables of the testimony in his hands, tables that were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. (Exodus 32:15-16)2
We have no idea what kind of stone tablets God provided, or if they just appeared like stone. They had to be small and light enough for Moses to carry down from the mountain. (They would also fit into the Ark later: 2.5 x 1.5 x 1 cubits [Exodus 25:10].) The Hebrew word לֻחֹ֣ת implies a smooth or polished surface. There is no indication of the size of the text. Nor are we told exactly how many words, letters, sentences, or paragraphs were engraved. In my opinion, the tablets were to be proof of God’s convenant with Israel, the longest standing contract in human existence. And as proof, the engraving would probably be extremely fine, miraculous for Bronze Age technology, and perhaps even beyond today's technology. That's why Moses described it as, and the writing was the writing of God.
It is unfortunate Moses destroyed these tablets when Israel strayed (Exodus 32:19). He had to hew out stone replacements later (Exodus 34:1).
ויפן וירד משה מן ההר ושני לחת העדת בידו לחת כתבים משני עבריהם מזה ומזה הם כתבים והלחת מעשה אלהים המה והמכתב מכתב אלהים הוא חרות על הלחת 3
1 2 3 4 146 220 345 90 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 6- 10- 80- 50 6- 10- 200- 4 40- 300- 5 40- 50 Then he turned and he went down Moses from 5 6 7 8 210 366 438 479 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 5- 5- 200 6- 300- 50- 10 30- 8- 400 5- 70- 4- 400 the mountain with two of tablets of the Testimony 9 10 11 12 22 438 472 400 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 2- 10- 4- 6 30- 8- 400 20- 400- 2- 10- 40 40- 300- 50- 10 in his hands tablets inscribed on both of 13 14 15 16 327 52 58 45 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 70- 2- 200- 10- 5- 40 40- 7- 5 6- 40- 7- 5 5- 40 their sides on this and on that they 17 18 19 472 449 415 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 20- 400- 2- 10- 40 6- 5- 30- 8- 400 40- 70- 300- 5 were inscribed. Now the tablets work of 20 21 22 23 86 50 473 462 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 1- 30- 5- 10- 40 5- 40- 5 6- 5- 40- 20- 400- 2 40- 20- 400- 2 God they and the writing writing of 24 25 26 27 28 86 12 614 100 443 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 1- 30- 5- 10- 40 5- 6- 1 8- 200- 6- 400 70- 30 5- 30- 8- 400 God he engraved on the tablets.4
Numeric Features
The Words
1.1Number of words: 28 = 22 x 7.
1.2Numeric total: 7770 = 7 x 1110. The seven, and 1110 point to the perfect one God.
1.3Number of letters: 108 = 22 x 33. SF: 13.
2.1First and last letters of each word: 558 + 3030 = 3588 = 22 x 3 x 13 x 23.
2.2Words with an odd number of letters:
Word position: 3 5 7 10 11 14 17 18 20 21 24 25 Word value: 345 210 438 438 472 52 472 449 86 50 86 12
Word total: 3110 (nf). The total of the number of letters: 175 = 52 x 7.
2.3Words with an even number of letters:
a) Word position. b) Word value. a) 1 2 4 6 8 9 12 13 15 16 19 22 23 26 27 28 b) 146 220 90 366 479 22 400 327 58 45 415 473 462 614 100 443
Total: 4660 (nf). Total number of letters: 231 = 3 x 7 x 11. SF: 21 = 3 x 7.
3.Rank the 28 words.
3.1The lesser half of the words:
Word position: 25 9 16 21 14 15 24 20 4 27 1 5 2 13 Word value: 12 22 45 50 52 58 86 86 90 100 146 210 220 327
Lesser half word total: 1504 (nf). Position total: 196 = 22 x 72.
3.2The greater half of the words:
Word position: 3 6 12 19 10 7 28 18 23 17 11 22 8 26 Word value: 345 366 400 415 438 438 443 449 462 472 472 473 479 614
Lesser half word total: 6266 = 2 x 13 x 241. Lesser half pos total: 210 = 2 x 3 x 5 x 7.
4.Two words (that are divisible by 7) just happen to be in positions that are also divisible by 7 when added together.
Word position: 5 23 Word value: 210 462
Position total: 28 = 22 x 7. Word total: 672 = 25 x 3 x 7.
5.Pulling every Nth word, the following values of N produce sequences divisible by 7:
3 11
Total of N: 14 = 2 x 7.
The Letters
6. Use the values of the Hebrew divine name N times to count through the letters.
6.127 times: 7070 = 2 x 5 x 7 x 101.
6.24 times: 1141 = 7 x 163.
6.328 times: 7126 = 2 x 7 x 509.
6.4The divine name in Hebrew can be used five times to count through the letters. In this case, the last set of the divine name overshoots the 108 letters of the two verses.
a) Value from the Hebrew divine name. b) Count. c) Adjusted count. d) Letter found. a) 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 b) 10 15 21 26 36 41 47 52 62 67 73 78 88 93 99 104 114 11 17 22 c) 10 15 21 26 36 41 47 52 62 67 73 78 88 93 99 104 6 11 17 22 d) 300 5 30 4 400 300 10 5 10 8 1 5 20 5 8 30 10 5 6 8
Total: 1170 = 2 x 32 x 5 x 13. SF: 26 = 2 x 13.
Subtracting the last set's results: 1170 - 10 - 5 - 6 - 8 = 1141 = 7 x 163.
7.Position of letters that are not first or last in a word: 2912 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 7 x 13.
8.Divide the 108 letters into groups of 27 each.
8.1Odd positioned segments of 27:
6 10 80 50 6 10 200 4 40 300 5 40 50 5 5 200 6 300 50 10 30 8 400 5 70 4 400 7 5 5 40 20 400 2 10 40 6 5 30 8 400 40 70 300 5 1 30 5 10 40 5 40 5 6
Total: 3829 = 7 x 547.
8.2Even positioned segments of 27:
2 10 4 6 30 8 400 20 400 2 10 40 40 300 50 10 70 2 200 10 5 40 40 7 5 6 40 5 40 20 400 2 40 20 400 2 1 30 5 10 40 5 6 1 8 200 6 400 70 30 5 30 8 400
Total: 3941 = 7 x 563.
9.Every 7th letter: 1267 = 7 x 181.
Conclusion
There aren't as many features here as in other verses. Perhaps this is because the initial tablets were destroyed and had to be replaced by inferior stone. Nevertheless, God’s handiwork can still be seen.
Notes
- The Hebrew text says "the writing was the writing of God." Is this writing Hebrew? It would make sense God would write commands people could read, and the writing would be Hebrew. But we know the tablets were placed in the Ark later (Deuteronomy 10:2), and no one was allowed to look inside afterwards (1 Samuel 6:19). Why have commandments people weren't allowed to look at? Because Moses made copies of the commands in the books he wrote. The Ark carried the original document in unchanging stone. Perhaps in the future, when these ancient stones are revealed from heaven (Revelation 11:19), people will be able to compare the original with what they think they know of God’s laws and covenant. (It is also possible the written language was different from actual Hebrew, different but still readable and understandable.)
- English reference quotes are from the Revised Standard Version, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1972.
- Hebrew text is from Bibleworks 3.2.009 by Michael S. Bushell, 1995. Verse numbering, vowels and punctuation have been removed.
- Interlinear English was adapted from The NIV Interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament, edited by John R. Kohleberger III, Zondervan Publishing House, volume 1, 1979.