Why were the 10 Commandments handed down to Moses?

Answer 1

== == The Bible does not say how many commandments were on each tablet. Some cultures maintain a tradition that there were four on one and six on the other. The first four commandments are commands on how and why we are to love God. They are longer than the next six commandments on how to we are to love our fellow man. God may have written the first four commandments on how to love Him on one tablet, and the other six on the second tablet, but examples often depicted on wooden plaques in churches tend to have only one side of each tablet in use, which is not true to the biblical record. Exodus 32:15-16 "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; And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables."

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Which_Ten_Commandments_do_the_Christians_follow_the_one_in_Exodus_20_or_Exodus_34_or_Deuteronomy_5 Also please note that the original Hebrew text says there were 613 commandments (The law of Moses).

Answer 2

The question could be read two different ways.

Why Stone?

In those days it was written on clay tablets , so it could be preserved. The tablets of stone were the only things Moses had to write them on then.

Moses was at a mountain and it would make sense to use the stone already present there as something to write the commandments on that would be more enduring than parchment and easier to find than clay (clay is from rivers and Mount Sinai is in the desert).

Why 2?

Each tablet (using two) was very heavy. It would be unbearable to carry or illegible to read if only one tablet was used. Making more tablets would result either in an unequal separation of commandments or an excessive amount of stone.

Answer 3

According to the legend, that is where G-d wanted to put it.

Point to Consider:

God notes in the Scriptures that the Israelites were a stubborn, stiff-necked people with a heart of stone - as stone was a common way of codifying then. God promises to give all mankind that love Him a new heart of flesh where He will write His Laws upon it so all will know directly and not need anyone else to instruct them.

Answer 4

The question is not clear.

Why did God give man the Ten Commandments? -- To impart moral behavior to the Children of Israel.

Why was Moses chosen to receive the Ten Commandments? -- Because he was a prophet that God had chosen to lead the people.

Answer 5

So that God's people could follow God's path of living.

Answer 6

According to Deuteronomy 9: 9-10 they are two stones