Why were the Ten Commandments given twice?

The Ten Commandments were given twice because the first tablets were broken by Moses when Israel sinned by worshiping the golden calf. The second giving of the commandments reaffirmed God’s covenant after judgment and intercession, showing both the seriousness of sin and the mercy of God.

The first time the commandments were given, God spoke directly to the people at Mount Sinai and then wrote them on two stone tablets:

“And when He had made an end of speaking with him… He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.”
(Exodus 31:18)

While Moses was on the mountain, the people grew impatient and made a golden calf. When Moses came down and saw the idolatry, he reacted in righteous anger:

“Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain… and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.”
(Exodus 32:15,19)

This act symbolized Israel breaking the covenant. It also represented the consequences of sin and the need for renewal.

After interceding for the people and seeing God’s mercy, Moses was commanded to return to the mountain with new tablets:

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones… and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.’”
(Exodus 34:1)

God reaffirmed His covenant and again wrote the commandments. This second giving was not a revision but a restoration. The moral law remained unchanged.

The repetition also served to emphasize the commandments to the new generation. In Deuteronomy, Moses restated the law to those who had survived the wilderness:

“The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb… He declared to you His covenant… the Ten Commandments.”
(Deuteronomy 5:2, 5:6–21)

Giving the commandments twice highlights God’s justice and His mercy. Though Israel sinned greatly, God was willing to renew the covenant and continue leading them.

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