Deuteronomy 10: Circumcise Your Heart
The covenant is renewed with new tablets, and Moses sums up what God requires: fear, love, and serve him, and love the foreigner.
Deuteronomy 10 (WEB)
1 At that time Yahweh said to me, “Cut two stone tablets like the first, and come up to me onto the mountain, and make an ark of wood.
2 I will write on the tables the words that were on the first tables which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark.”
3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, and cut two stone tablets like the first, and went up onto the mountain, having the two tables in my hand.
4 He wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which Yahweh spoke to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and Yahweh gave them to me.
5 I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they are as Yahweh commanded me.
6 (The children of Israel traveled from Beeroth Bene Jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest’s office in his place.
7 From there they traveled to Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water.
8 At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before Yahweh to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.
9 Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brothers; Yahweh is his inheritance, according as Yahweh your God spoke to him.)
10 I stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights: and Yahweh listened to me that time also; Yahweh would not destroy you.
11 Yahweh said to me, “Arise, take your journey before the people; and they shall go in and possess the land, which I swore to their fathers to give to them.”
12 Now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God require of you, but to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
13 to keep the commandments of Yahweh, and his statutes, which I command you this day for your good?
14 Behold, to Yahweh your God belongs heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is therein.
15 Only Yahweh had a delight in your fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all peoples, as at this day.
16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked.
17 For Yahweh your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awesome, who doesn’t respect persons, nor takes reward.
18 He does execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the foreigner, in giving him food and clothing.
19 Therefore love the foreigner; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
20 You shall fear Yahweh your God; you shall serve him; and you shall cling to him, and you shall swear by his name.
21 He is your praise, and he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things, which your eyes have seen.
22 Your fathers went down into Egypt with seventy persons; and now Yahweh your God has made you as the stars of the sky for multitude.
Deuteronomy 10 (KJV)
1 At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.
2 And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.
3 And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.
4 And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the Lord gave them unto me.
5 And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me.
6 And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest’s office in his stead.
7 From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters.
8 At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.
9 Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promised him.
10 And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also, and the Lord would not destroy thee.
11 And the Lord said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.
12 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.
15 Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.
16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.
17 For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.
19 Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
21 He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.
22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.
Deuteronomy 10 (ASV)
1 At that time Jehovah said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.
2 And I will write on the tables the words that were on the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.
3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in my hand.
4 And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which Jehovah spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and Jehovah gave them unto me.
5 And I turned and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they are as Jehovah commanded me.
6 (And the children of Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest’s office in his stead.
7 From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water.
8 At that time Jehovah set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, to stand before Jehovah to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.
9 Wherefore Levi hath no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; Jehovah is his inheritance, according as Jehovah thy God spake unto him.)
10 And I stayed in the mount, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights: and Jehovah hearkened unto me that time also; Jehovah would not destroy thee.
11 And Jehovah said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people; and they shall go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.
12 And now, Israel, what doth Jehovah thy God require of thee, but to fear Jehovah thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
13 to keep the commandments of Jehovah, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
14 Behold, unto Jehovah thy God belongeth heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is therein.
15 Only Jehovah had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all peoples, as at this day.
16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.
17 For Jehovah your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the terrible, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.
18 He doth execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loveth the sojourner, in giving him food and raiment.
19 Love ye therefore the sojourner; for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
20 Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; him shalt thou serve; and to him shalt thou cleave, and by his name shalt thou swear.
21 He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.
22 Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now Jehovah thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.
Summary
Moses continues the story of grace after the golden calf. At the LORD's command he cut two new stone tablets and made an ark of acacia wood, and God wrote again the Ten Commandments and gave them to Moses, who placed them in the ark. Moses recalls the setting apart of the tribe of Levi to carry the ark and minister before the LORD, who is himself their inheritance. He emphasizes that the LORD listened to his intercession and would not destroy the people, but sent them on to inherit the land. Then Moses presses the heart of the matter with a searching question: what does the LORD require but to fear him, walk in his ways, love him, serve him with all the heart and soul, and keep his commandments for their own good? He marvels that the God who owns the heavens and the earth set his delight on Israel's fathers and chose their descendants. Therefore they must circumcise their hearts and be stubborn no longer. For the LORD is God of gods and Lord of lords, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality, executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and loves the foreigner, giving food and clothing. So Israel too must love the foreigner, remembering that they were foreigners in Egypt. They are to fear and cling to the LORD, who has done such great and awesome things.
Main Characters
- Moses — The mediator who receives the renewed tablets and presses Israel to the heart-level response God truly desires.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The great God of gods, owner of heaven and earth, who shows no partiality, loves the foreigner, and chose Israel in love.
- The tribe of Levi — Those set apart to carry the ark and minister to the LORD, who is their inheritance in place of land.
- The fatherless, widow, and foreigner — The vulnerable for whom God executes justice and shows love, calling his people to do the same.
Key Verse
Deuteronomy 10:12 (WEB)
Now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God require of you, but to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
Lessons Learned
- God graciously renews his covenant even after his people have broken it.
- What God requires is not mere ritual but fear, love, and wholehearted service.
- Real obedience begins with a circumcised, softened heart, not outward conformity.
- The God who owns all things chose his people purely out of love.
- Those loved by God are to extend his love and justice to the vulnerable and the outsider.
- God renews what we have broken. He commanded, “Cut two stone tablets like the first” (Deuteronomy 10:1, WEB), restoring the covenant Israel had shattered. His grace gives new beginnings.
- God requires the heart. He asks us “to fear… to love him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 10:12, WEB). Obedience flows from devotion, not duty alone.
- The heart itself must be changed. “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked” (Deuteronomy 10:16, WEB). God seeks inward transformation.
- God's people love the outsider. “Love the foreigner; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19, WEB). Having received mercy, we extend it.
- What does the giving of new tablets (10:1-5) reveal about God's response to his people's failure?
- Moses asks what the LORD requires (10:12-13). How would you summarize his answer in your own words?
- What does it mean to “circumcise… the foreskin of your heart” (10:16), and why is heart-change so central?
- How does God's own care for the fatherless, widow, and foreigner (10:18) shape how his people should live?
- Moses says God's requirements are “for your good” (10:13). Where do you tend to see God's commands as burdens rather than blessings, and how might this verse reframe them?
- After the calf, God could have abandoned Israel, but instead he provided new tablets and renewed the covenant. This shows a God who restores rather than discards, whose grace makes a way back after failure. It assures us that broken covenants are not the end of the story with him.
- Moses gathers it into fearing God, walking in his ways, loving him, and serving him with all the heart and soul—relationship, reverence, and wholehearted devotion. It is not a checklist but a life turned toward God in love. Help the group see obedience as the overflow of loving God.
- Circumcising the heart means cutting away stubbornness and pride so the inner self is yielded to God, not merely the outward life. God has always wanted transformed hearts, not external compliance—a longing the new covenant fulfills as he writes his law within.
- God's heart for the vulnerable becomes the pattern for his people: because he loves the foreigner and defends the powerless, Israel must too, remembering their own former status as outsiders. Gratitude for mercy received compels mercy given. Discuss practical care for the marginalized.
- This is a personal-application question. Moses insists God's commands are for our good, not our harm. Invite members to name a command they resent and to consider how it actually protects and blesses them. As leader, reframe obedience as God's loving provision for flourishing.