Tablets of stone - wikipedia Tablets of stone For funeral or commemorative tablets carved in stone, see Stele. Part of a series on The Ten Commandments I am the LORD thy God No other gods before me No graven images or likenesses Not take the LORD 's name in vain Remember the sabbath day Honour thy father and thy mother Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness Thou shalt not covet Related articles Tablets of Stone Ritual Decalogue Catholic theology The Tables of the Law as they are widely known in English, or Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, or Tablets of Testimony ( in Hebrew : לוחות הברית Luchot HaBrit - `` the tablets ( of ) the covenant '' ) in the Hebrew Bible, were the two pieces of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments when Moses ascended Mount Sinai as written in the Book of Exodus. Exodus 31 : 18 refers to the tablets as the `` Tablets of ( the ) Testimony ''. According to the Bible, there were two sets. The first, inscribed by God, ( Exodus 31 : 18 ) were smashed by Moses when he was enraged by the sight of the Children of Israel worshipping a golden calf ( Exodus 32 : 19 ) and the second were later cut by Moses and rewritten by God. ( Exodus 34 : 1 ) According to traditional teachings of Judaism in the Talmud, they were made of blue sapphire stone as a symbolic reminder of the sky, the heavens, and ultimately of God 's throne. Many Torah scholars, however, have opined that the Biblical `` sapir '' was, in fact, the lapis lazuli ( see Exodus 24 : 10, lapis lazuli is a possible alternate rendering of `` sapphire '' the stone pavement under God 's feet when the intention to craft the tablets of the covenant is disclosed Exodus 24 : 12 ). According to the bible, both the first shattered set and the second unbroken set were stored in the Ark of the Covenant ( the Aron Habrit in Hebrew ). Contents 1 Appearance of the tablets 2 Content 3 Christian replicas 4 In the Qur'an 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 References Appearance of the tablets A popular image of the Tablets as rounded - off rectangles bears little relationship with religious traditions about their appearance. In this case, the Ten Commandments are represented by the first ten letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which in Hebrew usage may be used interchangeably with the numbers 1 - 10. Rectangular tablets passed down by the Hand of God in the 10th century Byzantine Leo Bible. In recent centuries the tablets have been popularly described and depicted as round - topped rectangles but this has little basis in religious tradition. According to Rabbinic tradition, they were rectangles, with sharp corners, and indeed they are so depicted in the 3rd century paintings at the Dura - Europos Synagogue and in Christian art throughout the 1st millennium, drawing on Jewish traditions of iconography. The rounded tablets appear in the Middle Ages, following in size and shape contemporary hinged writing tablets for taking notes ( with a stylus on a layer of wax on the insides ). For Michelangelo and Andrea Mantegna they still have sharp corners ( see gallery ), and are about the size found in Rabbinic tradition. Later artists such as Rembrandt tended to combine the rounded shape with the larger size. While, as mentioned above, Rabbinic tradition teaches that the tablets were squared, according to some authorities, the Rabbis themselves approved of rounded depictions of the tablets in replicas so that the replicas would not exactly match the historical tablets. According to the Talmud, the length and width of each of the Tablets was six Tefachim, and each was three Tefachim thick - respectively roughly 20 and ten inches, though they tend to be shown larger in art. Also according to tradition, the words were not engraved on the surface, but rather were bored fully through the stone. Content In Jewish religious tradition, the arrangement of the commandments on the two tablets is interpreted in different ways. Rabbi Hanina ben Gamaliel said that each tablet contained five commandments, `` but the Sages say ten on one tablet and ten on the other ''. Because the commandments establish a covenant, it is likely that they were duplicated on both tablets. This can be compared to diplomatic treaties of Ancient Egypt, in which a copy was made for each party. But the tablets may have contained not only the Ten Commandments but also additional precepts and words as can be inferred from the verses Exodus 31 : 18, Exodus 34 : 1, Exodus 34 : 27 - 28. Christian replicas Replicas of the tablets, known as tabots or sellats, are a vital part of the practice of Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which claims that the original Ark of the Covenant is kept in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum. In the qur'an Musa Mūsa ٰمُوسَى Moses Ten Commandments Tawrat Ṣuḥuf Mūsā ( Biblical and Quranic narratives Prophets and messengers in Islam Golden calf Asiya Balaam Samiri Ulu'l azm prophets Islam portal See also : Moses in Islam and Islamic ethics § Moral commandments The Quran states that tablets were given to Moses, without quoting their contents explicitly : `` And We ordained laws for him in the tablets in all matters, both commanding and explaining all things, ( and said ) : ' Take and hold these with firmness, and enjoin thy people to hold fast by the best in the precepts : soon shall I show you the homes of the wicked, - ( How they lie desolate ). ' '' ( Quran 7 : 145 ) These tablets are not broken in the Quran, but picked up later : `` When Moses came back to his people, angry and grieved, he said : ' Evil it is that ye have done in my place in my absence : did ye make haste to bring on the judgment of your Lord ? ' He put down the tablets, seized his brother by ( the hair of ) his head, and dragged him to him... '' ( Quran 7 : 150 ). `` When the anger of Moses was appeased, he took up the tablets : in the writing thereon was guidance and Mercy for such as fear their Lord. '' ( Quran 7 : 154 ). Gallery Round corners, 13th century, France Round corners, c. 1390 Sharp corners by Michelangelo Andrea Mantegna, c. 1461 Moses receiving the tablets of stone, written by God 's finger See also Tablet ( religious ) Tabot, a replica of the Tablets of Stone used in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church World 's largest book, a stone book the pages of which are inscribed stone tablets References Jump up ^ See : Staples, W.E., `` Lapis Lazuli '', in The Interpreter 's Dictionary of the Bible, vol. 3, p. 72 Jump up ^ Bava Batra 14a. Jump up ^ Except for a variant tradition where a scroll is shown, only known from Christian examples. ( 1 ) Jump up ^ See HaQoton, Reb Chaim `` Squared vs. Rounded Tablets '' ( also available on academia.edu ) Jump up ^ Bava Batra 14a. Jump up ^ Rabbi Ishmael. Horowitz - Rabin ( ed. ), ed. Mekhilta. pp. 233, Tractate de -- ba -- Hodesh, 5. CS1 maint : Extra text : editors list ( link ) Jump up ^ Margaliot, Dr. Meshulam ( July 2004 ). `` What was Written on the Two Tablets ? ''. Bar - Ilan University. Retrieved 2006 - 09 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Adam Clarke Commentary ''. Jump up ^ Paul Raffaele, `` Keepers of the Lost Ark ? '' Smithsonian Magazine, December 2007 ( accessed 9 April 2011 ) Ten Commandments Commandments I am the Lord thy God Thou shalt have no other gods before me Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy Honour thy father and thy mother Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour Thou shalt not covet Modern media The Ten Commandments : The Musical K10C : Kids ' Ten Commandments Les Dix Commandements ( musical ) 2007 film 2010 film The Ten Commandments ( 2007 film ) The Ten Commandments ( 1956 film ) The Ten Commandments ( 1923 film ) Related articles 613 Mitzvot Alternatives Catholic theology Finger of God Ritual Decalogue Seven Laws of Noah Tablets of Stone Ark of the Covenant topics People Moses Kohanim High Priest of Israel Israelites Levites Bezalel Tribe of Judah Oholiab Kehath Tribe of Levi Jeremiah Joshua Samuel Solomon Menelik I Contents Tablets of Stone Ten Commandments Manna Aaron 's rod Cherub Locations Mount Sinai Jericho Jordan River Holy of Holies Tabernacle Ai Shiloh Gibeah Gilgal Eben - Ezer Philistia Beth Shemesh Kiriath - Jearim Temple Mount Dome of the Rock Well of Souls Cathedral of Chartres Tana Qirqos Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion Related The Sign and the Seal ( 1992 book ) People and things in the Quran Characters Non-humans Allâh ( `` The God '' ) Names of Allah found in the Quran Beings in Jannah ( Paradise, literally ' Garden ' ) Ghilman & Wildan Houri Zaqqum Animals Related Cattle of Israelites A real baqarah ( cow ) that was slaughtered for a purpose The ' ijl ( golden calf statue ) The dhi'b ( wolf ) that Jacob feared could attack Joseph The hud - hud ( hoopoe ) of Solomon The kalb ( dog ) of the sleepers of the cave The nūn ( fish or whale ) of Jonah The nāqaṫ ( she - camel ) of Saleh The fīl ( elephant ) of the Abyssinians ) Non-related Ḥimār ( domesticated donkey or wild ass ) Qaswarah ( ' Lion ', ' Beast of prey ' or ' Hunter ' ) Jinns Iblīs the Devil Ifrit Marid Qareen Prophets Mentioned Ādam ( Adam ) Al - Yasa ' ( Elisha ) Ayyūb ( Job ) Dāwūd ( David ) Dhūl - Kifl ( Ezekiel ? ) Hārūn ( Aaron ) Hūd ( Eber ? ) Idrīs ( Enoch ? ) Ilyās ( Elijah ) ' Imrān ( Joachim the father of Maryam ) Is - ḥāq ( Isaac ) Ismā'īl ( Ishmael ) Dhabih Ullah Isma'il Ṣādiq al - Wa 'd ( Fulfiller of the Promise ) Lūṭ ( Lot ) Ṣāliḥ Shu'ayb ( Jethro, Reuel or Hobab ? ) Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd ( Solomon son of David ) ' Uzair ( Ezra ? ) Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā ( John the Baptist the son of Zechariah ) Ya'qūb ( Jacob ) Isrâ'îl ( Israel ) Yūnus ( Jonah ) Dhūn - Nūn ( `` He of the Fish ( or Whale ) '' or `` Owner of the Fish ( or Whale ) '' ) Ṣāḥib al - Ḥūṫ ( `` Companion of the Whale '' ) Yūsuf ibn Ya'qūb ( Joseph son of Jacob ) Zakariyyā ( Zechariah ) Ulu - l - ' Azm Muḥammad Aḥmad Other names and titles of Muhammad ʿĪsā ( Jesus ) Al - Masīḥ ( The Messiah ) Ibn Maryam ( Son of Mary ) Mūsā Kalīmullāh ( Moses He who spoke to God ) Ibrāhīm Khalīlullāh ( Abraham Friend of God ) Nūḥ ( Noah ) Debatable ones Dhūl - Qarnain ( Cyrus the Great ? ) Luqmân Maryam ( Mary ) Ṭâlûṫ ( Saul or Gideon ? ) Implied Ermia / Jeremiah Ṣamû'îl ( Samuel ) Yusha ' ibn Nūn / Joshua ( companion and successor of Musa ) People of Prophets Mentioned evil ones Āzar ( possibly Terah ) Fir'aun ( Pharaoh of Moses ) Hāmān Jâlûṫ ( Goliath ) Qarun / Korah ( cousin of Musa / Moses ) As - Sāmirī Abu Lahab Specified good ones Zechariah 's wife Adam 's immediate relatives Martyred son Wife Women of Moses Moses ' mother Sister Wife Sister - in - law Isaac 's mother Zayd Non-specified good ones Abiona / Amtelai daughter of Karnebo ( mother of Ibrahim ) Bathsheba ( wife of Dawud, mother of Sulayman ) Hājar / Hagar ( wife of Ibrahim, mother of Isma'il ) Hannah / Anne daughter of Faquz ( mother of Maryam, wife of Imran ) Imran / Amram ( father of Musa ) Lamech ( father of Nuh ) Rāhil / Rachel ( wife of Ya'qub, mother of Yūsuf ) Rahma / Dinah ( wife of Ayyub ) Shamkha bint Anush / Betenos ( mother of Nuh ) Son of Luqman Implied Asiyah bint Muzahim / Bithiah ( wife of Fir'aun ) Asif ibn Barkhiya ( vizier and successor of Sulayman ) Bilquis ( Queen of Saba / Sheba ) Believer of Fir'aun Family ( Hizbil / Hizqil ibn Sabura ) Benyamin / Benjamin Habib the Carpenter ( believer of Ya - Sin ) Kaleb / Caleb ( companion of Yusha ' ) Khidr Magicians of Fir'aun Simon Cephas / Simon Peter Abrahah Bal'am / Balaam Barsisa Nebuchadnezzar II Nimrod Potiphar ( Al - Aziz ) Shaddad Simeon ( son of Ya'qub ) Slayers of Saleh 's she - camel ( Qaddar ibn Salif and Musda ' ibn Dahr ) Valid ibn Rayyan ( king of Egypt in the account of Yūsuf ) Zuleikha ( wife of al - Aziz ) Groups Mentioned A'rāb ( Arabs or Bedouins ) Aş - ḥāb al - Jannah People of Paradise People of the Burnt Garden Aş - ḥāb as - Sabṫ ( Companions of the Sabbath ) Christian apostles Disciples of Jesus Companions of Noah 's Ark Aş - ḥāb al - Kahf war - Raqīm ( Companions of the Cave and Al - Raqaim ? Companions of the Elephant People of al - Ukhdūd People of the City ( People of Ya - Sin ) People of Yathrib or Medina Folk of Dawud Folk of Lut Folk of Musa and Harun Nation of Nuh Tribes, ethnicities or families ' Ād ( people of Hud ) Arab & Ajam Children of Israel / Israelites Companions of the Rass People of Ibrahim People of Ilyas People of Lut ( Mu'tafikat ) People of Nuh People of Saba ' / Sheba People of Shuaib Ahl Madyan People of Madyan ) Aṣ - ḥāb al - Aykah ( `` Companions of the Wood '' ) Qawm Tubba ' ( People of Tubba ) Qawm Yûnus ( People of Jonah ) Quraysh Rûm ( literally ' Romans ' ) Thamûd ( people of Saleh ) Aṣ - ḥâb al - Ḥijr ( `` Companions of the Stoneland '' ) Ya'juj and Ma'juj / Gog and Magog Ahl al - Bayṫ ( `` People of the Household '' ) Household of Abraham Brothers of Yūsuf Daughters of Abraham 's nephew Lot ( Ritha, Za'ura, et al. ) Progeny of Imran Household of Moses Household of Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul - Muttalib ibn Hashim Daughters of Muhammad Wives of Muhammad Household of Salih People of Fir'aun Current Ummah of Islam ( Ummah of Muhammad ) Hezbollah Aṣ - ḥāb Muḥammad ( Companions of Muhammad ) Muhajirun ( Emigrants ) Anṣār Muslims of Medina who helped Muhammad and his Meccan followers, literally ' Helpers ' ) People of Mecca Children of Ayyub Dead son of Sulaiman Qabil / Cain ( son of Adam ) Umm Jamil ( wife of Abu Lahab ) Wali'ah or Wa'ilah / Waala ( wife of Nuh ) Walihah or Wahilah ( wife of Lut ) Yam or Kan'an ( son of Nuh ) Implicitly mentioned Amalek Ahl al - Suffa ( People of the Verandah ) Banu Nadir Banu Qaynuqa Banu Qurayza Iranian people Umayyad Dynasty Aus & Khazraj People of Quba Religious groups Ahl al - dhimmah ( Dhimmi ) Kâfirûn ( Infidels ) Zoroastrians Munafiqun ( Hypocrites ) Muslims People of the Book ( Ahl al - Kiṫāb ) Christian ( People of the Injil ) Ruhban ( Christian monks ) Qissis ( Christian priest ) Jews Ahbār ( Jewish scholars ) Rabbani / Rabbi Sabians Polytheists Meccan polytheists at the time of Muhammad Mesopotamian polytheists at the time of Abraham and Lot Locations Mentioned Al - Aḥqāf ( `` The Sandy Plains, '' or `` the Wind - curved Sand - hills '' ) Al - Arḍ Al - Mubārakah ( `` The Land The Blessed '' ) Al - Arḍ Al - Muqaddasah ( `` The Land The Holy '' ) Al - Jūdiyy Munzalanm - Mubārakan ( `` Place - of - Landing Blessed '' ) Al - Madīnah ( formerly Yathrib ) Al - Wād Al - Muqaddas Ṭuwan ( The Holy Valley of Tuwa ) ' Arafāṫ Bābil ( Babylon ) Badr Door of Hittah Al - Ḥijr ( Hegra ) Ḥunayn Iram dhāṫ al - ' Imād ( Iram of the Pillars ) Ka'bah / Kaaba ( Bayt al - Harām / Sacred House, Bayt al - ' Atīq / Ancient House ) Madyan ( Midian ) Majma ' al - Bahrain Makkah ( Mecca ) Bakkah Maqām Ibrāhīm ( Station of Abraham ) Miṣr ( Mainland Egypt ) Sinai Region or Tīh Desert Al - Wādil - Ayman ( The valley on the ' righthand ' side of the Valley of Tuwa and Mount Sinai ) Mount Sinai or Mount Tabor Mu'tafikat ( Sodom ) Qaryaṫ Yūnus ( `` Township of Jonah, '' that is Nineveh ) Rass Saba ' ( Sheba ) Safa and Marwah Implied Antioch Antakya Ayla Barrier of Dhul - Qarnayn Bayt al - Muqaddas & ' Ariha Bilād ar - Rāfidayn ( Mesopotamia ) Canaan Cave of Hira & Ghar al - Thawr ( Cave of the Bull ) Cave of Seven Sleepers Dār al - Nadwa Al - Ḥijāz ( literally `` The Barrier '' ) Black Stone ( Al - Ḥajar al - Aswad ) & Al - Hijr of Isma'il Ta'if Hudaybiyyah Jordan River Ma'rib Dam Nile River Palestine River Paradise of Shaddad Religious locations Bay'a ( Church ) Mihrab Monastery Masjid ( Mosque, literally `` Place of Prostration '' ) Al - Mash'ar Al - Ḥarām ( `` The Monument the Sacred '' ) Al - Masjid Al - Aqṣā ( Al - Aqsa Mosque, literally `` The Place - of - Prostration The Farthest '' ) Al - Masjid Al - Ḥarām ( The Sacred Mosque of Mecca ) Masjid al - Dirar A Mosque in the area of Medina, possibly : Masjid Qubâ ' ( Quba Mosque ) The Prophet 's Mosque Salat ( Synagogue ) Non-human physical entities Religious texts Al - Injîl ( The Gospel of Jesus ) Al - Qur'ân ( The book of Muhammad ) Ṣuḥuf - i Ibrâhîm ( Scroll ( s ) of Abraham ) Aṫ - Ṫawrâṫ ( The Torah ) Ṣuḥuf - i - Mûsâ ( Scroll ( s ) of Moses ) Tablets of Stone Az - Zabûr ( The Psalms of David ) Related objects Forbidden fruit of Adam Heavenly Food of Christian Apostles Noah 's Ark Staff of Musa Tabut al - Sakina ( Casket of Shekhinah ) Throne of Bilqis Trumpet of Israfil Mentioned idols ( cult images ) Baal Lāt, ' Uzza and Manāt Wadd, Suwa ', Yaghuth, Ya'uq and Nasr Jibt and Taghut Ansāb Events Battle of al - Aḥzāb ( `` the Confederates '' ) Battle of Badr Battle of Hunayn Battle of Khaybar Battle of Tabouk Battle of Uhud Conquest of Mecca Hadith of the Pond of Khumm Incident of Ifk Laylat al - Mabit Mubahala The Farewell Pilgrimage ( Hujja al - Wada ' ) Treaty of Hudaybiyyah Umrah al - Qaza Yawm al - Dār Note : The names are sorted alphabetically. Standard form : Islamic name / Biblical name ( title or relationship ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tablets_of_Stone&oldid=814817081 '' Categories : Ten Commandments Hebrew Bible objects Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Extra text : editors list Articles containing Arabic - language text Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Français Bahasa Indonesia עברית 日本 語 Română Русский ไทย Українська اردو Edit links This page was last edited on 11 December 2017, at 02 : 52. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where are the two tablets of the ten commandments
Answer: The Tables of the Law as they are widely known in English, or Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, or Tablets of Testimony (in Hebrew: לוחות הברית Luchot HaBrit - "the tablets [of] the covenant")