And he wrote upon stones the Deuteronomy of the law of Moses, which he had ordered before the children of Israel.

And he wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written before the children of Israel.

and he writeth there on the stones the copy of the law of Moses, which he hath written in the presence of the sons of Israel.

And he made there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, writing it before the eyes of the children of Israel.

And he wrote on the stones, the Deuteronomy of the law of Moses, which he had set in order before the sons of Israel.

Scripsit quoque ibi in lapidibus repetitam legem Mosis, quam scripsit coram filiis Israel.

And he wrote there upon the stones, etc A different rule is applicable to the stones here mentioned, on which God wished that a memorial of his Law should always appear, in order that, a kind of barrier might be interposed to protect the pure religion against the superstitions of Egypt. They were therefore covered with lime, that they might be more conspicuous, and the writing upon them more distinct. I willingly subscribe to the opinion of those who understand by the repeated Law a written form, or what is commonly called a copy or duplicate. I cannot, however, believe that the whole volume was traced upon it; for no stones however large could suffice to contain all the details. I therefore think that by the term Law only its substance and sanctions [1] are denoted. This made it palpable even to strangers entering the land what God was worshipped in it, and all excuse for error was taken away, when the Law was not treasured up in a book, but made manifest to the eyes of all. In short, though the priests should have been dumb, the stones themselves spoke clearly.

Footnotes

1 - French, "Le sommaire, et les defenses et commandemens;" "The summary, and the prohibitions and commands." -- Ed.

See the note marginal reference.

A copy of the law of Moses - משנה תורת mishneh torath, the repetition of the law; that is, a copy of the blessings and curses, as commanded by Moses; not a copy of the Decalogue, as some imagine, nor of the book of Deuteronomy, as others think; much less of the whole Pentateuch; but merely of that part which contained the blessings and curses, and which was to be read on this solemn occasion. See the note on Deuteronomy 27:3.

And he wrote there upon the stones a (n) copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
(n) Meaning, the ten commandments, which are the sum of the whole Law.

And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses,.... Not upon the stones of which the altar was made, though some have so thought; but upon other stones erected in the form of a pillar, and plastered over, Deuteronomy 27:4; which copy of the law was not the whole book of Deuteronomy, as some, at least only an abstract of the laws in it; but rather the decalogue, as Abarbinel; or the blessings and curses later read, as Ben Gersom:
which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel: they being witness of it, that he did what was enjoined.

he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses--(See on Deuteronomy 27:2-3, Deuteronomy 27:5); that is, the blessings and curses of the law. Some think that the stones which contained this inscription were the stones of the altar: but this verse seems rather to indicate that a number of stone pillars were erected alongside of the altar, and on which, after they were plastered, this duplicate of the law was inscribed.

Upon the stones - Not upon the stones of the altar, which were to be rough and unpolished, Joshua 8:31, but upon other stones, smooth and plaistered, as is manifest from Deuteronomy 27:2. The law of Moses - Not certainly the whole five books of Moses, for what stones and time would have sufficed for this, but the most weighty parts of the law, and especially the law of the ten commandments.