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Deuteronomy 27 · a question people ask

Could all the words of the law fit on a few stones?

In the text

The chapter says what was written, "all the words of this law" (27:3, 27:8), and on what: "great stones" coated with plaster (27:2). It says how: "very plainly" (27:8). It doesn't say how many stones there were, how large they were, or how the words were set out. Elsewhere Deuteronomy uses "this law" for what Moses declares and writes: "Moses began to declare this law" (1:5), and later, "Moses wrote this law" (31:9). When it was done, Joshua "wrote there on the stones a copy of Moses’ law" (Joshua 8:32).

The verses

“Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to declare this law, saying,”
Deuteronomy 1:5 · World English Bible
“Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.”
Deuteronomy 31:9 · World English Bible
“He wrote there on the stones a copy of Moses’ law, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.”
Joshua 8:32 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Deuteronomy 27

Deuteronomy 27: All the people shall say amen

The last of Deuteronomy 27's twelve curses, "Cursed is he who doesn’t uphold the words of this law by doing them" (27:26), is the one Paul quotes, "Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law" (Galatians 3:10), before he writes, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law" (Galatians 3:13).

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions