According to Deut. 27:2-8, a stone monument was to be erected next to the altar. This was to be covered over with plaster. Upon this plaster the Ten Commandments and the law of Moses were inscribed. These, together with the blessings for obedience and the curse for disobedience, were read to the whole congregation of Israel. In that country, were heavy frosts would not disintegrate the letters, this monument may have remained for centuries as a witness to Israel of their covenant, as well as a witness to the nations about.