The Bible Book

80

Israelites commit to obeying Him,

they will become God’s “treasured

possession” out of all nations and

a “kingdom of priests and a holy

nation” (19:5–6). When Moses relays

God’s message to the elders, they

respond enthusiastically to the

proposition: “We will do everything

the Lord has said” (19:8). Moses

takes their answer back to God.

Through Moses, God then

instructs the Israelites to gather

at a respectful distance from the

bottom of the mountain, while

Moses returns to the top to receive

the terms of their covenant. A thick

cloud then descends over Mount

Sinai, and the people hear thunder

and loud trumpet blasts and see

flashes of lightning, fire, and smoke.

The people tremble in fear. It is

a clear indication of the gravity

of the relationship that they are

to share with God.

A new covenant

On the mountain, God gives

Moses His terms, or laws—the ten

foundational rules known as the

Ten Commandments, or the

Decalogue (from the Greek, “ten

words”). The first three concern the

Israelites’ relationship with God.

First, they are to worship Him alone,

rather than merging their obedience

to God with reverence for the deities

of other people. Next, they are

forbidden from making any image

or idol of God, because God is not

to be viewed in comparison to any

earthly or heavenly creature. Thirdly,

God’s name is to be used with care

and respect—never taken in vain.

The Israelites must never forget that

they owe their lives to God and not

any other human or divine leader.

The fourth commandment

instructs the people to keep a

Sabbath day, which they could

never have done as slaves working

without a Sabbath rest. Just as

God created the world in six days

and then rested, so the Israelites

should work for six days and then

spend a day resting and relishing

God’s presence.

The last six commandments

regulate the relationships between

God’s own people. They are to

honor their parents, and refrain

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Moses is shown with horns in this

15th-century woodcut. These are the

result of a mistranslation of the Hebrew

for “rays of light” in Exodus 34:29. The

error was repeated by many artists.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Exodus 16:1–20:17

THEME

Protecting the Israelites

SETTING

14th–13th century bce

Mount Sinai, also called Mount

Horeb, on the Sinai Peninsula,

three months after the Exodus.

KEY FIGURES

Moses The leader chosen by

God to challenge the Egyptian

Pharaoh and lead the Israelites

out of slavery.

God Appears to Moses in

physical form as a thick,

thunderous cloud.

The Israelites The 12 tribes

descended from Jacob,

recently liberated from Egypt.

T

hree months after leaving

Egypt, the Israelites arrive

at the foot of Mount Sinai

in the desert of Sinai, free from the

rule of Pharaoh for the first time in

living memory. However, after the

initial euphoria of rescue, the

Israelites struggle to know what to

do with their newfound freedom.

God summons Moses to the top of

the mountain and tells him to make

an offer to the people of Israel.

Having rescued them from the

tyranny of Pharaoh and provided

for their daily needs in the desert,

God is prepared to enter into a

covenant with them, just as He

entered into a covenant with their

forefather Abraham. Although all

the earth belongs to God, if the

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