Where was the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God? Where was the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God? 2009-08-11 The search for the Biblical Mount Sinai goes on. According to the Hebrew Bible received Moses the Ten Commandments from God on a top of a mountain called Mount Sinai, but where was this mountain? Many believed that Mount Sinai, Jebel Musa, on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is this mountain. On the top of this mountain travellers can today enjoy the sunset and admire the wonderful view. But there are also other suggestions where the Biblical Mount Sinai is located. Photo. Jebel Musa is believed by many to be the Biblical Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. © Information website for St. Katherine and the Sinai High Mountain Region in the Governorate of South Sinai, Egypt ( ). The Jews received the Ten Commandments at the top of Mount Sinai, but where is this Biblical Mount Sinai? The big mystery is still not solved. It has for a long time been discussed by researcers, scientific and religious people where the Ten Commandments written on stone tablet were given to Moses by God. There has been conducted widely search for finding the mountain where it took place.

Not even the Stone Tablets have been found. They go under the names: The Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, Tablets of Law, or Tablets of Testimony in the Bible. They were the two pieces of special stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments when Moses stood on the top of Mount Sinai as recorded in the Book of Exodus. Exodus 31:18 refers to the tablets as the "Tablets of Testimony" because they give insight into the nature of God. The name of Mount Sinai is strongly connected to the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments. Exodus 19:16-20 says: “The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain.” As stated on the information website for St. Katherine and the Sinai High Mountain Region in the Governorate of South Sinai, Egypt ( ), Mount Sinai is the Biblical Mount Horeb, known locally as Jebel Musa, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. At the foot of Mount Sinai is the magnificent St. Catherine’s Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, run by Eastern Orthodox monks and one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world. St.

Katherine's Monastery is the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the World built on the site where Moses (Prophet Musa) spoke to God in the miracle of the Burning Bush, and to climb Mount Sinai, the Biblical Mt. Horeb, known locally as Jebel Musa, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. The town of St. Katherine is in the Sinai peninsula in Egypt at an elevation of about 1600 meters from sea level. For more information: Another theory is that the site at Mount Karkom is the Biblical Mount Sinai. Professor Emmanuel Anati, who was in charge of the Har Karkom Archaeological Survey, believe he has the answer. His compelling hypothesis derived from his work, carried out over many years, that looked for evidence linking Biblical Sinai with the site at Mount Karkom. Mount Karkom, in Israel’s bleak Negev Desert, is about half way between the ancient city of Kadesh Barnea and the Nabatean city of Petra. It`s also a theory indicating that the Jebel al-Madhbah, meaning mountain of the Altar, at Petra, is being identical to the biblical Mount Sinai.

Based on a number of local names and features, in 1927 Ditlef Nielsen identified the Jebel al-Madhbah (meaning mountain of the Altar) at Petra as the biblical Mount Sinai. Since then, as well as a number of scholars, a number of amateur investigators such as Graham Phillips, Andrew Collins, and Chris Ogilvie-Herald have also made the identification (Source: Wikipedia). Photo. The Siq, facing the Treasury, at the foot of Jebel al-Madhbah. © Travel Explorations. The valley in which Petra resides is known as the Wadi Musa, meaning valley of Moses, and at the entrance to the Siq is the Ain Musa, meaning spring of Moses; in the 13th century an Arab chronicler Numari stated that Ain Musa was the location where Moses had brought water from the ground, by striking it with his rod.

The Jebel al-Madhbah was evidently considered particularly sacred, as the well known ritual building known as The Treasury is carved into its base, the mountain top is covered with a number of different altars, and over 8 metres of the original peak were carved away to leave a flat surface with two 8 metre tall obelisks sticking out of it. These obelisks, which frame the end of the path leading up to them, and are now only 6 metres tall, have led to the mountain being colloquially known as Zibb 'Atuf, meaning penis of love in Arabic. Archaeological artifacts discovered at the top of the mountain indicate that it was once covered by polished shiny blue slate, fitting with the biblical description of paved work of sapphire stone; biblical references to sapphire are considered by scholars to be unlikely to refer to the stone called sapphire in modern times, as sapphire had a different meaning, and wasn't even mined, before the Roman era. Unfortunately, the removal of the original peak has destroyed most other archaeological remains from the late Bronze Age (the standard dating of the Exodus) that might previously have been present.

Would there some day be specific evidences that can prove where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God? Stein Morten Lund, 21 August 2009 Additional information Another Biblican site related to Moses is Mount Nebo, Jordan, which is today a place of pilgrimage for thousands of people. According to the Bible, it was there Moses saw the Promised Land. The Bible, Deuteronomy 34:1-7, tells the story of Moses’s journey to Mount Nebo. It says: “Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Mount Pisgah east of Jericho and there the Lord showed him the whole land: the territory of Gilead as far north as the town of Dan. Read more about Biblical places on our global travelguide Travel Explorations: Related Articles: On which mountain did Moses receive the Ten Commandments? On which mountain did Moses receive the Ten Commandments? March 12, 2016 Most people are unaware that little evidence supports “Mt. Sinai” in the Sinai Peninsula as the famed mountain of Exodus.

Several recent popularizations on the subject have suggested an alternate site of Jabal al-Lawz, or Mt. Musa (Moses) in Saudi Arabia. Local Arab tradition upholds this as the site for the giving of the law. Unfortunately, many of those popularizing this location offer little scholarly research to support their views. Yet, there are some excellent scholars who agree with this location and have published their findings. The eminent Orientalist, Professor James B. Pritchard writes: “The location of Mt. Sinai, or Mt. Horeb… is a particular problem and over a dozen sites have been proposed for it. Much of the evidence used in the discussion is insufficiently precise for the purpose (e.g. volcanic features in Exodus 19 …need not imply that Mt. Sinai was actually a volcano and therefore located in north-west Arabia) and some of it perhaps relates to a distinct “mountain of God” (Exodus 3:1; 4:27; 18:5) rather than to Sinai. The clearest evidence is found in Deuteronomy 1:2 It is eleven days journey from Horeb by way of Mt. Seir to Kadesh-Barnea.

This points to the South of the Sinai Peninsula … or less likely to a mountain east of the gulf of Aqaba.” (Atlas of the Bible, Harper Collins ,1987) Again from the scholarly community, Hershel Shanks, editor of the Biblical Archaeological Review says, “Jabal al-Lawz is the most likely site for Mount Sinai, but we need a serious archeological investigation.” (Religion: On the Trail of the Real Mount Sinai, Newsweek, February 23, 1998) The Apostle Paul writes “Mt. Sinai [is] in Arabia.” (Galatians 4:25) But this is still very general. In the Apostle’s day, the entire Roman frontier, including most of the Sinai Peninsula, was “Arabia”. The named “Arabia” extended over the entire country, which we now call Saudi Arabia. But if “Arabia” is a broad term, “Midian” is much more specific. “Midian” is the area of northwest Saudi Arabia and is part of southern Jordan.

During Moses’ forty years of exile, Moses and his wife Zipporah lived in Midian and kept the flocks of Jethro his father-in-law. There he also helped Jethro’s daughters water the sheep. (Exodus 2:16-19). Exodus 3:1 tells the story of Moses shepherding the flock of Jethro: “so he led forth his flock behind the desert”. Then at the Burning Bush – presumably in Midian, God called Moses. However, please observe that in Exodus 18:5,27, Jethro met with Moses in the wilderness at the mount of God, but then “went his way (returned) into his own land (Midian).” Hence, there must have been at least some separation between Jethro’s principal residence and the sacred Mount. (See also Numbers 10:29-30,33.) This debate is energetic, and far from settled. 101 Myths of the Bible Chapter 78 SAMPLE CHAPTER: 78. Moses Gave Israel the Ten Commandments.

(NOTE: The following material is a draft of a chapter from 101 Myths of the Bible and may vary slightly from the published version.) The Myth: And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 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 thy neighbours house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbours.

And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. (Ex. 20:1-18.) The Reality: The bible has several contradictory accounts of what laws the Israelites were given, how many they received, and where and when they got them. The traditional version of the Ten Commandments as given above was a late invention created no earlier than the seventh century BC. The traditional view of how Israel received the Ten Commandments goes something like this. God verbally announced Ten Commandments to the people of Israel and they were later reduced to writing on stone tablets. Moses received the tablets on Mount Sinai and brought them down to the people. When he returned to the Israelites he saw the golden calf built by Aaron, became angry and smashed the stones. He returned to the mountain and obtained a new set of tablets. These he passed on to the people, placing them in the Ark of the Covenant for safekeeping. Thereafter, the Ten Commandments served as a sacred bond between the Israelites and the Hebrew god.

Unfortunately, this picture is pieced together from a number of threads that contain inconsistent claims and alternative scenarios. The bible integrates at least four different law codes within the story of the Ten Commandments, two of which contain similar versions of the traditional Ten Commandments, one of which contains a radically different version of the Ten Commandments, and one which contains over forty commandments, incorporating variations of the laws listed in the other three documents. The Hebrew or Greek word translated as commandment actually means word. So, despite the rather verbose content of the Ten Commandments, originally, there should have been just Ten Words on the stone tablets. The bible also disagrees as to when and where the Israelites received the stone tablets. In Exodus Moses brings the tablets to Israel during the first few months of the Exodus while camped by Mount Sinai. In Deuteronomy, Moses gives them the tablets forty years later, in the vicinity of Mount Horeb at the entranceway to the Promised Land. The biblical history of the Ten Commandments begins with a show of smoke, thunder and lightning as God offers the Israelites a covenant.

Follow my rules, he said, and Ill give you a homeland in Canaan and drive out the present inhabitants. He then announced a set of ten commandments, the content of which appears in Ex. 20:1-17. This constitutes the traditional version of the Ten Commandments. The Book of Deuteronomy provides a recap of the same scene and Deu. 5:6-21 sets forth a second version of Gods announced commandments. The two sets of commandments are nearly identical but for two important differences. With regard to remembering the Sabbath, Deuteronomy states that the purpose of the commandment is to remind Israel that God liberated the Hebrews from servitude in Egypt. The Exodus version says that the purpose of the Sabbath is to remind Israel that God rested on the seventh day of Creation. Another distinction between Exodus and Deuteronomy appears in the last commandment about the coveting of other property. The Exodus version reads: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbours. (Ex.

20:17.) The Deuteronomy version reads: Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbours wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbours house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbours. (Deu. 5:21.) In the first version, a neighbors wife is considered part of the males household property. In the second version, she is separate from the household property. Despite the nearly identical language throughout the two texts, these two differences show disagreement over what was originally supposed to have been inscribed in stone and preserved for all to see and hear. From here on I will use the terms Traditional Ten Commandments or the traditional version when referring to either of these two texts. When one refers to the Ten Commandments, it is one of these two versions that is meant.

When God finished announcing the terms of the covenant, the people were frightened and asked Moses to talk with God on a one-to-one basis and leave them out of it lest we die. Moses then went up on the mountain to talk to God and they had a long conversation during which the Lord set forth a list of well over forty commandments and perhaps more than sixty, depending upon how the sentences are punctuated and divided. (The full list appears in Ex. 21:1-23:26.) The list has the following preamble. Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. (Ex. 21:1.) Although we need not look at the full substance of these judgments, we should note that variations of all the Traditional Ten Commandments appear within this larger listing but the substance of the text and the sequence of appearance vary significantly from the traditional version. From here on I will refer to this collection of commandments as the Judgments. At the end of this long conversation, Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. (Ex. 24:3-4.) We have now arrived at the first written statement of Gods law and they are not on stone tablets. The passage says that first Moses told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments. Then the people said they would follow the words and Moses then wrote all the words of the Lord. While Moses first announces words and judgments, the people agree to only the words and Moses writes down only the words. Where are the Judgments? Do the words and the judgments mean the same thing or does words refer to what God announced to the crowd and judgments to the long list of commandments given on the mountain? Since the people had already heard Gods announcement and it frightened them, it hardly seemed necessary to repeat it, especially since the essence was already contained within the longer listing.

Did Moses write down just the words announced by God to the crowd, just the Judgments that only Moses heard or both collections? Were words and judgments interchangeable concepts? In context, Moses action followed immediately after the private conversation on the mountain and one would expect his writing to contain the substance of that conversation. But, what we have here is an example of complicated biblical editing reflecting the interaction of two or more separate traditions. God announced the commandments in Ex. 20, and at the end of that chapter the Lord gives instructions for building an altar. In the last verse of the chapter he says, Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon. The original source document containing those verses resumed at Ex. 24:1, which continues the discussion with a direction for Moses to Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

However, the Judgments, an alternative tradition about Gods commandments, also circulated, and a redactor inserted the list of Judgments beginning at Ex. 21:1, which interrupted the flow of the source story about Gods announcement of the Traditional Ten Commandments. The insertion of this list created confusion as to whether the narrative talked about the words in the announcement or the judgments in the inserted text. After writing down whichever set of commandments he transcribed, Moses identified the writing as the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people (Ex. 24:7.) Did he really have to re-read what God had already told them in such an unforgettable manner, or did he have to read it to them because it contained the much longer collection of Judgments that only he heard? After some ceremonial acceptance of the covenant, God invited Moses back up the mountain. And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. (Ex.

24:12.) In this passage we have the first reference to stone tablets. It says that they have already been written and implies but doesnt precisely say that they contain both a law and commandments, an indication that they may contain something more than or other than the Traditional Ten Commandments. Moses went back up the mountain but instead of receiving the indicated tablets, he had another long conversation with God, this time about the design of a sanctuary and an ark and the contents of the sanctuary and the dress of the priests and related matters (Ex. 24:16-31:17).Among the instructions was a direction that anyone who violates the Sabbath rest be put to death. After this lengthy set of instructions about how to properly worship the Lord, God finally handed over the tablets. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Moses has now received for the first time two stone tablets and they are called tables of testimony not tables of commandments or Ten Commandments. What is the table of testimony and does it contain anything different than the previously written Book of the Covenant? By implication, these should be the stone tablets that God invited Moses to receive on the mountain and which had already been written and which included both a law and commandments. As Moses communed with God on the mountain above, Aaron built a Golden Calf on the ground below. When Moses returned and discovered what his brother had done, violating two of the new commandments that had been previously announced to the people, he angrily smashed the tablets. There follows various reactions to Israels sin, and then in Ex. 34 God instructs Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. Moses prepared the new tablets and returned before the Lord. In this second talk, God renewed the call for a covenant and said that if Israel followed the rules God would deliver Canaan to his people and drive out the enemies.

This was essentially the same covenant made earlier. This repetition of the covenant is necessary because it is part of the agreement to follow the commandments and had to be included in the written version. It also means that the words that follow are the commandments that go with the covenant. God followed up the renewal of the covenant with another set of commandments but they were very different, as we will see. First lets examine the concluding instruction. And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. (Ex. 34:27-28.) For the first time the bible specifically refers to the Ten Commandments and says that Moses wrote them on the stone tablets. In the opening of this passage we were told that the tablets would contain the very words that were on the broken tablets. Then follows the new set of commandments and a concluding statement that these are the Ten Commandments. What do they say?

(The numbers in front of each paragraph are intended to make it easier to separate out the commandments; they are not in the bible. The essential portion of each commandment is in boldface.) 1. Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 2. Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 3. The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep.

Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. 4. All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty. 5. Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 6. And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the years end. 7. Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year. 8.

Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. 9. The first of the first fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. 10. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mothers milk. (Ex. 34:12-26.) These then, at least according to the bible, are the true Ten Commandments, and they differ radically from the commandments verbally announced in Ex. 20 and Deu. 5. From here on I will refer to this new set of commandments as the Ritual Ten Commandments. The text says that these are what were on the first set of stone tablets. The Judgments include all the substance of the Ritual Ten Commandments but, as with the Traditional Ten Commandments, use very different language and have a different sequence. Only three of the Ritual Commandments exhibit any similarity to the Traditional Commandments. Although, both ban the worship of other gods, in the Ritual version the Israelites are specifically commanded to destroy the religious icons of the other peoples.

Both ban the making of graven images, but the Ritual version is less restrictive as to the kinds of images that are banned. And finally, both versions require obedience to the Sabbath, but the Ritual version extends it to some other holiday occasions also. Unlike the two Traditional Versions of the Ten Commandments, each of which gives a different explanation for the Sabbath, the Ritual Ten Commandments provide no explanation at all. But in the Judgments, a very different explanation appears. Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. (Ex. 23:12.) This view recognizes that overworked cattle and servants wont be as productive as they could be and if they arent productive the Lord wont be given his due. This seems to be the more logical and more likely origin of the Sabbath law. The common touch-point between the Traditional and Ritual versions of the Ten Commandments concerns the rules of behavior towards God. They differ in that the Traditional Version prohibits wrongful behavior towards other people while the Ritual Version concentrates solely on the religious principles of worshipping god.

The viewpoint expressed within the Ritual Ten Commandments makes more sense as the basis of a religious covenant than does the Traditional Ten Commandments. The restrictions on immoral behavior towards others were commonplace and widespread in ancient society. Everybody generally recognized that killing and stealing and lying were bad. Why would God need to impose those conditions as the basis of a special covenant? As all the versions show, God was a jealous being, and any covenant he was likely to make would be based on how the people treated him, not how they treated other people. The instruction in the Ritual Ten Commandments to destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves exhibits a strong martial attitude on the part of its proponents. Its placement in the context of the golden calf story provides a good clue as to which faction authored the text. We saw in a previous chapter that the Golden Calf story was a myth created by a Levite faction that opposed both the special authority of the Aaronites and the split of the northern kingdom from Judah. In the Golden Calf story, the Levites (from all branches) slaughtered over 3,000 violators of Gods commandments.

This militaristic attribute of the priestly Levites suggests that the same Levite group that invented the Golden Calf story put forth the Ritual Ten Commandments with its martial religious nature. This dates the origin of the Ritual Ten Commandments to after the breakup of the monarchy. Since the Golden Calf story was a fiction, the breaking of the tablets in reaction was also a fiction. Prior to the invention of the Ritual Ten Commandments there would have been an earlier set of laws handed down on stone but it had been lost. The Levites invented a story about a new set of stone tablets in order to substitute their set of rituals for the rival collection. After this direct reference to the Ritual Ten Commandments as The Ten Commandments, the expression Ten Commandments appears only twice more in the bible, both times in Deuteronomy. Deu. 4:13 says that the Ten Commandments were written on two tables of stone, but it doesnt identify their contents. The mention precedes the subsequent listing of the Deuteronomy version of the Traditional Ten Commandments. Deu.

10:3-4 says, And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand. And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me. This passage refers specifically to the second set of tablets as containing the Ten Commandments, although it says that God wrote them instead of Moses. Since the Deuteronomy text also introduces these tablets after the Golden Calf incident, it must have been written after the invention of the Ritual Ten Commandments and offered as a replacement. Deu. 5:22, however, which follows immediately after the list of the Traditional Ten Commandments, says, These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

The phrase, and he added no more shows a clear concern that somewhere the tradition developed that there were more than Ten Commandments. In Exodus when Moses was invited up to receive the written tablets, they were to contain law and commandments. Clearly, the author of Deuteronomy recognized an alternative tradition of a larger set of commandments than the traditional ten. This may have been the list of Judgments that contained both the Traditional Ten Commandments and the Ritual Ten Commandments. Alternatively, he may have been concerned that some people would consider the Ritual Ten Commandments to be in addition to the Traditional Ten Commandments and wanted to make sure that only the authors version would be accepted. That the Traditional Ten Commandments, in both Exodus and Deuteronomy, were of late origin is evident from the biblical account of how King Josiah, who ruled from 639-609 BC, discovered the Law of Moses. The bible says that prior to Josiahs administration, not only had a written copy of the Law disappeared from the kingdom, but also nobody seemed to know what it was nor was it being followed. According to 2 Ki.

22:8-13, the high priest of the temple, Hilkiah, found the text somewhere in the temple and he gave it to a scribe named Shaphan. The scribe in turn brought it to King Josiah and they read it together. To their amazement they found that they were in violation of the laws handed down by Moses and Josiah became so upset he rent his clothes, fearing that God would be angry at Judah. But for his good fortune in discovering a copy of the Law just laying around in the temple, lost for ages, the Hebrews would have continued to live in sin. Based on this newly found manuscript Josiah launched a series of religious reforms intended to bring back the Law of Moses. His priests and scribes probably wrote Deuteronomy. One wonders how anything as simple as a handful of commandments forming a sacred bond between God and the nation could be so easily forgotten and lost, especially if they were written on stone. The book of law that was found, by the way, appears to have been a scroll rather than a stone tablet, and, obviously, it wasnt found in the Ark of the Covenant, where Moses supposedly placed it for safekeeping.

Whatever the previous religious practices and political schisms, the Traditional Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy emerged for the first time no earlier than Josiahs reign. The Exodus version must have been written later, otherwise Josiah would have known about it and perhaps even commented in some manner on the differences between them. In summary, the bible presents four different legal codes, each with a claim that it was the original version of Gods covenant with Israel. The only version specifically and clearly identified in the bible as the Ten Commandments is the Ritual version, which dates to sometime after Israel and Judah split. Both versions of the Traditional Ten Commandments, which Moses supposedly gave Israel in the wilderness, date to after the Ritual Ten Commandments and no earlier than the reign of Josiah. Finally, we have a fourth version known as the Judgments, encompassing both the Traditional and Ritual versions of the Ten Commandments along with many other legal obligations. Its date is unknown but its language differs considerably from the other three texts. If any of the other three borrowed from that version, one would expect similar language and the same sequence of laws, but neither is the case.

That this version was inserted into the middle of one of the traditional versions suggests that it was a late but independent compilation of common legal precepts that had found a large and popular audience. 10 Commandments Moses - Life, Hope & Truth Did God reveal His laws from the beginning, or were the 10 Commandments unknown until Moses led Israel to Mount Sinai? God's 10 Commandments were in effect from the beginning of creation, including in the Garden of Eden. Many people are aware that God gave the 10 Commandments to Israel from Mount Sinai, as recorded in Exodus 20:1-17. This event occurred about two months after Israel left Egypt. The question many wonder about is whether these commandments were known prior to this time, especially in light of Genesis 26:5: “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Since Abraham obeyed God’s voice and kept His commandments hundreds of years before Moses, then surely those commandments must have been known before Mount Sinai. The Bible tells us that sin is breaking God’s law ( 1 John 3:4 ).

The Bible refers to sin a number of times before the time of Moses ( Genesis 4:7 ; 13:13 ; 18:20 ; 39:9 ; 42:22 ; 50:17 ; etc.), so God’s law must have been revealed, at least to some people. In fact, the Bible gives evidence that the 10 Commandments were known and were understood as being important. The 10 Commandments before Moses The First and Second Commandments state: “You shall have no other gods before Me [God]” and, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image … you shall not bow down to them nor serve them” ( Exodus 20:3-5 ). Hundreds of years earlier God was working with the patriarch Jacob.

After God spoke to Jacob, notice what he did with the idols that were among his household: “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.’ And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.’ So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem” (Genesis 35:1-4). So we see Jacob understood the importance of getting rid of idols and only worshipping the true God. The Third Commandment says, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

It seems the patriarch Job lived before Moses , about the time of Isaac, according to the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary, quoting the historian Eusebius. Job was concerned that his children might have been taking God’s name in vain, and he knew that was wrong. “So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them [his children], and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ Thus Job did regularly” (Job 1:5). The Fourth Commandment tells us to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). To remember the Sabbath is to recall something that was established earlier. Notice Genesis 2:3: “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” The 10 Commandments were known before Moses, and they are still important laws for all peoples today. God gave His laws for our good.

They are based on love and help us know how to show love to God and our fellow man. Interestingly, Israel was reminded to remember the Sabbath even before they came to Mount Sinai. This was when God gave them manna to eat. “Then he [Moses] said to them, ‘This is what the LORD has said: “Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD.”’ … Then Moses said, ‘Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it [manna] in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.’ “Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?’ ( Exodus 16:23-28 ). So even before they arrived at Mount Sinai, God expected the people to obey His commandments, including the Fourth Commandment. The Fifth Commandment says to “honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12).

Jacob and Esau both had dishonored their parents, but Jacob finally did obey. “Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,’ and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram” (Genesis 28:6-7). “You shall not murder” is the Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13). God told Cain he was to rule over and avoid sin, as anger was in Cain’s heart. “So the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.’ Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him” (Genesis 4:6-8). Cain’s anger led to the sin of murder.

After the Flood, people knew that God was against murder and demanded a penalty for it. “From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:5-6). The Seventh Commandment , “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14), was known and understood by Joseph. “And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me.’ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’” (Genesis 39:7-9). God also had warned Abimelech, king of Gerar, not to commit adultery with Sarah.

“God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, ‘Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife’” (Genesis 20:3). “You shall not steal,” the Eighth Commandment (Exodus 20:15), was apparently on Jacob’s mind when he discussed his wages with Laban. “So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me” (Genesis 30:33). The Ninth and 10th Commandments , “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” and, “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20:16-17), have been breached ever since Eve saw and desired (coveted) the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam ate of it as well ( Genesis 3:6 ), and then both of them justified their actions ( verses 10-13 ).

The result of their disobedience to God was that they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Job also knew that deceit and covetousness were sins against God: “If I have walked with falsehood, or if my foot has hastened to deceit, let me be weighed on honest scales, that God may know my integrity” (Job 31:5-6). Later, in verses 9-11 , Job said, “If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door. … that would be wickedness; yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.” The 10 Commandments existed before Moses and are still important today In summary, the 10 Commandments were known before Moses, and they are still important laws for all peoples today. God gave His laws for our good ( Deuteronomy 10:13 ). They are based on love and help us know how to show love to God and our fellow man ( Romans 13:9-10 ). “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

Untitled Page Moses went up Mount Sion to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) According to the bible, Moses went up there at least seven times. The part of Exodus where Moses goes up Mount Sion is a hilarious example of total storytelling chaos in the bible. Please, read it yourself: we see Moses running up and down the mountain again and again, and Yahweh giving him contradicting instructions almost every time they meet. In fact, Exodus is so unclear, that we often don't know where Moses is exactly: on the mountain, or in the desert. Even the Lord gets confused. In Exodus 24:12, God invites Moses up on the mountain - while Moses is already there. The reason: Exodus was written by at least three different authors at three different times, bible researchers conclude. And these three people just couldn’t agree on a good biblical story. Finally, another person, the ‘Redactor’ (editor), stitched the texts together. Moses’ meeting with Yahweh is a perfect example of this. You can clearly see that there are in fact multiple texts put together. It's the bible's very own Wikipedia.

But unfortunately, it also means that Exodus 19-40 has become one of the messiest and weirdest pieces of prose you’ll find in the entire bible! Here’s the biblical story, retold in our own words. Please read it and see for yourself why scholars think that Exodus 19-40 is nonsense. The Israelites set up camp near Mount Sinai. Moses goes up the mountain. He hears the Lord. The Lord says, basically: tell everybody to take me seriously. Moses returns and passes on the message. The Israelites promise to obey the Lord. Moses climbs the mountain again, and tells the Lord what the people have promised. The Lord in His turn promises He will return to Mount Sinai in three days, in the shape of a cloud, so that everybody can overhear His conversation with Moses. The Lord also stresses that nobody is allowed to climb the mountain. “Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.” (Ex 19:12). Moses returns to camp and tells the Israelites what God told him. On the third day, God indeed arrives. The mountain trembles, trumpet blasts are heard, and there’s smoke, lightning, and God’s voice.

Amazingly, the only thing God says is: Moses, come up here. Moses does this. Next, the Lord says: go back down again, and tell the people not to enter Mount Sinai. Er… What?? So Moses is summoned up the mountain, only to hear what the Lord already told him three days earlier? And why doesn’t the Lord say this directly to the Israelites? After all, He returned to Mount Sinai “so that the people will hear me speaking with you” (Ex 19:9). But Moses doesn’t bother. He goes back down and tells the people once again that they aren’t allowed to climb Mount Sinai. Then, the Lord speaks to the people directly for the second time. He tells them the Ten Commandments. After He’s finished, the people shiver and say to Moses: “Do not have God speak to us or we will die." (Ex 20:19) That’s a pretty amazing thing to say! After all, God has just finished speaking seventeen biblical verses to the people, and everybody is still doing fine. At this point, Moses climbs Mount Sinai for the fourth time. He enters the cloud and meets God. Now, the Lord starts talking to Moses.

He gives Moses an extensive list of highly detailed instructions about all kinds of things. A (pretty random) example: "If men quarrel and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and he does not die but is confined to bed, the one who struck the blow will not be held responsible if the other gets up and walks around outside with his staff; however, he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time and see that he is completely healed.” (Ex 21:18-19) Interestingly, Moses wouldn’t have known what the word ‘pay’ meant, because money was introduced only five hundred years later. But the Lord goes on and on, for three full biblical chapters. He gives all kinds of rules about rituals and laws, repeats the Ten Commandments (although they are slightly different this time) and tells Moses what He will do to people like the Hittites and the Persians. Finally, when He’s done, the Lord suddenly says to Moses: “"Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel.” (Ex 24:1) Now that’s odd.

Didn’t the Lord explicitly forbid everybody to enter Mount Sinai? Now the Lord has changed His mind: Moses can bring seventy-three important Israelites along, but only Moses is allowed to come nearby. Moses descends and tells the Israelites all that God told him, and then writes everything down in the Book of the Covenant. He must have had a very good memory! The next morning, Moses builds an altar at the foot of the mountain and performs several rituals, involving (among other things) the sprinkling of blood on the Israelites. Next, Moses climbs the mountain for the fifth time, accompanied by the 73 prominent Israelites. They meet God and eat and drink with Him. Then God says: "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction." (Ex 24:12). Now that’s strange: wasn’t Moses there already? But in Exodus 24:15-18, we see Moses climbing the mountain again (for the sixth time?). This time, he’s on his own. He enters the cloud and stays there for forty days and forty nights.

During that period, the Lord instructs Moses in detail how to build an Ark and a holy tent, the tabernacle. For seven biblical chapters (!), God outlines all kinds of details about what the tabernacle and the Ark should look like. Finally, God gives Moses two stone tablets of the Covenant, which God has written with His finger. But when Moses returns, he finds Aaron has build a golden calf to worship. Pretty weird, considering the fact that Aaron had dinner and met with the Lord in person only a month ago. No wonder Moses is pissed. He breaks the stone tablets and tosses the calf into the fire. Next, he brings together all descendents from Levi, order them to grab their swords (huh? where did these ex-slaves suddenly get their swords from?) and to kill everyone they encounter. They do so and kill three thousand Israelites  only weeks after the Lord Himself had told them ‘you shall not murder’. Judaism Sernitic Religions Exodus The Story of Moses and the Ten Commandments Exodus: The Story of Moses and the Ten Commandments One of the most important chapters of Jewish history is told in Exodus, the second book of the Torah.

It is the story of how God freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and led them back to the land of Canaan. The word exodus actually means a mass departure. As you will see, God chooses Moses to go before Pharoah, the king of the Egyptians, and demand freedom for the Hebrew slaves. After Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt, he takes them to Mount Sinai where they receive the 10 commandments and the rest of the Torah. The Torah forms the bedrock of Judaism, containing detailed instructions on day-to-day living, rules by which Jews still live today. Thus, Moses is revered as the most significant Hebrew prophet, and the Exodus as the most significant event in Jewish history. Many scholars think the Exodus took place around 1250 BCE. According to the traditional Biblical story, the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt four hundred years before the "going out." The Birth of Moses Before the time of Moses' birth, Hebrew tribes had lived and prospered in Egypt. But the new Pharoah of Egypt felt threatened by the strength and influence of the Israelites. Pharaoh ordered his soldiers to enslave the Hebrew people. He set cruel taskmasters over them.

Without a moment's rest, the Hebrews were forced to build the stone-cities of Pithom and Raamses. Now, though they were oppressed, the Israelites continued to multiply. They remained a proud and spirited people. The king of Egypt, sensing their resilience, grew determined and finally commanded his people to cast every newborn Hebrew son into the Nile. He allowed the daughters to live. During this time, in the tribe of Levi, a son was born to a couple named Arnram and Jochebed. Just then, Pharaoh's daughter, with her maidens beside her, came down to bathe at the river. She saw the basket in the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. When she saw the crying child, the Princess felt great pity and compassion. "This is one of the Hebrews' children," she said. Seeing this, the baby's sister, Miriam, came forward and asked if the Princess would need a nurse to care for the child. She agreed, and so Miriam went to fetch her mother. "Take this child," Pharoah's daughter said to Jochebed, "and nurse him for me.

I will give you wages." Unknowingly, the princess had asked the baby's own mother to raise him! So the mother took her child and nursed him. The child grew and was brought to Pharoah's daughter and became her son. She named him Moses, which means drawn out, because she drew him out of the Nile. Moses grew up as an Egyptian prince in the luxury of Pharaoh's court. Moses in Midian Moses was now grown. Fortunately, his mother, Jochebed, was at his side, teaching him compassion and justice. One morning, he came upon an Egyptian taskmaster mercilessly whipping a Hebrew, one of his own people. Making certain none of Pharaoh's men were watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day, Moses attempted to settle a dispute between two Hebrews who were arguing. When he asked one of them why he hit the other, the first responded, "Will you kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Soon after, Pharoah learned of the murder and ordered the death of Moses. Fearing for his life, Moses escaped to the land of Midian. Traveling one day, Moses came upon a well where seven women were filling troughs.

These were the daughters of the priest of Midian. When some shepherds tried to drive the women away, Moses protected them. The priest heard of the Egyptian's kindness and invited him to share his home. Soon, Moses married Zipporah, one of the seven daughters. Together they had a son, Gershom, which means a stranger there. Moses chose that name because he, too, felt like "a stranger in a strange land." In time, the king of Egypt died, but the oppression of the Israelites continued. The Burning Bush One day when Moses was tending his father-in-law's flock, he came to Mount Sinai deep in the desert. Suddenly, he saw a bush on fire. Strangely, though the bush burned, it was not being destroyed. When Moses came forward, God spoke to him from inside the bush. "I have seen the misery of my people who are in Egypt. I have come to deliver them out of that land, into a land flowing with milk and honey. Come now, I will send you to Pharaoh. Lead my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." Moses wondered why he should be the one to free the Hebrews, but God reassured him.

Then, God told him to gather the Hebrew elders and to beg Pharaoh to allow them three day's journey in the desert to worship the Lord God. Then God added, "I am sure the king of Egypt will not let you go, but I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders. After that he will let you go." "But they will not believe me," answered Moses. Then, God asked Moses to cast his shepherd's rod to the ground. And when he did, the rod became a snake. But when Moses retrieved the rod, it returned to its original form. Next, God had Moses place his hand to his breast. When he removed it, his hand was white and decayed like a leper's. Again he put his hand against his breast, and it became normal. "If they believe neither of these signs," instructed the Lord, "pour water from the river on the land. The water will become blood." Because Moses had difficulty speaking, God told him that his brother, Aaron, would speak on his behalf. Moses Returns to Egypt And so Moses returned to Egypt with his family and his brother, Aaron.

Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh and said to him, "These are the words of the God of Israel: 'Let my people go, so that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness."' But Pharaoh did not believe them and sent them away. His heart hardened, and that same day he gave these orders to the taskmakers: "No longer give the people straw to make bricks. Let them gather straw for themselves. But demand the same number of bricks they made before, for they have grown lazy" After Pharaoh's command, the misery of the slaves was multiplied. Though they worked relentlessly, they could not make enough bricks. For this they were beaten and even killed. The Hebrews felt great resentment toward Moses and Aaron, for the brothers had made their plight even worse. Moses returned to the Lord and asked him why his people had been treated so badly. Why had they not been saved? God assured Moses that the people of Israel would be freed and instructed him to return to Pharoah. "Tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. Pharaoh will not listen, so I will perform many miracles and bring my people out of Egypt.

And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord." The Ten Plagues Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they went before Pharaoh. Upon instruction from God, Moses handed his shepherd's rod to Aaron. Aaron cast it on the ground, and the rod became a snake. But Pharaoh was not impressed. He sent for his wise men and magicians who turned their rods into snakes. But Aaron's rod swallowed up all the others. Because Pharaoh would not listen, God told Moses to go out in the morning to the river Nile. There, in the presence of Pharaoh, Moses handed his rod to Aaron, who struck the water. The water turned to blood. The fish died, the river smelled foul, and the Egyptians could not drink. But again Pharaoh called upon his wise men and magicians. They, too, could turn the water to blood, and his heart remained unmoved. Seven days later, God sent another plague. This time, when Aaron struck the river, thousands of frogs came from its banks. They swarmed Egypt, entering every corner of every house and covering the land.

Seeing this, Pharaoh called upon Moses: "Pray to the Lord to take the frogs from my people, and I will let your people go worship in the wilderness." Moses prayed to God accordingly, and God answered his prayer. The frogs died. But when Pharoah saw the plague had ended, he changed his mind. He would not let the people go. So God sent a plague of lice to infest the animals and people. Yet Pharaoh remained unmoved. The plague of flies came next. Swarms descended upon the land and the houses. Only this time, the land of Goshen, where the Hebrews lived, was untouched. Seeing this, Pharoah agreed to let the Hebrews go into the wilderness. Again Moses prayed that the plague be lifted and the flies disappeared. And once more, Pharaoh did not let the Hebrews go. Even after witnessing the next plagueï¿½the death of all Egyptian cattleï¿½Pharaoh would not budge. The sixth punishment was the plague of sores. Sores appeared upon the bodies of all people and beasts of Egypt. Still, Pharoah did not set the captives free. The next plague caused terrible hail, the worst ever in Egypt.

Many witnessed the death of their livestock Pharoah agreed he had sinned and that he would let the people go. But again, he broke his promlse. When swarms of locusts invaded households and fields, the same process took place. The ninth plague caused three days' darkness to fall upon Egypt; yet still Pharoah did not listen. Although warned of the tenth plague, Pharaoh responded only with anger. All the first-born in Egypt will die, Moses told him, including the first-born cattle. But none of the children of Israel would die. The Night of Passover That night, Moses instructed his people to wipe lamb's blood upon the doorways of their houses. He told them to eat the lamb and be ready to depart thereafter. The Lord, Moses said, would not bring death to their houses. Seeing the lamb's blood, God would pass over their homes. Pharoah woke that evening to the sounds of great cries. There was not a home in Egypt where someone was not dead. Even his own son died. Finally, after ten plagues, Pharoah set the Hebrews free. That very night, after over four hundred years captivity, the Hebrew people journeyed on foot from Raameses to Succoth.

Crossing the Sea of Reeds God guided the Israelites as they traveled. By day, the Lord went before them in a pillar of cloud. By night, a pillar of fire protected them. But it was not long before Pharoah's anger rose against his former captives. He took his army and his best armored chariots to retrieve the Hebrews. Camping beside theSea of Reeds, the Israelites saw the Egyptians marching upon them. Frightened and bitter, they asked their leader if they had escaped to the wilderness only to die. But Moses reassured them. Moses turned in prayer to God, and God answered: "Why do you cry to me? Tell your people to go forward. Lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it. And the children of Israel will go through the middle of the sea." So Moses stretched out his hand and a strong wind blew all night. The sea divided, and the Israelites walked into the middle of it, a wall of water on either side. The Egyptians followed, but God made the wheels of the chariots get stuck in the muddy sea bottom, slowing them down.

And when the Hebrews had crossed the Sea, God told Moses to stretch his hand over the waters again. As he did, the Sea collapsed on the pursuing Egyptians, drowning them all. The Ten Commandments For three months they traveled the desert. They passed through the wilderness of Shur, through Marah and Elim, the wilderness of Zin, and Rephidim. Though they were weary and the land was parched, God always provided. Finally, they came to Sinai and camped before the mountain. Moses went up Mt. Sinai to talk with the Lord. God told him to prepare his people for a special treasure. Moses told his followers to prepare themselves with prayer, that in three days the Lord would appear on the mountain. When the third day came, a thick cloud with thunder and lightning lay on the mountain. A trumpet called so loudly that the people trembled. Moses led them to the foot of the mountain. Then, God called the prophet to the top and delivered to him the Ten Commandments: "I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me, you shall not make for yourself a graven image . . . you shall not bow down to them and worship them.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder. Bible Story: How God Gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments How God Gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments Three months after the Israelite people left Egypt, they came to the desert called Sinai. They set up camp near the mountain called Mount Sinai and Moses went up the mountain. There God spoke to Moses and told him to say to the people, "If you will obey me, and keep my covenant, you will be my very own people." Then Moses came back down the mountain and told the people what God had said. They all answered, "We will do everything that the Lord has said. "So Moses went back up the mountain and told this to God. The God said, "Go down and tell the people to spend today and tomorrow on washing their clothes and getting ready. On the next day I will come down on Mount Sinai where everyone can see me. Mark a place around the mountain that the people must not cross and tell them not to go up on the mountain. If anyone touches the mountain, he must be put to death.

Do not touch him; kill him with rocks or arrows." So Moses came down the mountain and told this to the people, they washed their clothes and got ready. On the morning of the third day the Lord came down on the mountain in the form of fire and smoke went up from it. A dark cloud was on the mountain with lightning and thunder coming from it. There was the sound of a very loud trumpet and the whole mountain shook. All of the Israelites shook with fear. Moses led them out of the camp to meet God and they stood at the bottom of the mountain. Then God spoke from the mountain and said, "I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of Egypt, the land where you were slaves. "You shall have no other gods but me. "You shall not make an image in the form of anything. You shall not bow down before them or worship them, because I am a jealous God. But I show kindness to those who love me and keep my commandments. "You shall not use the name of God in an empty way. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. For six days you shall work, but the seventh day is a day of rest.

On that day no one is to work-not even the foreigners that live in your country. "Honor your father and mother, so that you may have a long life. "You shale not commit murder." "You shall not commit adultery." "You shall not steal." "You shall not desire your neighbor's house, or his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns." When God has given these Ten Commandments, the people were afraid and told Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but don't let God speak to us, or we will die." So all the people stayed there, while Moses went up to the thick darkness where God was. There God gave Moses laws about how to build an altar, how to treat slaves, what to do with someone who kills, hurts, or steals from someone else, and many other laws.

Then God told Moses, "Come back up the mountain and bring Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the leaders of Israelites." When Moses went back down the mountain, he told the people about all of God's laws, and the people said, "We will do everything that the Lord has said." So Moses wrote down all of God's commandments. The next morning he built an altar at the bottom of the mountain. Then the Israelites sacrificed some cattle as offerings to God. Moses put half of the blood from the animals in bowls. The other half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant where he had written God's commandments, and read it aloud to the people. They said, "We will obey the Lord and do all that he has commanded." Then Moses took the blood in the bowls and threw it on the people. He said, "This is the blood of the covenant that God has made with you." Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the Israelite leaders went up the mountain. Then God appeared to them, and they ate and drank before the Lord. hosted at

Question: According to the Bible, on which mountain did Moses receive 'The Ten Commandments'?
Answer: MOUNT SINAI