The Covenant at Sinai
Religious Studies A: AQA GCSE Religions, topic 5.2.4
The Covenant at Sinai
Moses led people from Egypt to Mount Sinai, where the Jews became God’s chosen people. By entering into a covenant with God, they were committing to taking on extra responsibilities in life.
The 10 commandments and the Torah
- God called Moses to the top of the mountain and gave him Ten Commandments which the nation should live by.
- God also gave Moses the Torah.
The biblical story
- In the Biblical story, the giving of the commandments was very dramatic and scary.
The covenant
- Anyone can convert to Judaism and become part of the covenantal relationship with God.
Mount Sinai
After enduring years of slavery, Moses led the nation out of Egypt and towards Mount Sinai. The entire nation gathered around the mountain and God called Moses to the top of the mountain and gave him the Ten Commandments and the Torah.
The Ten Commandments
- God called Moses to the top of the mountain and gave him Ten Commandments which the nation should live by.
- These were the first laws that would develop into a covenantal relationship between the nation and God.
- Four commandments deal with mankind’s relationship with God, the rest with mankind’s relationship with other people.
The Torah
- When Moses went up Mount Sinai, God gave him the Torah.
- 40 days later, he came down and taught the new laws to the nation.
Test yourself on The Covenant at Sinai
How many Commandments did God give Moses at the top of Mount Sinai?
Which of the following did God not give Moses at the top of Mount Sinai?
How many days passed between God giving Moses the Torah and Moses returning back down Mount Sinai to teach the new laws to the nation?
What are the Ten Commandments that God gave Moses at the top of Mount Sinai?