The Making of the Covenant: the Book of Exodus

In the following excerpt from the book of Exodus, God, having delivered the Hebrews from their Egyptian captivity, sets down the fundamental principles that would govern social and religious relations for generations to come. The result is a "covenant" or agreement between God and the Hebrews. As his "chosen people" God promised the Hebrews greatness and prosperity. But his beneficence was contingent on strict adherence to the commandments which presented to the people by the prophet Moses.

Points to consider:

Do the laws described here represent a continuation or a departure from the tradition established with the Code of Hammurabi?

To what extent can the religious beliefs and practices described in this text be considered a form of monotheism?

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In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagle's wings, and brought you unto myself. Now, therefore, if you will really obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.

And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you and believe you for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go to the people, and purify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And be ready for the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. And you shall set bounds for the people round about the mount, saying, Take heed not to go up onto the mount or touch the border of it: whosoever touches the mount shall be surely put to death: not a hand shall touch it without being stoned or shot through; whether it be beast or man it shall not live. When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mount.

And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and purified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready for the third day: come not at your wives.

And it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the lower part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke of the fire rose as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded loud and long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him by a voice ... and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount, and Moses went up.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, warn the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze and many of them perish. And let the priests also, which come near the Lord, purify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them. And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for you warned us, saying, Set bounds about the mount and sanctify it. And the Lord said unto him, Away, get down, and you shall come up, you and Aaron with you: but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them. So Moses went down to the people, and spoke unto them.

And God spoke all these words, saying: I am the Lord your God, which has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself 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.

You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of those that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of those that love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor the stranger that is within your 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.

Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you.

You shall not kill.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbor'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. And they said unto Moses, You speak with us and we will hear: but do not let God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God has come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that you should not sin. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall you make to yourselves gods of gold. An altar of earth you shall make unto me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In all places where I record my name I will come unto you and I will bless you. And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you touch it with your tool you have polluted it. Neither shall you go up to my altar by steps, lest your nakedness should be visible thereon.

Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them: If you buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself, if he was married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given him a wife and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out free: then his master shall bring him to the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or to the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.

And if a man sell his daughter to be a maid-servant, she shall not go out as the men-servants do. If she does not please her master who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed: he has no power to sell her to a strange nation, seeing that he has dealt deceitfully with her. And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall treat her after the manner of daughters. If he takes him another wife, her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage he shall not diminish. And if he does not carry out these three obligations towards her, then she shall go out free without money.

He that smites a man so that he dies, shall be surely put to death. And if a man lies not in wait but God delivers his victim into his hand, I will appoint you a place to which he shall flee.

But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile, you shall take him from my altar that he may die. And he that smites his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.

And he that steals a man and sells him, or if he is found holding him, he shall surely be put to death.

And he that curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

And if men fight one another, and one hits another with a stone or with his fist, and he not die but keeps to his bed: if he rises again and walks abroad with his staff, then he that smote him shall be quit: he shall only pay for the loss of his time and see that he is thoroughly cured.

And if a man hits his servant or his maid with a rod and he dies under his hand, he shall be surely punished. Notwithstanding, if he stays alive a day or two, he shall be not punished: for he is his money.

If men fight and hurt a woman with child, so that she loses her fruit and yet no mischief follows, he shall surely be punished according to what the woman's husband demands; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

And if a man hits the eye of his servant or the eye of his maid so that it perishes, he shall let him go free for his eye's sake. And if he knocks out his servant's tooth or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake…

And if a man entices a maid that is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

You shall not suffer a witch to live.

Whosoever has intercourse with a beast shall be surely put to death.

He that sacrifices to any god, save only to the Lord, shall be utterly destroyed.

You will neither vex a stranger nor oppress him: for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows and your children fatherless.

If you lend money to any of my people that is poor ... you shall not deal with him as if you were a usurer, nor shall you lay usury upon him. If you at all take your neighbor's raiment as a pledge, you shall return it to him by the time the sun goes down: for it is his only covering, and the raiment for his skin, and what else should he sleep in? And it shall come to pass, when he cries unto me, that I shall hear; for I am gracious....

And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect; and make no mention of the name of other gods-do not let it be heard out of your mouth....

Behold, I send an Angel before you, to keep you in the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice; provoke him not: for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him. But if you shall really obey his voice and do all that I tell you; then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries. For my Angel shall go before you, and bring you unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will cut them down. You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their advice; but you shall utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. And you shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from your midst.

There shall be no abortions in the land, nor barrenness: I will fulfil the number of your days. I will send my fear before you, and will destroy all the people to whom you shall come; and I will make all your enemies turn tail. And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from your path, I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you. By little and little I will drive them out, until your numbers are increased and you inherit the land. And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea right up to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river Jordan: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and you shall drive them out before you. You shall make no covenant with them, nor their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me: if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.

And the 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 Lord has said will we do.

Source: King James Bible, as adapted in E. Weber, The Western Tradition.