The Covenants with Abraham and at Sinai

A covenant creates a lasting relationship

A covenant is a binding agreement that establishes a relationship and commitments. In Judaism, it describes the special relationship between God and the Jewish people. God's promises and the people's response belong together: the relationship involves both blessing and responsibility.

The covenants with Abraham and at Sinai are connected, but have different emphases. With Abraham, God promises land, a great nation and blessing. At Sinai, God gives the Israelites commandments that guide how they should live as a people in relationship with him.

Abraham's call: land, nationhood and blessing

Genesis 12:1–3 begins with God calling Abram, later known as Abraham, to leave his country, relatives and father's household for “the land that I will show thee”. Leaving familiar surroundings requires trust: Abraham must respond before knowing everything about his destination.

God's promises reach beyond a place to live. God says, “I will make of thee a great nation”, promises to bless Abraham and make his name great, and tells him to be a blessing. God also promises to bless those who bless Abraham and curse those who curse him. The passage ends with the promise that “all the families of the earth” will be blessed through him.

These promises help explain Abraham's significance in Judaism. He stands at the beginning of a continuing relationship between God and his descendants. The promise of nationhood gives that relationship a future, while the blessing of all families gives it a wider purpose. A special relationship with God is not simply a private benefit: it is also connected with bringing blessing to others.

Abraham responds by travelling to Canaan. Later in the same chapter, God explicitly promises this land to his descendants. This is why it is called the promised land. For many Jews, the land is significant because it connects their identity and history with God's faithfulness to his promises.

Different Jewish understandings of the promised land

Many Jews connect the biblical promised land with the land of Israel. For some, attachment to Israel is an essential part of religious identity: it expresses the continuing significance of God's covenant with Abraham. For others, the connection is especially cultural or personal, linking them with Jewish history and community.

However, attachment to the biblical land and support for the modern State of Israel, established in 1948, are not identical questions. Some Jews regard the land as less central to what it means to be Jewish. Some oppose establishing a Jewish state before the coming of the Messiah because they understand exile as a punishment from God that should end through God's action.

These differences show why the covenant does not lead every Jew to the same political conclusion. It can give the land deep religious meaning, but Jewish interpretations of what that means today vary.

Moses leads the people from slavery to Sinai

Moses is regarded as the greatest prophet in Judaism. A prophet communicates God's message; Moses is especially important because he leads the Israelites out of slavery and communicates God's commandments to them.

According to the Exodus account, God calls Moses to rescue the Israelites from Egypt. Pharaoh refuses to release them, and God sends ten plagues. After Pharaoh lets them leave, his army pursues them, but God parts the Red Sea so that they can escape. Moses is the leader through whom God acts; the rescue is understood as God's deliverance, not simply Moses' achievement.

This background matters for the covenant at Mount Sinai. The people have been freed from slavery, and now receive guidance for living as a community. Exodus 20 begins with God identifying himself as the God who brought them out of Egypt, “out of the house of bondage”. The commandments therefore come from the God who has already rescued them.

Moses receives and teaches the commandments, acting as the intermediary between God and the Israelites. The Sinai covenant concerns the whole people, rather than being merely a private agreement between God and Moses. As God's chosen people, the Israelites have a particular responsibility to keep his commands. Being chosen therefore involves duties, not simply privileges.

What the Ten Commandments teach

The Ten Commandments, prescribed for study in Exodus 20:1–17, give foundational guidance about loyalty to God and conduct towards others. In the Jewish grouping, their content is:

1. Acknowledge the Lord as God, who brought the Israelites out of Egypt.
2. Have no other gods and do not make or worship idols.
3. Do not misuse God's name.
4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
5. Honour your father and mother.
6. Do not murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbour.
10. Do not covet what belongs to your neighbour.

The commands concerning God require exclusive loyalty, respect for his name and time set apart for him. The rejection of other gods expresses monotheism, belief in one God. Keeping Shabbat, the Sabbath, makes that relationship part of the weekly rhythm of life.

The Sabbath passage also links observance with belief in God as Creator: God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Rest extends to children, servants, animals and strangers within the community. It is therefore both a religious observance and a command with consequences for how others are treated.

The commands concerning other people protect family relationships, life, marriage, property and truthfulness. Adultery means sexual unfaithfulness involving a married person. False witness means giving untrue testimony against someone. Coveting concerns wanting what belongs to another person, so the commandments address desires as well as outward actions.

Why Sinai remains important

For many Jews, the Sinai covenant continues to apply to Jewish people today. The commandments are not merely an account of what their ancestors once did: they guide present worship, family life and treatment of others. They are foundational examples of mitzvot, God's commandments.

Their religious authority comes from the belief that God revealed them. Keeping them expresses faithfulness to the covenant, and many Jews believe God judges how people live and observe his commands. Their moral importance is also clear: prohibitions on murder, stealing and false witness help protect people and sustain trust within a community.

For example, observing Shabbat can express loyalty to God as Creator, while refusing to give dishonest testimony protects a neighbour from harm. These are different actions, but both put the covenant into practice.

The two covenants therefore help explain Jewish identity in complementary ways. Abraham's covenant emphasises God's promises and the beginning of a people; Sinai gives that people a shared framework for worship and conduct. Together, they connect belonging to God with responsibility in everyday life.