HOW MOSES ASCENDED UP TO MOUNT SINAI, AND RECEIVED LAWS FROM GOD, AND DELIVERED THEM TO THE HEBREWS. FJAJ 3.23
1. NOW Moses called the multitude together, and told them that he was
going from them unto mount Sinai to converse with God; to receive from
him, and to bring back with him, a certain oracle; but he enjoined them
to pitch their tents near the mountain, and prefer the habitation that
was nearest to God, before one more remote
When he had said this, he ascended
up to Mount Sinai, which is the highest of all the mountains that are in
that country (9) Since
this mountain, Sinai, is here said to be the highest of all the mountains
that are in that country, it must be that now called St. Katherine's, which
is one-third higher than that within a mile of it, now called Sinai, as
Mons. Thevenot informs us, Travels, Part I. ch. 23. p. 168. The other name
of it, Horeb, is never used by Josephus, and perhaps was its name among
the Egyptians only, whence the Israelites were lately come, as Sinai was
its name among the Arabians, Canaanites, and other nations. Accordingly
when (1 Kings 9:8) the Scripture says that Elijah came to Horeb, the mount
of God, Josephus justly says, Antiq. B. VIII. ch. 13. sect. 7, that he
came to the mountain called Sinai: and Jerome, here cited by Dr. Hudson,
says, that he took this mountain to have two names, Sinai and Choreb. De
Nomin. Heb. p. 427.
and is not only very difficult to be ascended by men, on account of its
vast altitude, but because of the sharpness of its precipices also; nay,
indeed, it cannot be looked at without pain of the eyes: and besides this,
it was terrible and inaccessible, on account of the rumor that passed about,
that God dwelt there
But the Hebrews removed their tents as Moses had
bidden them, and took possession of the lowest parts of the mountain;
and were elevated in their minds, in expectation that Moses would return
from God with promises of the good things he had proposed to them
So they
feasted and waited for their conductor, and kept themselves pure as in
other respects, and not accompanying with their wives for three days, as
he had before ordered them to do
And they prayed to God that he would
favorably receive Moses in his conversing with him, and bestow some such
gift upon them by which they might live well
They also lived more plentifully
as to their diet; and put on their wives and children more ornamental and
decent clothing than they usually wore. FJAJ 3.24
2. So they passed two days in this way of feasting; but on the third
day, before the sun was up, a cloud spread itself over the whole camp of
the Hebrews, such a one as none had before seen, and encompassed the place
where they had pitched their tents; and while all the rest of the air was
clear, there came strong winds, that raised up large showers of rain, which
became a mighty tempest
There was also such lightning, as was terrible
to those that saw it; and thunder, with its thunderbolts, were sent down,
and declared God to be there present in a gracious way to such as Moses
desired he should be gracious
Now, as to these matters, every one of my
readers may think as he pleases; but I am under a necessity of relating
this history as it is described in the sacred books
This sight, and the
amazing sound that came to their ears, disturbed the Hebrews to a prodigious
degree, for they were not such as they were accustomed to; and then the
rumor that was spread abroad, how God frequented that mountain, greatly
astonished their minds, so they sorrowfully contained themselves within
their tents, as both supposing Moses to be destroyed by the Divine wrath,
and expecting the like destruction for themselves. FJAJ 3.25
3. When they were under these apprehensions, Moses appeared as joyful
and greatly exalted
When they saw him, they were freed from their fear,
and admitted of more comfortable hopes as to what was to come
The air
also was become clear and pure of its former disorders, upon the appearance
of Moses; whereupon he called together the people to a congregation, in
order to their hearing what God would say to them: and when they were gathered
together, he stood on an eminence whence they might all hear him, and said,
"God has received me graciously, O Hebrews, as he has formerly done;
and has suggested a happy method of living for you, and an order of political
government, and is now present in the camp: I therefore charge you, for
his sake and the sake of his works, and what we have done by his means,
that you do not put a low value on what I am going to say, because the
commands have been given by me that now deliver them to you, nor because
it is the tongue of a man that delivers them to you; but if you have a
due regard to the great importance of the things themselves, you will understand
the greatness of Him whose institutions they are, and who has not disdained
to communicate them to me for our common advantage; for it is not to be
supposed that the author of these institutions is barely Moses, the son
of Amram and Jochebed, but He who obliged the Nile to run bloody for your
sakes, and tamed the haughtiness of the Egyptians by various sorts of judgments;
he who provided a way through the sea for us; he who contrived a method
of sending us food from heaven, when we were distressed for want of it;
he who made the water to issue out of a rock, when we had very little of
it before; he by whose means Adam was made to partake of the fruits both
of the land and of the sea; he by whose means Noah escaped the deluge;
he by whose means our forefather Abraham, of a wandering pilgrim, was made
the heir of the land of Canaan; he by whose means Isaac was born of parents
that were very old; he by whose means Jacob was adorned with twelve virtuous
sons; he by whose means Joseph became a potent lord over the Egyptians;
he it is who conveys these instructions to you by me as his interpreter.
And let them be to you venerable, and contended for more earnestly by you
than your own children and your own wives; for if you will follow them,
you will lead a happy life you will enjoy the land fruitful, the sea calm,
and the fruit of the womb born complete, as nature requires; you will be
also terrible to your enemies for I have been admitted into the presence
of God and been made a hearer of his incorruptible voice so great is his
concern for your nation, and its duration." FJAJ 3.26
4. When he had said this, he brought the people, with their wives and children, so near the mountain, that they might hear God himself speaking to them about the precepts which they were to practice; that the energy of what should be spoken might not be hurt by its utterance by that tongue of a man, which could but imperfectly deliver it to their understanding. And they all heard a voice that came to all of them from above, insomuch that no one of these words escaped them, which Moses wrote on two tables; which it is not lawful for us to set down directly, but their import we will declare (10) Of this and another like superstitious notion of the Pharisees, which Josephus complied with, see the note on Antiq. B. II. ch. 12. sect. 4. FJAJ 3.27
5. The first commandment teaches us that there is but one God, and that
we ought to worship him only
The second commands us not to make the image
of any living creature to worship it
The third, that we must not swear
by God in a false matter
The fourth, that we must keep the seventh day,
by resting from all sorts of work
The fifth, that we must honor our parents.
The sixth that we must abstain from murder
The seventh that we must not
commit adultery
The eighth, that we must not be guilty of theft
The ninth,
that we must not bear false witness
The tenth, that we must not admit
of the desire of any thing that is another's. FJAJ 3.28
6. Now when the multitude had heard God himself giving those precepts
which Moses had discoursed of, they rejoiced at what was said; and the
congregation was dissolved: but on the following days they came to his
tent, and desired him to bring them, besides, other laws from God
Accordingly
he appointed such laws, and afterwards informed them in what manner they
should act in all cases; which laws I shall make mention of in their proper
time; but I shall reserve most of those laws for another work, (11)
This other work of Josephus, here referred to, seems to be that which does
not appear to have been ever published, which yet he intended to publish,
about the reasons of many of the laws of Moses; of which see the note on
the Preface, sect. 4.
and make there a distinct explication of them. FJAJ 3.29
7. When matters were brought to this state, Moses went up again to Mount
Sinai, of which he had told them beforehand
He made his ascent in their
sight; and while he staid there so long a time, (for he was absent from
them forty days,) fear seized upon the Hebrews, lest Moses should have
come to any harm; nor was there any thing else so sad, and that so much
troubled them, as this supposal that Moses was perished
Now there was
a variety in their sentiments about it; some saying that he was fallen
among wild beasts; and those that were of this opinion were chiefly such
as were ill-disposed to him; but others said that he was departed, and
gone to God; but the wiser sort were led by their reason to embrace neither
of those opinions with any satisfaction, thinking, that as it was a thing
that sometimes happens to men to fall among wild beasts and perish that
way, so it was probable enough that he might depart and go to God, on account
of his virtue; they therefore were quiet, and expected the event: yet were
they exceeding sorry upon the supposal that they were deprived of a governor
and a protector, such a one indeed as they could never recover again; nor
would this suspicion give them leave to expect any comfortable event about
this man, nor could they prevent their trouble and melancholy upon this
occasion
However, the camp durst not remove all this while, because Moses
had bidden them afore to stay there. FJAJ 3.30
8. But when the forty days, and as many nights, were over, Moses came
down, having tasted nothing of food usually appointed for the nourishment
of men
His appearance filled the army with gladness, and he declared to
them what care God had of them, and by what manner of conduct of their
lives they might live happily; telling them, that during these days of
his absence he had suggested to him also that he would have a tabernacle
built for him, into which he would descend when he came to them, and how
we should carry it about with us when we remove from this place; and that
there would be no longer any occasion for going up to Mount Sinai, but
that he would himself come and pitch his tabernacle amongst us, and be
present at our prayers; as also, that the tabernacle should be of such
measures and construction as he had shown him, and that you are to fall
to the work, and prosecute it diligently
When he had said this, he showed
them the two tables, with the ten commandments engraven upon them, five
upon each table; and the writing was by the hand of God. FJAJ 3.31