Inquiry:
Where did Moses receive the Ten Commandments? Was it on Mount Sinai (Exodus 31:18; 34:4, 32; Leviticus 26:46; 27:34; Nehemiah 9:13) or on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 8:9; 2 Chronicles 5:10; Malachi 4:4)? Is there a contradiction?
Response:
The list of verses given by the question is quite interesting. From what is provided, one might conclude that in the Law of Moses, the mount where the Ten Commandments were received was Sinai, and that somehow in the process of time, either the history of this was lost or misreported, and thus the appearance of Horeb in Malachi, Kings and Chronicles.
The questioner failed to tell us that several other verses report Moses receiving the tablets on Mount Horeb. Where do we find these verses? In the Law of Moses (Exodus 3:1; Deuteronomy 1:6, 19; 4:10, 15; 5:2; 18:16; 29:1).
Why is that important? In the same documents, written by Moses (Exodus & Deuteronomy), he refers to the mount upon which he received the Ten Commandments as both Sinai and Horeb?
Was he mistaken? Was Moses confused about what mountain he went up in order to receive the Law? Not at all. The mountain range to which the people of Israel gathered after exiting Egypt was known by both names, Horeb and Sinai. Thus, we see it used interchangeably in both Exodus and Deuteronomy.
There is no contradiction.
Links: YouVersion | GROW magazine
Return to the article archive
