Sources: Exodus 20–24; Leviticus; Deuteronomy 5–28; Jeremiah 31:31–34.

The Sinai/Mosaic covenant is the constitutional framework of the relationship between YHWH and Israel. Unlike the Abrahamic covenant (unconditional promise on God’s side), the Sinai covenant is bilateral — blessings for obedience (Deut 28:1–14), curses for violation (Deut 28:15–68). The Decalogue (Ten Commandments) is its summary; the Book of the Covenant (Exod 20:22–23:33) its detailed application; Deuteronomy its sermonic expansion. Core theological commitments: (1) Torah as gift to a redeemed people — the Decalogue begins not with commands but with identity: “I am YHWH your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” — liberation precedes law; (2) Exclusive covenant loyalty — no other gods, no images; the covenant is modeled on ancient Near Eastern exclusive treaty relationships; (3) Social ethics as covenant obligation — care for the poor, the widow, the orphan, the stranger is not charity but covenant requirement; (4) The covenant lawsuit tradition — when Israel violates the covenant, the prophets bring a rib (legal case) before YHWH citing treaty violations. The covenant is not a religious option but the constitutive framework of the people’s existence. Violation does not nullify the covenant but triggers the curse sanctions — exile being the ultimate curse (Deut 28:64–68). The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, writing during the exile, anticipate a new covenant that will internalize what Sinai externalized.