The Law of Moses

Explore the Ten Commandments

• 1st Commandment
•  2nd Commandment
•  3rd Commandment
•  4th Commandment 
•  5th Commandment
•  6th Commandment
•  7th Commandment
•  8th Commandment
•  9th Commandment
• 10th Commandment

The Law of Moses, also called the Mosaic Law or the Torah, refers to the comprehensive set of divine commandments given by God to Moses on behalf of the Hebrew people. It was first delivered at Mount Sinai following the Hebrews’ dramatic exodus from slavery in Egypt. This law, which encompasses moral, ceremonial, civil, and ritual directives, is most famously encapsulated in the Ten Commandments, but actually consists of  613 laws recorded primarily in the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch. The giving of the Law was not merely about rules—it was the formation of a covenant relationship in which God would be the God of the Hebrews, and they would be His people, set apart to reflect His holiness to the nations.

Historically, the Law of Moses served as the national constitution of the Hebrew people, structuring their religious observance, judicial systems, and daily conduct. It governed aspects of worship, sacrifice, justice, family life, community relations, cleanliness, and ethical behavior. This Law was given not to "Jews" in the later ethnic or religious sense, nor to "Christians," who did not yet exist, but to the entire Hebrew nation—descendants of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—long before the development of Judaism or Christianity as distinct identities. The Law was intended for all twelve tribes of Israel, and through them, God's holiness and truth were to be revealed to the wider world.

Yet, the Law was never intended to be for the Hebrews alone. From the beginning, God’s covenant with Abraham included the promise that “all nations of the earth would be blessed” through his descendants (Genesis 12:3). This idea reaches fuller expression in the New Testament, where Christians—Gentiles or non-Hebrews—are described as being “grafted in” to the spiritual lineage of Israel (Romans 11:17-24). In this theological framework, Jesus is seen as the fulfillment of the Law, and through Him, the blessings and moral framework of the covenant are extended to all nations. Thus, while the Law was initially delivered to the Hebrews as a national covenant, its moral and spiritual dimensions were always meant to have global significance.

This does not mean that all ceremonial or civil aspects of the Law apply unchanged to all people at all times. Within Christian thought, particularly as shaped by the New Testament, the ceremonial and judicial laws specific to ancient Israel are seen as fulfilled or transcended in Christ. However, the moral core of the Law, expressing God’s character and ethical standards, remains relevant. In this way, the Law of Moses forms a foundation not only for Jewish identity and practice, but also for Christian theology and ethics, as people from all nations are welcomed into the covenantal blessings promised through the Hebrew Scriptures.