Who received the Ten Commandments from God?

Who received the Ten Commandments from God? Moses received them, according to the biblical narrative. The revelation occurred at Mount Sinai after the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.

In Exodus, Moses ascends the mountain while the Israelites wait below. God gives him two stone tablets bearing the commandments, which form the central covenant framework of the Sinai story. The commandments address worship, idolatry, the Sabbath, family duties, violence, adultery, theft, false testimony, and coveting.

The story also explains why there are two sets of tablets in later tradition. Moses descends and breaks the first tablets after seeing the Israelites worshipping a golden calf. He then returns to the mountain and receives replacement tablets, which are placed in the Ark of the Covenant.

Different Jewish, Christian, Samaritan, and Islamic traditions organize or interpret the commandments somewhat differently. They also differ in how they number individual statements, but Moses remains the canonical biblical intermediary associated with receiving them.