The Pentateuch contains two accounts of the sin of the molten calf. The basic story told in both books, says that during Moses’ forty-day stay in the mountain to receive the two stone tablets, the people make a molten calf. God told Moses what they had done and instructed him to go down, further threatening to wipe them out and start over with Moses. When Moses sees the corruption of the people, he throws the two stone tablets to the ground, breaking them. He then burns the image and throws the dust and ashes in the water. God then commands Moses to cut two new stone tablets and to bring them back up the mountain. The “Ten Commandments” are written on the second set of stone tablets. Each account provides details that are lacking in the other version. The purpose of this study is to recognize the similarities and differences between these two accounts.
Download and Print the handout for this class – A Comparative Table from Exodus and Deuteronomy
Download and Print John “Baruch” Perry’s Teaching Notes
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