Introduction
The Israelites have tired of waiting for Moses to come down from Mount Sinai, and have made themselves a golden calf for a god in place of the God of Moses. But Moses now has returned, bearing two stone tablets inscribed with a law for his people, and he is not pleased to see it has been broken already.
AS Joshua came down the mountain with Moses, carrying the stone tablets of the law, he feared that there was the noise of battle in the Israelite camp. “That” said Moses “is not the sound of battle. It is the sound of song.” And so it was, for the Israelites were dancing and singing and disporting themselves shamelessly around their witless golden calf.
God declared himself ready to destroy them all. Yet why trouble to rescue them, Moses replied boldly, only to destroy them? Would not the Egyptians feel they had won? He had his way, of course, but even so he broke the stone tables of the law he had brought from the mountain in full view of the people, melted down their abominable calf, and then cried ‘Who is on the Lord’s side?’ At that, the people divided into two armies, and fought; and Moses’s army routed those who had declared themselves against him, and against God.
See The Ten Commandments in Church English in our Bible (Authorised Version) section. The list of commandments is given twice in the Bible, once in Exodus 20:3-17, and once in Deuteronomy 5:7-21.
Archive
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Into. Reply. Tablet.
2 Battle. Say. Why.
3 Camp. Fight. Themselves.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Statements, Questions and Commands Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in a sentence. Try to include at least one statement, one question and one command among your sentences. Note that some verbs make awkward or meaningless words of command, e.g. need, happen.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Trouble. 2 Divide. 3 Break. 4 Bring. 5 Table. 6 View. 7 Camp. 8 People. 9 Sound.
Variations: 1. use a minimum of seven words for each sentence 2. include negatives, e.g. isn’t, don’t, never 3. use the words ‘must’ to make commands 4. compose a short dialogue containing all three kinds of sentence: one statement, one question and one command
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
