What is the Mosaic covenant?
The Mosaic covenant is the covenant God made with Israel at Sinai through Moses (Exodus 19–24): "If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession." It governed Israel’s relationship to God under the law.
Its core: the Ten Commandments and the wider law. Its sign: the Sabbath. Its blessing: God dwelling in Israel’s midst.
Unlike the unconditional promises to Abraham, the Mosaic covenant included blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Israel’s history is the long record of its failure.
For Christians, the law remains useful (as moral guidance and as the schoolmaster pointing to Christ), but believers are under the new covenant. Christ fulfilled the law on our behalf.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.