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Abrahamic religions believe in the Mosaic covenant (named after Moses), also known as the Sinaitic covenant (after the biblical Mount Sinai), which refers to a covenant between the Israelite tribes and Yahweh, including their proselytes, not limited to the Ten Commandments, nor the event when they were given, but including the entirety of laws that their patriarch Moses delivered from God in the Pentateuch. Jewish Encyclopedia: Proselyte: "...Isa. lvi. 3-6 enlarges on the attitude of those that joined themselves to Yhwh, "to minister to Him and love His name, to be His servant, keeping the Sabbath from profaning it, and laying hold on His covenant."": "thy stranger that is within thy gates"
According to the biblical narrative, the Book of the Covenant, recording all the commands of the , was written by Moses in the desert and read to the people, and to seal the covenant, the blood of sacrificial oxen was then sprinkled, half on an altar and half on the people.
The covenant of the pieces between God and Abraham is not conditional. Future covenants between Israel and God would be conditional. This is clearly expressed in , recited twice-daily as part of the foundational prayer, the Shema.
According to Mendenhall, the covenant was not just an idea, but actually a historical event. This event was the formation of the covenant community. Wandering the desert, the clans left Egypt following Moses. These people were all of different backgrounds, containing no status in any social community. With all these circumstances they formed their own community by a covenant whose texts turned into the Ten Commandments. The Israelites did not bind themselves to Moses as their leader though and Moses was not a part of the covenant. The Israelites followed the form of the suzerainty treaty, a particular type of covenant common in the Near East and were bound to obey stipulations that were set by God, not Moses.
M. Weinfeld argues that there are two forms of covenants in the Hebrew Bible: the obligatory type and the promissory type. These correspond to a “political treaty” as evidenced by the Hittite Empire, and a "royal grant" as shown through the covenants tied to Abraham and David. A treaty entails a promise to the master by the vassal and ultimately protects the rights of the master. This consequently works in a manner that promotes future loyalty of the vassal since the suzerain had previously done favors for them. A grant, on the other hand, pertains to an obligation from the master to his servant, thus ensuring protection of the servant's rights.
Rabbinic Judaism asserts that the Mosaic covenant was presented to the Jewish people and converts to Judaism and does not apply to Gentiles, with the notable exception of the Seven Laws of Noah which apply to all people.
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