Amazing Facts
Daily Devotionals

How did the Israelites know how to behave before the Ten Commandments were given?

August 28th, 2026

God’s law is eternal. Since sin is the transgression of the law and sin existed before Sinai, then there must have been a law before the time of Moses. In Genesis, you can actually find some of the commandments spoken about before Sinai. For example, see Genesis 35:1–4 for a reference to the first commandment. In addition, it was transmitted orally from person to person.

However, by the time of Moses, after the people had been in slavery under Egypt, and thereby under the influence of a pagan religion, their memory had been corrupted and diluted. That’s why Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, so his people would not be confused. Of course, God ultimately wrote the Ten Commandments so there would never have to be any guessing about what’s right and wrong.

To show this point: Long before Moses wrote the Ten Commandments onto scrolls, God said to Cain, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door” (Genesis 4:7). The Bible also records, “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:5). Joseph also knew it was a sin to commit adultery with Potiphar’s wife. He said, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). He evidently knew adultery was a sin before the Ten Commandments were written. It had been passed on to him, so he knew God’s law.

Originally, God’s law went from Adam orally, straight out of the garden of Eden, to become part of the oral tradition. Moreover, Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, so they knew their Father’s character, which is revealed in the Ten Commandments. They passed this knowledge to their offspring, but because of man’s failing memory, they eventually had to write it down.