The Isolation of Moses

A Mysterious Period

The story of Moses’ receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai is among the most famous in the Bible. Moses is alone with God for forty days, at the top of a mountain. At the end he leaves with two stone tablets and his face is radiant. We don’t know much about this mysterious time of isolation other than Moses “neither ate bread nor drank water” (Ex. 34:28). 

The Key to understanding Moses

When we turn to the Book of Deuteronomy, we learn an additional detail, “I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights” (Deut. 9:25). The original Hebrew word for “lay prostrate” is etnapal אֶתְנַפַּל from the root N-P-L (“to fall”). This is an extremely rare word in the Bible, literally meaning, “I threw myself down”. This single Hebrew word is the key to understanding the spiritual character of Moses.
 

Strengthen your connection to the Bible

Reading the Bible in Hebrew, we learn that Moses did not merely lie down on the ground waiting for the forty days to end. Rather he actively devoted himself to prayer and fasting, to atone for the sins of the people. During this global pandemic, you too can use this isolation to strengthen your connection to the Bible! Enroll today in our live online Biblical Hebrew course and throw yourself into the authenticity of Scripture.