In the Old Testament, the laws given by God to the Hebrew leader Moses on Mount Sinai, engraved on two tablets of stone.
They are: to have no other gods besides Jehovah; to make no idols; not to misuse the name of God; to keep the sabbath holy; to honor one’s parents; not to commit murder, adultery, or theft; not to give false evidence; not to be covetous. They form the basis of Jewish and Christian moral codes; the “tablets of the Law” given to Moses are also mentioned in the Koran. The giving of the Ten Commandments is celebrated in the Jewish festival of Shavuot (see Pentecost).