Even after Moses demonstrated his god’s power and persuaded them to follow him back to “the land of Midian”—that is, “the land of the nomads of Yahweh,” where the Israelites supposedly encamped after fleeing Egypt—they continued to exhibit little loyalty to this unknown god. As Moses stood atop “the mountain of god” to receive a new covenant from Yahweh (the Ten Commandments), meant to supplant Abraham’s covenant with El, the Israelites down below had already reverted to the worship of Abraham’s god, fashioning for themselves an idol in the shape of a golden calf—the primary symbol of El.
