Moses was the son-in-law of a priest of Midian, and at Horeb (i. e.
Sinai), the mountain of God, he heard the call of Yahweh (Jehovah), his
father’s God, to deliver Israel from the bondage of Egypt. He had much
difficulty in rousing the enthusiasm of those he was sent to save, but
ultimately the work was accomplished by means of the miracles wrought by
Yahweh on behalf of his people. Moses led the Israelites to Mount Sinai,
and here a covenant was solemnly made with Yahweh, and the new religion
of Israel was inaugurated, a religion that may rightly be called new,
because based upon a conception of the Deity, more spiritual than any
which had yet been conceived. From Sinai they passed to the work of
conquering Canaan for which they had set out. An attempt made at Kadesh
on the southern frontier was unsuccessful, and they returned to the
wilderness, for a time which according to the Biblical narrative made
the whole period forty years.