They have already left Egypt after the miracle at the Red Sea. Led by Moshe, the children of Israel camp in front of Mount Sinai. God chooses them as his "holy nation," a nation of people made in the likeness of God. The Almighty grants them the Ten Commandments, among which is the commandment not to kill.
Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law, has come with his daughter, Moshe's wife and mother of his children, to the camp in front of Mount Sinai, after hearing the miracles God has done for the people of Israel in Egypt. God has liberated the people of Israel, slaves of the Egyptians, by opening the walls of the Red Sea and letting his "holy nation" pass through. God has punished the Egyptians by drowning them in the Red Sea; he has killed them. God shares the Ten Commandments with his "holy nation", among which is the commandment not to kill.
"The end justifies the means", the famous phrase by Machiavelli, an expert in wars and conquering lands. A part of the song "Arderia", of which I am the lyricist, says: "Moral is not spoken of in times of passion". In Egypt, the people of Israel were faced with a situation where the instinct to kill filled the bodies of the Egyptians. God's people were in danger, and God killed a part of the Egyptian people in favor of preserving the people of Israel at the Red Sea. It was kill or be killed.
Once free, the people received the Ten Commandments from God (rules to live by, rules for life), among which is the commandment not to kill. No death equals life. Everything that happens, happens only in life. God, by giving this commandment, decides that the people of Israel will not be a people who take away life from anyone. In death, there is no land, no animals, no people, no love, nor happiness; in death, there is nothing. God compelled his people in front of Sinai to do everything He asked of them. God asked them for life and not death.
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