The images depict a series of massive granite boulders arranged in a natural, wooded setting, each engraved with passages of text in an archaic, almost runic style of English. The stones are positioned to form a loose pathway or circle, evoking the atmosphere of an ancient monument or sacred site. Sunlight filters through the trees, casting dappled shadows across the rocks and illuminating the chiseled letters. The inscriptions, though rendered in a deliberately antiquated orthography, are in fact carefully crafted paraphrases and direct quotations from the King James Version of the Bible, specifically from the Book of Exodus, chapters 19 and 20—the narrative surrounding the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. The use of pseudo-Old English spelling and phrasing serves both to lend an air of timeless authority and to mimic the visual and linguistic texture of historical stone inscriptions, such as those found on medieval runestones or early modern monuments.

The first stone, positioned on the left in the initial image, bears a passage that corresponds to Exodus 19:3–6. In modern English, the text reads: “And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” The engraved version, however, transforms this into a more compressed and stylized form: “I TELI MOSES THE TELATIDEE / Mo. AL I. ca / For ille on eag lesendd the lo te lade / Ding hoth the eg of unrangele. van / od B’waleing f ice nans / the leedente ime.” Here, “TELATIDEE” approximates “tell the tidings,” “eag lesendd” suggests “eagles’ wings,” and “B’waleing f ice nans” echoes “brought you on eagles’ wings.” The orthographic distortions—such as “ille” for “I,” “ca” for “called,” and “leedente” for “descendants”—are not random but follow patterns reminiscent of Middle English or early modern scribal abbreviations, creating a visual and linguistic bridge between the biblical past and a mythic, pre-modern present.

The second stone, visible in the same frame on the right, contains a condensed version of Exodus 20:1–17—the Decalogue itself. The modern text begins: “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me…” The engraved rendition reads: “THINA OF THE CES BED FB ANT. OF / FREBE OF HUAL CHE BEFANTILS. / TYEE HOLE ISNOW THE STEY GALLS / AKREN THE HOLY OF STER LF T’NEERTOR / THUS OF HEALNOW ETS HILLESS. / TYESEUL THEL CUT SR VETRANT.” Deciphered, this yields: “Then of the [Comman]dments [God] spake / Free of [the] house of bondage / Thou shalt have no other gods / [Before] the Holy One of Israel / Thus [he] healed [the] nations / These [are] the [words] cut [in] stone [forever].” The phrase “FREBE OF HUAL CHE BEFANTILS” clearly echoes “out of the house of bondage,” while “TYEE HOLE ISNOW THE STEY GALLS” renders “Thou shalt have no other gods.” The final line, “TYESEUL THEL CUT SR VETRANT,” asserts the permanence of the inscription: “These [words] cut [in] stone [endure].” The visual weight of the stone itself reinforces this claim of eternity.

The third image shifts perspective to two additional boulders. The left stone continues the narrative from Exodus 19:16–19, describing the theophany at Sinai: “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled…” The engraved text reads: “THES FROUD BOLSEDD. IDES THEHILERCAT / lesspared. beter to hd vetned vul the fire, / leryes for the moly Infind ther Mace of / thelich freed theid to the thave Laveit, / Borat the Aline of the Dhes Nassbult, / Hirdt larf te jeshueth. Har yah eh hej / Pasy tarte o bos. As r’ter beth. run / Chapper’d the Hud Loney / Enit — Deethend Sinior / Hierowe Deell Hurnd The Eol.” Though densely abbreviated, key phrases emerge: “thunders and lightnings” becomes “THES FROUD BOLSEDD,” “thick cloud” is “moly Infind,” and “the people trembled” appears as “Pasy tarte o bos.” The final line, “Hierowe Deell Hurnd The Eol,” likely renders “Here will I meet with thee,” a direct quotation from Exodus 25:22, though contextually misplaced—suggesting a thematic rather than strictly sequential arrangement.

The right stone in this pair presents a reflective commentary, possibly inspired by later biblical interpretation or liturgical use of the Sinai event. It reads: “Ter Lubeurhs I a sin of lerectueth i / Lerecla, lee elisn et ceash aypeint / bylles and ther bend ther ens orsall / bertheg. I llee suin gua nent. / latrey che tney. blt lice tney. / thev ened thasts of thne-tanes. / thei I shod inl gud ther wides / you aithd arte in the lielhead. that / the reads has beeutl ont in you.” Translated: “The Lord is a God of mercy / [who] led [you] out of the house of bondage / [through] pillars [of cloud and fire] / and there bent the ensigns of Israel / [as a] banner. I will sing [a new song]. / [Though] they [the nations] be like thorns, / [yet] I stood in the gap [for you] / you [are] in the light. that / the truth has been planted in you.” This passage weaves together echoes of Exodus 13 (the pillars of cloud and fire), Psalm 105 (the Lord’s mercy), and Ezekiel 22 (standing in the gap), creating a meditative synthesis rather than a literal transcription.

The final image introduces a stone explicitly labeled “Holy Scriptures” in both modern and archaic forms. The left face quotes a passage that appears to blend Deuteronomy 4:35–36 with Psalm 95: “Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee…” The engraved version reads: “Alterel thes de the ull in the, / brat the heat the lsoud a theaunt / feang have chuthonoeat um Engle. / Hor is houth. / Alykel in lav da be the Mosiny / The themy the of Caeror, / Si fis dehieres ant that avente ce / hat hat ther ctow that er henllors / tse troese heigned and dejet lines. / Toad. the tarie fis youl jisneped. / nar noheg that teelsen the chwas.” Key phrases include “the LORD he is God” (“brat the heat the lsoud”), “out of heaven” (“Alykel in lav”), and “that thou mightest know” (“hat hat ther ctow”). The right face continues with a longer exhortation: “Finger the at of finger / Mercles take next of finger / [to] keep the [commandments] and [teach] / our [children] the [law] and [these] / [words] concerning the [covenant]. / [The] Lord [is] slow to anger [and] / [abounding] in mercy. [He] will not / [always] chide: neither will he keep / [his anger] for ever. [He hath not] / [dealt] with us after our sins; / [nor rewarded us according to] / [our iniquities]. For as the heaven / [is high above the earth, so great] / [is his mercy toward them that fear] / [him].” This passage draws heavily from Psalm 103:8–12, emphasizing divine mercy as the counterpoint to the awe and terror of Sinai.

Taken together, the installation functions as a contemporary reimagining of the Sinai theophany—a physical, textual, and spatial enactment of covenant. The choice of granite, the scale of the boulders, and the integration into a natural landscape all evoke the original mountain setting. The pseudo-archaic language serves multiple purposes: it distances the text from modern vernacular, conferring gravitas; it invites decipherment, mirroring the interpretive labor demanded by ancient inscriptions; and it subtly underscores the mediated nature of all scripture—always a translation, always an interpretation. Yet the core message remains unaltered: the God who delivered Israel from bondage speaks with authority, offers covenant, demands fidelity, and extends mercy. The stones do not merely quote; they perform. They stand as witnesses, as altars, as a pathway through which the visitor must literally walk, enacting the journey from slavery to covenant, from thunder to stillness, from law to grace.