And the Lord gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
- Exodus

During the wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness, Moses communed with God on Mount Sinai, and at that time the covenant between God and his chosen people was made. There were two sets of tablets: the first Moses dashed to pieces when, on returning from the mountain, he discovered that in his absence his people had made an idol and worshipped it. The replacements were made and brought down after they had repented and returned to Jehovah.

The importance of the Ten Commandments at the centre of Christian law explains the presence of this picture at the Palace of Westminster.