Why did the israelites remain so long at sinai?
Having sinned in the event of the golden calf, the Israelites remained at Sinai while Moses prayed for them for many weeks, and then when he ascended Sinai to receive the second tablets (of the Ten Commandments) from God (Deuteronomy 9-10). They stayed there to build the Tabernacle, which itself was also part of the rectification after the sin of the golden calf. Their sojourn at Sinai totaled one Hebrew (lunar) year, minus ten days.See also:Complaints, and the golden calf