The Ten Commandments

The scriptures themselves call these the Decalogue (Greek, "ten words"): Ex 34:28; Deut 4:13 and 10:4.

There are actually more than ten commandments in the two scripture passages that detail the law given to Moses on Mt Sinai: Exodus 20:1-17 and Deut 5:6-21.

I count thirteen imperatives in each passage after the opening "word" that God is the LORD who rescued the Israelites from slavery. There are various methods of grouping the imperatives to arrive at just ten commandments.

Exodus 20:1-17

God alone is God

1. I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.

2. You shall not have other gods besides me.

3. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth;

4. You shall not bow down before them or worship them.

For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

5. You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain.

The Sabbath

6. Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.

7. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you.

In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

Parents

8. Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you.

Murder

9. You shall not [murder]. [Lo tirtzach!]

Exodus 20:13

NAB footnote to Ex 20

13

"Kill": as frequent instances of killing in the context of war or certain crimes (see vv. 12–18) demonstrate in the Old Testament, not all killing comes within the scope of the commandment. For this reason, the Hebrew verb translated here as “kill” is often understood as “murder,” although it is in fact used in the Old Testament at times for unintentional acts of killing (e.g., Dt 4:41; Jos 20:3) and for legally sanctioned killing (Nm 35:30). The term may originally have designated any killing of another Israelite, including acts of manslaughter, for which the victim’s kin could exact vengeance. In the present context, it denotes the killing of one Israelite by another, motivated by hatred or the like (Nm 35:20; cf. Hos 6:9).

JPFO, "The Ten Commandments, Killing, and Murder: A Detailed Commentary."

Indeed, we find that by far the most common use of R-Tz-Ch is to describe a murderer who kills pre-meditated or with malice. (Deuteronomy 22; Judges 20; 1 Kings 21; 2 Kings 6; Isaiah 1; Jeremiah 7; Ezekiel 21; Hoshea 4, 6; Psalms 42, 62, 94; Proverbs 22; Job 24) When used in this way, the root R-Tz-Ch need not be modified with an adjective or adverb to clarify willful intent; the principle meaning of the word R-Tz-Ch is murder of at least the second degree, possibly first degree. The word implies criminal culpability and guilt, and thus the Sixth Commandment is clearly rendered into English as “do not MURDER.”

Genesis 9:6

Anyone who sheds the blood of a human being, by a human being shall that one’s blood be shed; For in the image of God have human beings been made.

Adultery

10. You shall not commit adultery.

Theft

11. You shall not steal.

Lying

12. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Coveting

13. You shall not covet your neighbor's house.

14. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him."

Deut 5:6-21

God alone is God

1. I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.

2. You shall not have other gods besides me.

3. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth.

4. You shall not bow down before them or worship them.

For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishments for their fathers' wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation but bestowing mercy, down to the thousandth generation, on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

5. You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.

For the LORD will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain.

The Sabbath

6. Take care to keep holy the sabbath day as the LORD, your God, commanded you.

7. Six days you may labor and do all your work; but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then, whether by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or ass or any of your beasts, or the alien who lives with you. Your male and female slave should rest as you do.

For remember that you too were once slaves in Egypt, and the LORD, your God, brought you from there with his strong hand and outstretched arm. That is why the LORD, your God, has commanded you to observe the sabbath day.

Parents

8. Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD, your God, has commanded you, that you may have a long life and prosperity in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you.

Murder

9. You shall not kill.

Adultery

10. You shall not commit adultery.

Theft

11. You shall not steal.

Lying

12. You shall not bear dishonest witness against your neighbor.

Coveting

13. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

14. You shall not desire your neighbor's house or field, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything that belongs to him.

Jewish Tradition

See "Two Texts with numbering schemes" for an chart of the Philonic, Talmudic, and Augustinian methods of counting to ten in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:4-21.

Judaism 101, "Aseret ha-Dibrot: The "Ten Commandments.'"

But what about the so-called "Ten Commandments," the words recorded in Exodus 20, the words that the Creator Himself wrote on the two stone tablets that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai (Ex. 31:18), which Moses smashed upon seeing the idolatry of the golden calf (Ex. 32:19)? In the Torah, these words are never referred to as the Ten Commandments. In the Torah, they are called Aseret ha-D'varim (Ex. 34:28, Deut. 4:13 and Deut. 10:4). In rabbinical texts, they are referred to as Aseret ha-Dibrot. The words d'varim and dibrot come from the Hebrew root Dalet-Beit-Reish, meaning word, speak or thing; thus, the phrase is accurately translated as the Ten Sayings, the Ten Statements, the Ten Declarations, the Ten Words or even the Ten Things, but not as the Ten Commandments, which would be Aseret ha-Mitzvot.

"The Ten Commandments."

1. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of slavery in Egypt. 2. You shall have no other gods but me. 3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. 4. You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy. 5. Honor your father and mother. 6. You shall not murder. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10. You shall not covet.

Catholic and Lutheran Traditions

The Catholic method of grouping the commandments into Ten follows the teaching of St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430).[1] The commandment against idolatry is combined with the prefatory statement and there are two separate kind of coveting prohibited in the ninth and tenth commandments.

1. I am the LORD your God; you shall have no other gods before me.

2. You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain.

3. Remember to keep holy the LORD's Day.

4. Honor your father and your mother.

5. You shall not [murder].

6. You shall not commit adultery.

7. You shall not steal.

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

Reformed Traditions

These traditions treat the first statement as a commandment and have only a single commandment against all kinds of coveting in the tenth commandment.

1. I am the LORD your God.

2. You shall make no graven images.

3. You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain.

4. Remember to keep holy the LORD's Day.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6. You shall not [murder].

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or your neighbor's goods.