Does the Bible Say “This Is The Official List of the Ten Commandments?”

“Then God spoke all these words:

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:1-17

When considering the “commandments” the Lord gave to Moses and to the Israelites, there is disagreement on the arrangement and the emphasis. One group of Christians lists ten, which include two about “having no other gods” and one about “coveting” – and the other group lists one commandment about “other gods” and two commandments about “coveting”. When you study the 20th chapter of Exodus, you will find thirteen, maybe fourteen “do’s and don’ts” – some of which explain in more detail what you are to “do or not do”. The Jews will eventually come up with 613 Commandments from the entire breadth of the Torah – things that will make up their “laws for living” including their Sabbath laws. It will be when Moses secures the “second set of Stone Tablets” that the Lord will mention that there are “Ten Words” And he (Moses) wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments (words). (Exodus 34:28).

No matter how many we decide upon, the tradition has been ten – but there are two sets of Ten Commandments, depending on your Christian Tradition. Everyone should be aware of this fact, because if there is an argument about the 4th commandment, you better ask if they are talking about “Honoring your Father and Mother” or “Remember the Sabbath”. There are only Ten Commandments, but how many can you name (without cheating and looking it up)?

Pastor Dave