Ten Debarim

Introduction

The Ten Commandments are found in Exodus 20 (verses 2-17, with verse 1 setting the stage and verses 18-21, the end of the setting of the scene). There is some debate about this, and frankly, the narration is difficult to follow (I am resisting the temptation to go into detail). But the narration presents itself differently than we traditionally picture it. We think of Moses going up to the mountain to get the commands and then bringing them to the people. Instead, if you read verses 17-21 and the chapter prior, God spoke these commands to all the people, but his speaking was so fearsome that the people distanced themselves and begged Moses to speak to God and bring what God said back to them. It was then that Moses became the intercessor.

The Ten Commandments are repeated in Deuteronomy. This is where Moses is speaking to the next generation, the children of the Exodus group, those who were born in the wilderness. After 40 years wandering, they are about to enter the promised land, and all of Deuteronomy is Moses' "farewell" sermons to the people in that context. Early in that book, which is a collection of Moses' farewell charge, the Ten Words are repeated in chapter 5:6-21.

Ten Words

It is significant that in scripture they are called, not the Ten Commandments, but the Ten Words (although the word דָּבַר dabar or הַדְּבָרִים debarim [plural] means not just word, but a word, "a matter" or "a thing." They do contain "imperative" style grammar, but they are called the ten words.* And from the word debar comes the idea that we must meditate upon the commands to understand them (and only by fully understanding can we follow). When Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), after saying he fulfills all the law, digresses into six "antitheses." In these antitheses, he explains, redefines or expands the listener's understanding of the meaning of the Old Testament (Tanakh) commands. As the Lord preaches, he is doing a very rabbinical style of oral meditative teaching to his disciples as well as to the gathered crowd listening in.

In three of the six of Jesus' antitheses, he directly goes to one of the Ten Commandments (perhaps we should only say 2 and 1/2 of the 6 antitheses ... see below). Here are the three (or two and one-half) instances where Jesus directly quotes from the ten commandments:

1. Anger, Matthew 5:21-26 is direct quote of the sixth commandment, "do no murder."
2. Adultery, Matthew 5:27-30 is direct quote of the seventh commandment, "do not commit adultery."
3. Oaths, Matthew 5:33-37 does not directly quote the ninth commandment to "not bear false witness," but the beginning place of keeping oaths is to be truthful; every listener would have begun their thinking as such although there are many other references to swearing honestly (see Psalm 24, who can stand in YHWH's presence? Those who "...do not swear deceitfully" (v4).

The other antitheses which Jesus preaches about in the Sermon On the Mount are (Divorce, Matt. 5:31-32; Retaliation, Matt. 5:38-42; and Love of Enemies, Matt. 5:43-48). Jesus addresses commands, traditions, or issues from the Tanakh but not from the Ten Commandments.

The Title "Ten Commandments"

Only relatively recently have we referred to the Ten Commandments as such. The Septuagint is significant here in that in Exodus 20:1 says, "God spoke (τοὺς λόγους ) or 'these words.'"

Interestingly, in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, where the Ten Words are listed, they are not called "ten" (עֲשֶׂרֶת). We get this number from other places in scripture: Exodus 34:38, Deuteronomy 4:13, and Deuteronomy 10:4. Here they are called עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִֽים in Hebrew, which translates to "Ten Words" or in Greek δέκα λόγους, which is deka [ten] logos [words]. For most of Christian history, the most common way to refer to the Ten Commandments -- the Ten Words -- is as "The Decalogue," a transliteration of the Greek Ten Words.

The Difficulty of Numbering

And finally, if you were counting "imperatives," * in this list of words/commands, you might find more than ten. In addition, they are not numbered in Hebrew or in the Septuagint or, for that matter, in the other translations. One other confusion is that, at least for some commands, there is an explanation or commentary. Perhaps one might say that some commands come with an expansion or justification. All of this is to say that interpreters vary in how they list and number these Ten Words.

Below, I placed the common Protestant method, but one must be aware of other traditions. There are at least eight different ways that interpreters have come up with the number 10 (all are very similar).** To simplify, however, I'll list the Jewish and Catholic (heavily influenced by Augustine) methods, but there are also methods by Philo, Luther, the Samaritan tradition, and the Eastern Orthodox Church (which follows the LXX closely).

First, Jewish interpreters differ from the list below in that they have the prologue "I am YHWH" as the first command, and the second command combines have no other gods and do not make idols as one command (second and third commands on the list below). The Jewish method of numbering then finishes just like the Protestant list below.

Catholic interpretations, on the other hand, place the first and second commands (no other gods and no images) together as one single command. Then, because they combine two commands as one, they would not add up to ten. So, in the Catholic tradition, the last command (covet) is divided into two different commands ([a] not covet neighbor's house and [b] not covet neighbor's wife and other possessions). The Catholic tradition does not use the prologue as the first command. If it did, it would be just the same as the Jewish tradition.

Again, just to summarize. We have commands (Not a list; just narration of the events surrounding Moses' getting the commands and giving them to the people. This includes these commands). In the narration, there are explanations along with some, but not all, of the commands. There is no numbering of the commands; nor are they identified as ten (the number ten is mentioned in other places in scripture). So it's really not a problem, or even unexpected, that interpreters sometimes list the ten commands slightly differently and treat the "prologue" either as a command or as a prologue.

Regardless of the numbering scheme, the tradition of Ten Commandments is strong in all Judeo-Christian traditions, and the slight differences in numbering is almost incidental. It is noted usually only by scholars.

Here is a Listing of the Ten Words as Protestants usually number them

(This is the Protestant or Reformed method of Numbering)

God spoke these words (v1). Verse 1, here is included though it's not a part of the numbered commands/words. Also, verse 2, as Protestants list it as the "heading" or "preamble" or "prologue" to the commands/words.

I am YHWH v2 (אָנֹכִי יהוה) (prologue)

1. No other Elohim (gods) v3
2. Not make for yourself image v4
3. Not carry YHWH‘s name with emptiness v7
4. Remember/keep holy Sabbath v8
5. Honor father/mother v12
6. Not kill v13
7. Not commit adultery v14
8. Not steal v15
9. Not carry false witness v16
10. Not covet v17

Types of Commands

When talking about the commands, it's common to say this two different ways. First, some say the first four are how humans relate to God and the last six are how humans relate to one another. Alternatively, some say the first four are how humans relate to God, the last five relate to how humans relate to one another. That then makes the fourth commandment, honoring parents, as a "swing" commandment that bridges the gap between the relationships with others and relationships with the Sovereign.

When you look at the first four commandments, it is evident that these were meant for Israel - God's nation called to be in covenant relationship with Him as his own possession. Christians can easily adopt the ten commandments as they have adopted the Old Testament (Tanakh, or the Hebrew Scriptures) as their own "foundation" for the new covenant. But the questions is, how should the ten commandments apply -- or at least how should the first four of them apply -- to those not in covenant relationship with God? In a free society, this presents a difficulty. Some want them to be recognized as foundational to our (western?) system of laws. This is certainly true of commandments 6, 7 , 8, and 9 (At least there used to be agreement on the seventh commandment being accepted by a secular society as foundational, but one is not certain this is true anymore. Similarly, some might include the 5th commandment here, but one might find difficulty making the case of including honoring parents as part of the foundation of civil laws.

Also, one is hard-pressed to make a secular legal connection to the tenth commandment. Certainly, from a Christian standpoint, the tenth commandment is the connection, perhaps, to Jesus' "antithesis" statements about fulfilling the law. The connection is about the inward and unseen heart motives that are easily hidden from others, yet will lead to violations of the other commandments if not redeemed. The tenth commandment points to our need for a Savior!

How do the ten commandments apply to society as a whole if we are a free society (as opposed to a religious state). This is even more evident if one includes the first four commandments. How should a free society apply these to society at large? It seems clear these commandments are intended for those in a covenant relationship with YHWH God.

I am listening to the Bible Project series on the Ten Commandments, and this is why I chose to write this out today. I hope to follow up and do something short on each command; a sort of meditation based upon listening to the podcast and forming thoughts and studying the passage.

The Bible Project Podcast.

*There really is no "imperative" in Hebrew, but it is translated properly as such. A basic introductory Hebrew grammar usually cites Exodus 20:13. "Do not kill" - לֹא תִּרְצָֽח "lo tirtzach" a negative particle followed by the imperfect (usually future) or "not .. you will kill." This is why I put "imperative" in quotation marks and followed it with imperative style language. They have what is properly translated as imperative verbs. Nevertheless, the heading for the ten commandments is "words" rather than the common Hebrew word for command (מִצְוָה) "mitzvah."

**See This Wikipedia Page for a complex table that shows these eight different numbering systems of the ten commandments.