Category:Ten Commandments

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

The Ten Commandments - (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 10:4, marg. "ten words") i.e., the Decalogue (q.v.), is a summary of the immutable moral law. These commandments were first given in their written form to the people of Israel when they were encamped at Sinai, about fifty days after they came out of Egypt (Exodus 19:10-25). They were written by the finger of God on two tables of stone. The first tables were broken by Moses when he brought them down from the mount (Exodus 32:19), being thrown by him on the ground. At the command of God he took up into the mount two other tables, and God wrote on them "the words that were on the first tables" (Exodus 34:1). These tables were afterwards placed in the ark of the covenant (Deuteronomy 10:5; 1 Kings 8:9). Their subsequent history is unknown. They are as a whole called "the covenant" (Deuteronomy 4:13), and "the tables of the covenant" (Deuteronomy 9:9, Deuteronomy 9:11; Hebrews 9:4), and "the testimony." They are obviously "ten" in number, but their division is not fixed [among religions], hence different methods of numbering them have been adopted. The Jews make the "Preface" one of the commandments, and then combine the first and second. The Roman Catholics and Lutherans combine the first and second and divide the tenth into two. The Jews and Josephus divide them equally. The Lutherans and Roman Catholics refer three commandments to the first table and seven to the second. The Greek and Reformed Churches refer four to the first and six to the second table. The Samaritans add to the second that Gerizim is the Mount of worship. (See LAW.)

  Catholic    Protestant  I. I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image.  I. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  II. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. II. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.  <td width="50%" valign="middle">III. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.</FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">III. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. </FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">IV. Honor your father and mother.</FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">IV. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. </FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">V. You shall not kill.</FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">V. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Honor thy father and thy mother. </FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">VI. You shall not commit adultery.</FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">VI. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Thou shalt not kill. </FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">VII. You shall not steal</FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">VII. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">Thou shalt not commit adultery. </FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">VIII. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.</FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">VIII. Thou shalt not steal.</FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">IX. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.</FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle"> IX <span style="mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. </FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle">X. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods</FONT> <td width="50%" valign="middle"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;">X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors goods</FONT>