The Commandments

In the Sermon on The Mount, as discussed in Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus reaffirms the need to follow the commandments. Jesus says:

"Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt 5:19-20 (ESV)

This teaching of Jesus makes it clear that we are expected to follow the commandments and teach others to do the same. If we refuse to follow the commandments, we jeopardize our salvation. Further reinforcing the point, Jesus expounds at some length about a few of the commandments in Matthew 5:21-30, and if anything, he strengthens those commandments.

When asked about the Ten Commandments, many cannot name all ten. Yet both the New and Old Testaments clearly state that they are the law and the word of God. Given that Jesus specifically referred to and discussed the commandments, we need to understand all of them and follow them.

The Bible lists the commandments in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Exodus 20 describes what God said to Moses on Mount Sinai as follows (numbering added):

"And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands[of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates [that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Added in Deut 5:14-15] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
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 house.
11. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." Exod 20:1-17 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 5 describes Moses telling the people what God said on Mount Sinai. It is very similar and lists the same commandments with a bit more in the one about the Sabbath [shown in brackets above like this]. It lists coveting your neighbor’s wife first, then mentions his house, servants, etc.

You have no doubt noticed that I have listed eleven commandments in the list of the ten commandments. When I started reading the commandments in the Bible, I was struck by the fact that eleven concepts are listed in the text of both Exodus and Deuteronomy. I researched this topic and discovered lots of discussion. Various sources represent, interpret, number, and order the commandments differently.

The Catholic and Lutheran Christian churches combine 1 and 2 above into a single commandment about having no other gods. They view the part about false idols to be a further explanation of having no other gods. However, they believe this combined commandment forbids idolatry, superstition, spiritism, etc. They represent commandments 9 and 10 differently. Catholics have commandment 9 refer to coveting your neighbor’s wife and commandment 10 refer to coveting your neighbor’s goods, like in Deut 5. Lutherans keep the original order, from Exod 20.

Most Protestants, other than Lutherans, keep 1 and 2 split and combine 10 and 11 above into a single commandment about not coveting your neighbor’s stuff, house and wife included. A Catholic friend defended the split of 10 and 11, saying that they discuss two different sins: adultery and avarice. That is not a bad point, but Protestants point out that 1 and 2 are also two different sins, polytheism and idolatry, also not a bad point.

The Jewish tradition combines 1 and 2 and combines 10 and 11 above and considers the statement "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" the first commandment.

In my reading, eleven or twelve concepts are mentioned. All the sixty or so English translations of the Bible that I have checked contain all eleven or twelve concepts. Yes, 1 and 2 are related, and yes, 10 and 11 are related, and you could interpret the introductory clause as a commandment. So, you could represent these as nine, ten, eleven, or even twelve commandments as long as no concepts are omitted.

To see how different traditions summarize the Ten Commandments, click the appropriate link below:

Catholic Ten Commandments

Lutheran Ten Commandments

Other Protestant Ten Commandments

Jewish Ten Commandments

Misleading Summary Commandments

I was also struck by the realization that the popular representation of some of the commandments alters their meaning, as stated in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. For example, I was taught that there was a commandment, “Thou shall not lie.” That is not true; it is an overly broad interpretation of “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Saying that you saw your neighbor do something or heard him say something that you did not see or hear would be bearing false witness. Telling someone you enjoyed a meal they prepared for you when you did not is not bearing false witness against your neighbor. It is unclear that this commandment, as written in Exodus and Deuteronomy, forbids lying in all circumstances. I am not advocating lying; other passages in the Bible make it clear that lying is a sin. I am just pointing out that this commandment discusses a specific form of lying. Perhaps God views that form of lying as the worst.

Similarly, I was taught that there is a commandment: “Thou shall not kill.” In some translations of the Bible, it says “kill,” and in others, it says “murder.” These are quite different meanings. Saying “thou shall not kill” implies that we cannot kill others under any circumstance. Saying “thou shall not murder” leaves room for killing in self-defense, in a war, or in defense of one’s tribe, village, city, or country. This is a crucial difference; while murder is killing, all killing is not murder!

I spent some time researching this topic and found a plethora of articles and books discussing that "shall not kill" is a mistranslation of a Hebrew phrase that is closer to "shall not murder." (See the references for a few example articles.) These articles also point out that in the Old Testament, there are places where God commands people to kill others, so "thou shall not kill" is not consistent with God’s other commands (for example, Deuteronomy 20:16 and Samuel 15:3). Some articles point out that the Hebrew word used does not correctly translate to either kill or murder, but rather a concept like murder, but with a broader interpretation than the word murder today. Some suggest the word used might include what we call murder and what we call manslaughter—for example, killing through neglect or even carelessness, but not self-defense, war, or accidents. There is a gray area there; it is best if we can avoid killing others, but perhaps "unjust killing" is what was intended.

It is also commonly taught that there is a commandment, "Thou shall not covet." This is an overgeneralization of the commandment. Covet means "to yearn to possess or have something," or "to want to have something very much," or maybe "to be consumed with desire for something." The commandments say you shall not covet your neighbor's wife and property. Presumably, doing so could lead to breaking the commandments about adultery, theft, and even murder. The commandment does not speak about coveting in general. If one said, "I covet having more time to pray," "I covet to be free of oppression," "I covet to be as well educated as my neighbor," or "I covet a relationship with God," presumably coveting these things is not forbidden since doing so could lead to positive actions.

So, in general, summary representations of the commandments can lead to misinterpretations or misunderstandings. To better understand what God commands, it is best to read the full text in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

The Greatest Commandments

There is another story recounted in Matthew 22, Mark 12, and Luke 10, where the Pharisees or Scribes question and test Jesus. They ask him which commandment is the greatest. Jesus responds with,

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." Matt 22:37-40 (ESV)

Many sources assert that Jesus is adding a new commandment to love your neighbor. It is consistent with his other teachings, but it is not new. It comes from the Old Testament,

"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord." Lev 19:18 (ESV)

Jesus was not creating a new commandment. He reinforced or elevated long-standing Old Testament teachings to the importance of a commandment. All Christian denominations I examined view these teachings as commandments in addition to the Ten Commandments.

Douglas A. Leas, October 2024

References:

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition (CCC). Published 11/2019, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

To Be A Christian An Anglican Catechism, 2020, Anglican Church of North America, Crossway.

Luther, Martin Dr.,1529,The Small Catechism

Baron JH. "Thou shalt not kill": some legal and linguistic problems. Mt Sinai J Med. 2004 Oct;71(5):355-7. PMID: 15543439.

Holt, Andrew PhD, "Thou shalt not kill" vs. "Thou shalt not murder", article link

Translation and Transliteration of Exodus - Chapter 20, The Israel Bible,article link