Part 1: What You Didn't Know About the 10 Commandments

"Wait, was that the first commandment or the second commandment?"

As may come to a surprise to you, not everyone agrees on the ordering of the 10 Commandments.  While everyone agrees on the text (and no one edits, removes, or adds anything) the text of the 10 Commandments doesn't actually tells which is the first, second, third etc., etc.  In fact, the biblical text of the 10 Commandments doesn't even call them the "10 Commandments", nor does it designate 10 commands which make up the 10 Commandments. While the text of the 10 Commandments are found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, they aren't called the 10 Commandments until Exodus 34:28 and Deuteronomy 10:4 when the Lord is referring to the actual stone tablets they were carved on.

Contained within the so-called "10 Commandments" of Exodus 20 there are actually 14 imperatives preceded by a preamble:



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

1. You shall have no other gods before me
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or the waters below.
3. You shall not bow down to them [idols] or worship them
4. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
5. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
6. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God
7. On it [the sabbath] you shall not do any work
8. Honor your father and mother 
9. You shall not murder
10. You shall not commit adultery
11. You shall not steal
12. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor
13. You shall not covet your neighbor's house*
14. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife*, or his manservant...

* In the text of Deuteronomy 5 these imperatives are reversed in order.

How these 14 imperatives with the preamble are grouped together determines which version of the 10 Commandments your Church or Synagogue believes in. 

For most (Talmudic) Jews the 10 Commandments are as follows:

1. I am the L-RD your G-d who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery
2. You shall have no other gods before me (you shall not make idols...)
3. Do not take G-d's name in vain 
4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
5. Honor your father and mother
6. Do not murder
7. Do not commit adultry
8. Do not steal
9. Do not bear false witness
10. Do not covet

Notice the preamble is the first commandment and the second commandment includes the imperative to not make/worship idols.

For Orthodox Christians, Hellenistic Jews, and most Protestants the 10 Commandments are:

1. (I am the Lord your God) You shall have no other gods before me
2. You shall not make idols nor shall you worship them
3. You shall not take the Lord's name in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
5. Honor your father and mother
6. Do not murder
7. Do not commit adultry
8. Do not steal
9. Do not bear false witness
10. Do not covet

Sometimes the preamble is included in the 1st commandment other times it exists as the logic for all 10 Commandments.  Also, notice the prohibition on idols (or graven images) is it's own distinct commandment when compared to the Talmudic Jewish commandments.

For Roman Catholics and Lutherans the 10 Commandments are:

1. (I am the Lord your God) You shall have no other gods before me (you shall not make idols...)
2. You shall not take the Lord's name in vain
3. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
4. Honor your father and mother
5. Do not murder
6. Do not commit adultry
7. Do not steal
8. Do not bear false witness
9. Do not covet your neighbor's wife
10. Do not coven your neighbor's house (nor his servants, oxen,...)

The Roman (Augustinian) view of the 10 commandments is similar to the Talmudic Jewish commandments in the sense "have no other gods" includes the imperative "do not make idols".  However, like the Orthodox/Hellenistic commandments, the preamble is not a separate commandment...which leaves only 9 commandments. So the Roman view incorporates the variation in the text from Deuteronomy 5 and splits the commandment on coveting to "Do not covet your neighbor's wife" (against lust) and "Do not covet your neighbor's [stuff]" (against envy and greed).

While these three orderings of the 10 commandments were developed in different parts of the world in different times of history it is important to note the text does not change.  The commandments say what the commandments say whether you are Jewish, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Evangelical, Pentecostal, etc., etc.  Some people (both religious fundamentalists and atheists) try to point out the difference in the versions of the 10 Commandments as a means to accuse one denomination of not following the commandments or purposely trying to cover up certain commands.  There is no evidence of this, particularly since each denomination relies on the biblical text as the true source of these commandments.  The differences exist solely because the text doesn't tell us which is the first or second commandment, etc., etc.

All thoughts and questions welcome.

Coming soon:  Part 2 "What about those graven images?"