What Are the Ten Commandments?

There are two versions of the ten commandments (Decalogue) given in the Bible. The first is contained in Exodus 20, and the second in Deuteronomy 5. All churches have preferred to use the version given in Exodus. According to Exodus 34:28 and Deuteronomy 4:13, God wrote upon the tablets "ten commandments," and so Exodus 20:2-17 is to be divided into ten parts; but this division is done differently by different writers. The oldest method, found in the writings of Philo and Josephus (first century), takes verse 3 as the first commandment, verses 4 through 6 as the second, and so forth. This is called the Philonic division, and it was adopted by the Greek Church and by Protestants (except Lutherans). Later the Jewish Talmud (third century) treated the preface in verses 1 and 2 as the first of ten "sayings" and combined verses 3-6 as the second saying. This is called the Talmudic division, and was adopted by all Jews. In the fifth century Saint Augustine listed the ten commandments by beginning with the Talmudic second saying as the first commandment; and, following the word order of Deuteronomy 5:21, making the ninth commandment a prohibition of the coveting of a neighbor's wife, and the tenth a prohibition of coveting his house and other property. This is known as the Augustinian division. ⁽¹⁾ The Roman Catholic church accepted Augustine's method, and Luther also continued in this tradition with one modification: he preferred to follow the word order of Exodus 20, and so his ninth commandment became a prohibition against coveting the house and his tenth prohibited coveting the wife, slaves, and animals. Lutherans continue to follow this method.

The table below shows the four different traditions of numbering: Philonic (P); Talmudic (T); Augustinian (A); and Lutheran (L).

Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

6 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;

7 you shall have no other gods before me.

8 You shall not make for yourself a carved image, 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. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them...

11 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.

12 Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 14 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work...

16 Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

17 You shall not murder.

18 Neither shall you commit adultery.

19 Neither shall you steal.

20 Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor.

21 Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor's house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

NOTES

1. See Augustine's discussion of the matter in his book of "Questions of Exodus:" Quæstionum in Heptateuchum libri VII, Book II, Question lxxi.