Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments, or the Decalogue, is a set of laws which, according to the Bible, Moses said were given to him by God.

There are two versions, generally similar but somewhat different in wording: Exodus 20:3-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The version in Deuteronomy adds the detail of Moses saying that God "wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me."

The Bible itself refers to there being "ten commandments" in Exodus 34:28 and Deuteronomy 4:13, but it is not clear how to parcel out the fifteen or sixteen verses into ten commandments, and different religious groups have done this in different ways. For example, "You shall have no other gods before me" and "You shall not make for yourself an idol" are sometimes considered to be two different commandments and sometimes as two parts of the same commandment.

Protestants assign the Fifth Commandment to "honor your father and mother," but in Catholic texts this is the Fourth Commandment. The Jewish tradition is to call that requirement the Fifth Commandment.

However,in Jewish law, the Old Testament actually contains not ten, but 613 positive and negative commandments. Thus, when Jesus is asked (at Matthew 22:34-36) which is the greatest commandment in the Law (i.e. the first five books of the Bible), he picks two of the other 603: 'You shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength' (Deuteronomy 6:5) and 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself' (Leviticus 19:18).

New International Version (NIV)

1. You shall have no other gods before me.

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol.

3. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.

4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet.

Differences Between Translations

King James Version (KJV)

The famous King James translation uses the old-fashioned wording "Thou shalt" instead of "You shall," and this wording is often used when quoting or referring to the Ten Commandments.

Some translations, such as the King James Version and the Jerusalem Bible, translate the sixth commandment as "You shall not kill." Other translations, such as the New International Version and the New English Bible, translate the sixth commandment as "You shall not murder." This is an important point to make because some Christians will say that all war is wrong because the Bible says not to "kill." This issue is mainly a matter of conscience among Christians. A dictionary entry of the Hebrew word used in this verse is shown below:

Ratsach

1. to murder, slay, kill

a. (Qal) to murder, slay

1. premeditated

2. accidental

3. as avenger

4. slayer (intentional) (participle)

b. (Niphal) to be slain

c. (Piel)

1. to murder, assassinate

2. murderer, assassin (participle)(subst)

d. (Pual) to be killed

The movie

The Ten Commandments is also the title of a famous 1956 motion picture, produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Charlton Heston as Moses. It tells the story of Moses essentially as told in the Book of Exodus, with a few changes.

As publicity for the film, and in conjunction with a project of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Paramount helped finance the placement of hundreds of stone tablets engraved with the Ten Commandments. These were placed at courthouse squares, at city halls and in public parks, and became a center of controversy, particularly in recent years, as to whether they violate the separation of Church and State In recent years, liberal attorneys and judges have opposed the display of the Ten Commandments on public property by exploiting the judicial system.