No doubt you’ve heard of the 10 commandments, or as they tend to be stylized, “The Ten Commandments,” as if they’re a movie title. (Which they were, repeatedly;
No, the 10 commandments aren’t the only commands God gave the Hebrews. Nor the first. Nor even the greatest: When Jesus was asked about the most important commands, he listed none of the 10 commandments. He listed two other ones: Love God and love your neighbor.
The 10 commandments are significant because they’re the ones God considers important enough to tell everyone audibly. And we get ’em twice in the bible: In Exodus 20 when the L
Today I’ll give you
- Exodus 20.1-13 Schocken Bible
- 1 God spoke all these words,
- saying:
- 2 I am Y
HWH your God, - who brought you out
- from the land of Egypt, from a house of serfs.
- You are not to have
- any other gods
- before my presence.
- 3 You are not to make yourself a carved-image
- or any figure
- that is in the heavens above,
- that is on the earth beneath,
- that is in the waters beneath the earth;
- 4 you are not to bow down to them
- and you are not to serve them,
- for I, Y
HWH your God, - am a zealous God,
- calling-to-account the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons,
- to the third and the fourth [generation]
- of those hating me,
- 5 but showing loyalty to the thousandth
- of those loving me,
- of those keeping my commandments.
- 6 You are not to take up
- the name of Y
HWH your God for emptiness, - for Y
HWH will not clear anyone - who takes up his name for emptiness.
- 7 Be mindful
- of the Sabbath day, to hallow it.
- 8 For six days, you are to serve, and are to make all your work,
- 9 but the seventh day
- is Sabbath for Y
HWH your God: - you are not to make any work,
- you, and your son, and your daughter,
- your servant, and your maid, and your beast,
- and your sojourner who is within your gates.
- 10 For in six days
- Y
HWH made - the heavens and the earth,
- the sea and all that is in it,
- and he rested on the seventh day;
- therefore Y
HWH gave the Sabbath day his blessing, and he hallowed it. - 11 Honor
- your father and your mother,
- in order that your days may be prolonged
- on the land that Y
HWH your God is giving you. - 12 You are not to murder!
- You are not to adulter!
- You are not to steal!
- You are not to testify
- against your neighbor as a false witness!
- 13 You are not to desire
- the house of your neighbor,
- you are not to desire the wife of your neighbor,
- or his servant, or his maid, or his ox, or his donkey,
- or anything that is your neighbor’s!
And, because they’re important enough to be in the bible twice:
- Deuteronomy 20.6-17 Schocken Bible
- 6 I am Y
HWH your God - who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of serfs.
- You are not to have other gods beside my presence.
- 7 You are not to make yourself a carved-image of any form
- that is in the heavens above,
- that is on the earth beneath,
- that is in the waters beneath the earth.
- 8 You are not to bow down to them, you are not to serve them,
- for I, Y
HWH your God, am a zealous God, - calling-to-account the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons
- to the third and to the fourth [generation] of those that hate me,
- 9 but showing loyalty to thousands
- of those that love me, of those that keep my commandments.
- 10 You are not to take up the name of Y
HWH your God for emptiness, - for Y
HWH will not clear him that takes up his name for emptiness! - 11 Keep the day of Sabbath, by hallowing it,
- as Y
HWH your God has commanded you. - 12 For six days you are to serve and to make all your work;
- 13 but the seventh day
- is Sabbath for Y
HWH your God— - you are not to make any work:
- you, and your son, and your daughter,
- and your servant, and your maid,
- and your ox, and your donkey, and any of your beasts,
- and your sojourner who is in your gates—
- in order that your servant and your maid may rest as one-like-yourself.
- 14 You are to bear-in-mind that serf were you in the land of Egypt,
- but Y
HWH your God took you out from there - with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm;
- therefore Y
HWH your God commands you to observe the day of the Sabbath. - 15 Honor your father and your mother,
- as Y
HWH your God has commanded you, - in order that your days may be prolonged,
- and in order that it may go-well with you
- on the land that Y
HWH your God is giving you. - 16 You are not to murder!
- And you are not to adulter!
- And you are not to steal!
- And you are not to testify against your neighbor as a lying witness!
- 17 And you are not to desire the wife of your neighbor;
- you are not to crave the house of your neighbor,
- his field, or his servant, or his maid, his ox or his donkey,
- or anything that belongs to your neighbor!