how many commandments are in the 10 Commandments?

DamianWarS · Jun 1, 2019

When I count the imperatives in the 10 commandments (Ex 20)I̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶ ̶1̶1̶ I now count 12 (thanks @Soyeong) Turns out some traditions count the commandments differently, they all end off with 10 but 1 and 2 are the same commandments for some and 10 and 11 are expanded. Where others see 1 and 2 as separate and 10 and 11 condensed.

here's the list of the 1̶1̶ ̶C̶o̶m̶m̶a̶n̶d̶m̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ 12 commandments:

0. I am the LORD your God...
1. You shall have no other gods before Me
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol...
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain...
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep 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 bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
11. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife...

Who said it was 10 commandments anyway? (@LoveGodsWord knows)

(edited to include updates and corrections)

Rick Otto · Jun 1, 2019

DamianWarS said:
When I count the imperatives in the 10 commandments (Ex 20) I count 11. Turns out some traditions count the commandments differently, they all end off with 10 but 1 and 2 are the same commandments for some and 10 and 11 are expanded. Where others see 1 and 2 as separate and 10 and 11 condensed.

here's the list of the 11 Commandments:

You shall have no other gods before Me

You shall not make for yourself an idol...

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain...

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy...

Honor your father and your mother...

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife...

Who said it was 10 commandments anyway?

I like how Jesus set aside all quibbles by using a sort of "moral origami" to reduce them to just two.

OldWiseGuy · Jun 1, 2019

DamianWarS said:
When I count the imperatives in the 10 commandments (Ex 20) I count 11. Turns out some traditions count the commandments differently, they all end off with 10 but 1 and 2 are the same commandments for some and 10 and 11 are expanded. Where others see 1 and 2 as separate and 10 and 11 condensed.

here's the list of the 11 Commandments:

You shall have no other gods before Me

You shall not make for yourself an idol...

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain...

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy...

Honor your father and your mother...

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife...

Who said it was 10 commandments anyway?

The 10th commandment concerns coveting in general. No need to divide it.

There are more productive ways to view the commandments as well.

Read them last to first as a sweep of behavior change over time.

Read the last five as dishonorable, the first 5 as honorable.

Read all as a prophetic pattern of redemption, beginning last to first.

Read the first three as a marriage contact between Christ and the church.

Expand each to the fullness of it's meaning spiritually.

TuxAme · Jun 1, 2019

The traditional numbering is ten, but they weren't numbered when the Father handed them down- Jesus says that they can be reduced to two.

DamianWarS · Jun 1, 2019

OldWiseGuy said:
The 10th commandment concerns coveting in general. No need to divide it.

And 1 and 2 are concerning idolatry. So maybe it should be the 9 commandments.

DamianWarS · Jun 1, 2019

TuxAme said:
The traditional numbering is ten, but they weren't numbered when the Father handed them down- Jesus says that they can be reduced to two.

I had to check the source, and you're right, no numbers.

GodLovesCats · Jun 1, 2019

Rick Otto said:
I like how Jesus set aside all quibbles by using a sort of "moral origami" to reduce them to just two.

How did Jesus "reduce" the commandments to just two if "Love God" and "Love your neighbor" are totally different from most of the Mosaic laws?

LoveGodsWord · Jun 1, 2019

DamianWarS said:
Who said it was 10 commandments anyway?

God did...

God's WORD numbers them no need to guess the numbers...

EXODUS 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote on the tables the words of the covenant, the
TEN COMMANDMENTS.

DEUTERONOMY 4:13
And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even
TEN COMMANDMENTS; and he wrote them on two tables of stone.

DEUTHERONOMY 10:4 And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the
TEN COMMANDMENTS, which the LORD spoke to you in the mount out of the middle of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them to me.

Hope this helps.

LoveGodsWord · Jun 1, 2019

ChristianForCats said:
How did Jesus "reduce" the commandments to just two if "Love God" and "Love your neighbor" are totally different from most of the Mosaic laws?

Love to God and our neighbore is expressed through God's 10 commandments *ROMANS 13:8-10. On these two commandments JESUS says hang all the law and the prophets *MATTHEW 22:36-40.

The first four are our duty of LOVE to GOD; while the second six are our duty of LOVE to our neighbore. The NEW COVENANT promise is a new heart to LOVE *HEBREWS 8:10-12. It is only as we are given a new Heart to LOVE that we can be free to walk in God's Spirit. *GALATIANS 5:16.

God bless

DamianWarS · Jun 1, 2019

LoveGodsWord said:
God did...

God's WORD numbers them no need to guess the numbers...

EXODUS 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote on the tables the words of the covenant, the
TEN COMMANDMENTS.

DEUTERONOMY 4:13
And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even
TEN COMMANDMENTS; and he wrote them on two tables of stone.

DEUTHERONOMY 10:4 And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the
TEN COMMANDMENTS, which the LORD spoke to you in the mount out of the middle of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them to me.

Hope this helps.

Nice catch

Soyeong · Jun 1, 2019

DamianWarS said:
When I count the imperatives in the 10 commandments (Ex 20) I count 11. Turns out some traditions count the commandments differently, they all end off with 10 but 1 and 2 are the same commandments for some and 10 and 11 are expanded. Where others see 1 and 2 as separate and 10 and 11 condensed.

here's the list of the 11 Commandments:

You shall have no other gods before Me

You shall not make for yourself an idol...

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain...

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy...

Honor your father and your mother...

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife...

Who said it was 10 commandments anyway?

Jews consider this to to be the first commandment:

"I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

They also combine 1) and 2) and combine 10) and 11) to end up at a total of 10.

However, there are only five principles because the first five commandments are based on the same principles as the last five, but just take different forms when expressed as being in regard to our vertical or horizontal relationships. For example, the commandment "I am the Lord your God" parallels the commandment "you shall not murder" based on the principle of not doing away with others. Committing murder expresses the desire to live without someone else's existence, and while we can't murder God, the next closest thing we can do is refuse to recognize Him as God and desire to live as though He does not exist. The commandment "you shall not commit idolatry" is to our vertical relationship with God what the command "you shall not commit adultery" is to our horizontal relationships in regard to the principle of not betraying relationships.

DamianWarS · Jun 1, 2019

Soyeong said:
Jews consider this to to be the first commandment:

"I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

They also combine 1) and 2) and combine 10) and 11) to end up at a total of 10.

However, there are only five principles because the first five commandments are based on the same principles as the last five, but just take different forms when expressed as being in regard to our vertical or horizontal relationships. For example, the commandment "I am the Lord your God" parallels the commandment "you shall not murder" based on the principle of not doing away with others. Committing murder expresses the desire to live without someone else's existence, and while we can't murder God, the next closest thing we can do is refuse to recognize Him as God and desire to live as though He does not exist. The commandment "you shall not commit idolatry" is to our vertical relationship with God what the command "you shall not commit adultery" is to our horizontal relationships in regard to the principle of not betraying relationships.

I was thinking about starting there but I thought it would be silly. I'll add it to the list in the OP. 1 and 2 go well together and 10 & 11 go well together so it makes just as much sense as the others. I wonder if these divisions have anything to do with how the KJV organizes them on the page.

DamianWarS · Jun 1, 2019

TuxAme said:
The traditional numbering is ten, but they weren't numbered when the Father handed them down- Jesus says that they can be reduced to two.

according to Mel Brooks, there was 15... oh wait.. 10

Soyeong · Jun 1, 2019

DamianWarS said:
I was thinking about starting there but I thought it would be silly. I'll add it to the list in the OP. 1 and 2 go well together and 10 & 11 go well together so it makes just as much sense as the others. I wonder if these divisions have anything to do with how the KJV organizes them on the page.

The wikipedia article has a good chart for the various ways that they have been numbered:

Ten Commandments - Wikipedia

DamianWarS · Jun 1, 2019

Soyeong said:
The wikipedia article has a good chart for the various ways that they have been numbered:

Ten Commandments - Wikipedia

Apparently there are 14. Seems Mel Brooks wasn't that far off

Rick Otto · Jun 3, 2019

ChristianForCats said:
How did Jesus "reduce" the commandments to just two if "Love God" and "Love your neighbor" are totally different from most of the Mosaic laws?

"The Mosaic Laws" is a much broader topic than "The Ten Commandments", and perspectives on the differences between anything can be arguable.
In that the Mosaic law's intent is to bring us into God's will, loving God & neighbor seems to be in harmonic resonance with that, wouldn't you agree?
It's a good question well put as if you know the verses I'm referring to, so you might remember the question put to Jesus being 'which one is most important" commands a focus on the guiding essence of all the minutia of behavioral regulation... from my perspective.

Grip Docility · Jun 3, 2019

DamianWarS said:
When I count the imperatives in the 10 commandments (Ex 20)I̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶ ̶1̶1̶ I now count 12 (thanks @Soyeong) Turns out some traditions count the commandments differently, they all end off with 10 but 1 and 2 are the same commandments for some and 10 and 11 are expanded. Where others see 1 and 2 as separate and 10 and 11 condensed.

here's the list of the 1̶1̶ ̶C̶o̶m̶m̶a̶n̶d̶m̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ 12 commandments:

0. I am the LORD your God...
1. You shall have no other gods before Me
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol...
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain...
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep 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 bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
11. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife...

Who said it was 10 commandments anyway? (@LoveGodsWord knows)

(edited to include updates and corrections)

613 ... The entire LAW is the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch confirms this. The Law is God's standards for Himself. He proved He has it down, pat.

DamianWarS · Jun 3, 2019

Grip Docility said:
613 ... The entire LAW is the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch confirms this. The Law is God's standards for Himself. He proved He has it down, pat.

I'm not referring to all the laws just the laws found on the tablets given to Moses.

Grip Docility · Jun 3, 2019

DamianWarS said:
I'm not referring to all the laws just the laws found on the tablets given to Moses.

Exodus 34:25 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning. 26 The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.”
27 And the LORD said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

The Tablets are a seal of the OC. They are symbolic of all spoken to Moses, by God, starting in Exodus 19 right up until that point in Exodus.

The tablets are symbolic of the Covenant. Deuteronomy 31:26 reinforces this.

Gregory Thompson · Jun 3, 2019

DamianWarS said:
When I count the imperatives in the 10 commandments (Ex 20)I̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶n̶t̶ ̶1̶1̶ I now count 12 (thanks @Soyeong) Turns out some traditions count the commandments differently, they all end off with 10 but 1 and 2 are the same commandments for some and 10 and 11 are expanded. Where others see 1 and 2 as separate and 10 and 11 condensed.

here's the list of the 1̶1̶ ̶C̶o̶m̶m̶a̶n̶d̶m̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ 12 commandments:

0. I am the LORD your God...
1. You shall have no other gods before Me
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol...
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain...
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep 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 bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
11. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife...

Who said it was 10 commandments anyway? (@LoveGodsWord knows)

(edited to include updates and corrections)

sometimes it is amusing to point out that thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's ass.

how many commandments are in the 10 Commandments?

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