Notes on the Ten Commandments

1. Rules for relationships

The Apostle Paul notes that ‘Honour your father and mother’ was the first commandment to come with a promise (Eph 6:2), the last six commandments were different from all the earlier ones as they related to the relationships between people, rather than that between people and God.

2. Scope of the Sabbath commandment

Jesus taught that, as he and his disciples were priests and therefore servants of God, God required them to work on the Sabbath (Luke 6:2-4, Matt 12:5). As these priests served Jesus, it was up to him what they did or did not do on the Sabbath (Luke 6:5). just like any other priest in Israel. He argued that the nature of their service was comparable to drawing a valued animal or your son out of a pit, an activity anyone would undertake on the Sabbath in order to preserve such a valuable life (Luke 6:8, 14:5). Likewise, so they would not die, animals were untied and led to water of the Sabbath (Luke 13:15). If such work was permitted to save an animal or a son, then surely it was permitted to save a man’s soul.

3. The tablets of stone

Exodus 24:12 states that God wrote the commandments and law on two tablets of stone as a sign to Israel (a common practice at that time). Many consider this a reference to the Ten Commandments. However, opinions vary over how they were distributed between the stones. The 1-4/5-10 split is often favoured and it is common to find the commandments in older Churches, depicted on stylised tablets where they are divided in that manner. Yet, as the Mosaic law advocates that important issues requiring testimony were to be decided by two or three witnesses (Deut 19:15), the possibility that these tablets were two identical copies, each bearing 1-10, should not be ruled out.

4. Variations in numbering

This site follows the Anglican and Reformed Church numbering, which is close to that of Judaism and the Orthodox Church. Roman Catholicism and the Lutheran Church adopt a different numbering. The following table is based on data taken from Wikipedia.

Anglican Church, Reformed Church	Summary of passage	Judaism (Talmudic)	Orthodox Church	R.C., Luth.
Preface	I am the Lord your God	1	1	1
1	Love the Lord your God	2
2	Worship no other Gods		2
3	Don’t misuse God’s name	3	3	2
4	Observe the Sabbath day	4	4	3
5	Honour your parents	5	5	4
6	Don’t murder	6	6	5
7	Don’t commit adultery	7	7	6
8	Don’t steal	8	8	7
9	Don’t give false testimony	9	9	8
10	Don’t covet your neighbours wife	10	10	9
	Don’t  covet anything else your neighbour has			10