10 commandments
Decalogue
(gr. δέκα (ten) + λόγοι (words) — ten words)
Ten Commandments
Ex 34:28 And Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights, and neither ate bread nor drank water; and he wrote on the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
De 4:13 Then he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments, and wrote them on two tables of stone;
(gr. δέκα (ten) + λόγοι (words) — ten words)
Ten Commandments
God has repeatedly emphasized the uniqueness of this text:
- These commandments were written by God Himself. Moreover, He first made 2 tablets and wrote the commandments (Ex. 32:15). Then Moses broke them and made new ones himself, and God wrote the commandments on them again (Deut. 10:1).
- These tablets were placed in the ark, and with it in the Holy of Holies.
- This is the only text that God spoke to all the people.
- Jesus, while on earth, did not leave any written text, which makes the Decalogue the only text written by God.
The Pentateuch of Moses is called the TORAH only because the text of the TORAH is located there.
It is a common practice to name the entire book by the key text. For example, sometimes people call the entire New Testament the Gospel.
Jesus, at least once, called part of the Old Testament Scriptures Psalms, because it is the largest and most significant book of Scripture: Luke 24:44 ... in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms. Although the Jews call this text the 10 commandments, they divide them into 9:
- פ - end of section.
- ס - end of subsection.
This is the division of the Jews.
| com. | sourse | v. | lit. translation | אָֽנֹכִ֖י֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֧ר הוֹצֵאתִ֛יךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֣֥ית עֲבָדִֽ֑ים׃ | 2 | I am YHWH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. |
| 1 | לֹֽ֣א יִהְיֶֽה־ לְךָ֛֩ אֱלֹהִ֥֨ים אֲחֵרִ֖֜ים עַל־ פָּנָֽ֗יַ | 3 | You shall have no other gods before Me, | לֹֽ֣א תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־ לְךָ֥֣ פֶ֣֙סֶל֙ ׀ וְכָל־ תְּמוּנָ֡֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤֣ר בַּשָּׁמַ֣֙יִם֙ ׀ מִמַּ֡֔עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩ בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ מִתַָּ֑֜חַת וַאֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בַּמַּ֖֣יִם ׀ מִתַּ֥֣חַת לָאָֽ֗רֶץ | 4 | You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of any kind, whether in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. | לֹֽא־ תִשְׁתַּחְוֶ֥֣ה לָהֶ֖ם֮ וְלֹ֣א תָעָבְדֵ֑ם֒ כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵד עֲוֹ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־ בָּנִ֛ים עַל־ שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־ רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י׃ | 5 | You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, YHWH your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons, the third and the fourth, who hate Me. | וְעֹ֥֤שֶׂה חֶ֖֙סֶד֙ לַאֲלָפִ֑֔ים לְאֹהֲבַ֖י וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֹתָֽי׃ ס | 6 | and showing mercy to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments. | 2 | לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־ שֵֽׁם־ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־ יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־ שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא׃ פ | 7 | You shall not take the name of YHWH your God in vain, for YHWH will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. |
| 3 | זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־ י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ | 8 | Remember the Day of Peace sanctifying it. | שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת יָמִ֣ים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ כָּל־ מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒ | 9 | Work six days and do all your work, | וְי֙וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔֜י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹֽ֣א־ תַעֲשֶׂ֣֨ה כָל־ מְלָאכָ֡֜ה אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבִנְךָֽ֣־ וּ֠בִתֶּ֗ךָ עַבְדְּךָ֤֨ וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֜֙ וּבְהֶמְתֶּ֔֗ךָ וְגֵרְךָ֖֙ אֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽ֔יךָ | 10 | But on the seventh day there shall be a rest for the sake of the LORD your God. In it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, your ox, or your ass, or any of your cattle, or your stranger who is within your gates. | כִּ֣י שֵֽׁשֶׁת־ יָמִים֩ עָשָׂ֨ה יְהוָ֜ה אֶת־ הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־ הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶת־ הַיָּם֙ וְאֶת־ כָּל־ אֲשֶׁר־ בָּ֔ם וַיָּ֖נַח בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑י עַל־ כֵּ֗ן בֵּרַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־ י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וַֽיְקַדְּשֵֽׁהוּ׃ ס | 11 | For in six days YHVH made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day, therefore YHWH blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. | 4 | כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־ אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־ אִמֶּ֑ךָ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִכ֣וּן יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ ס | 12 | Honor your father and your mother, that it may go well with you, and that your days may be long upon the land which YHWH your God is giving you. | 5 | לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח׃ ס | 13 | Do not commit murder. | 6 | לֹ֣֖א תִּֿנְאָֽ֑ף׃ ס | 14 | Don't be debauched. | 7 | לֹ֣֖א תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב׃ ס | 15 | Don't steal. | 8 | לֹֽא־ תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁקֶר׃ ס | 16 | Do not bear vain witness against your neighbor. | 9 | לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד בֵּ֣ית רֵעֶ֑ךָ לֹֽא־ תַחְמֹ֞ד אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֶ֗ךָ וְעַבְדּ֤וֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ֙ וְשׁוֹר֣וֹ וַחֲמֹר֔וֹ וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְרֵעֶֽךָ׃ פ | 17 | You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not covet your neighbor's house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. |
Judaism and the commandments
Before the Babylonian captivity, the Jews periodically forgot God and began to serve idols and gods of their neighbors.After the captivity, they no longer worshiped other gods, but all the instability moved to the level of the heart, they fulfilled the commandments in their own way, and the heart was far from God. They even restored the temple, expanded the temple mount, organized sacrifices, but there was no ark (throne) in the Holy of Holies.
That is, there was a temple to God without a place for God. The temple was needed to unite the people and raise the spirit. That is, pure politics.
Commandment 1 – You shall have no other gods before Me.
I remember during the years of perestroika, being an unbeliever, I watched a story about some Vietnamese temple. There was an iconostasis with pictures of Jesus, Lenin, etc.I found it funny, because you and I grew up in a society where you are a Christian or a Muslim, a Buddhist or an atheist ..., and not all of them together. It is unnatural for us to believe in everything at once, like it won't get any worse. But if we are believers, then we are already fulfilling this commandment. Why does God punish for breaking this commandment up to 3-4 generations? If you don't punish, why change anything?
If we stubbornly continue to do something, and it gets worse for us, then at some point we start doing it differently, and finally we stop doing it altogether.
This is so serious that we will teach our children and even grandchildren. They will suffer.
And only our great-grandchildren will be free from these paths and consequences. But if we fulfill this commandment, our children will learn from us and it will be in us forever. About the Jews, Jesus said: Matthew 15:8 This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me;
Commandment 2 - Do not take the name of YHWH your God in vain
In Mexico, the most common name is Jesus. Can you imagine what that's like?Jesus is teased, Jesus is insulted, accused...
This is what happens when one name is heard everywhere. In other words, the name YAHWH should be pronounced only appropriately. For example, if it appears in the text of the Bible, then it is appropriate. The Jews played it safe and only once a year on Yom Kippur did the high priest pronounce this name.
When YAHWH appeared in the text of the Bible (Tanakh), they pronounced Adonai (Lord).
Commandment 3 – Remember the day of Rest
It is simply a day off and it does not matter what day of the week. We just live in this, so we don’t need to change anything here. The Jews made so many laws just so that this commandment would not be fulfilled, but only to pretend to be fulfilled. More about the SabbathCommandment 4 – Honor your father and your mother
In a normal family, this is how it is. We take it naturally.If you don’t honor your parents, how will you honor your superiors and how will you obey God?
Then there’s trouble. Eph. 6:1-3 ...Honor your father and mother, this is the first commandment with a promise: that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth... The Caucasus is known for its respect for elders and longevity.
Commandment 5 – Do not commit murder
In Russian there is only one word – kill.In Hebrew there are several: to commit murder, to kill someone on the battlefield.
By the way, Cain killed Abel and in Hebrew there is a word meaning to slaughter for sacrifice. Here it means not to commit murder. It is also natural for us not to kill, so we fulfill this commandment as well.
Commandment 6 – Do not commit adultery
This is also obvious for a believer.However, when I was not a believer, I did not seek this kind of adventure, because I did not want the quite possible consequences: children, venereal diseases, relationship problems, shame.
The consequences can be serious and even lifelong.
Commandment 7 – Do not steal
Another wonderful commandment and also obvious to us.It is good that you cannot steal from me either, just as you cannot kill me either.
It is good to be under the protection of the law, it is important not to transgress first.
Commandment 8 – Do not bear false witness against your neighbor
Sometimes this commandment is mistakenly called DO NOT LIE.There are different lies. Heb. 11:31 By faith Rahab the harlot, having received the spies peacefully and having led them out another way, did not perish with the unbelievers. What works of faith did Rahab have? - She lied through her teeth. The Jewish spies were hidden with her, and she said, they are not here, they have gone away, if you hurry - you will catch up. This was a lie for the sake of salvation. But to say about an innocent person that I saw him commit a crime, that is a crime.
