The Ten Commandments?

Exodus 20:1-17, as well as the text of Deuteronomy 5, are supposed to be the Ten Commandments. But look closer. It never numbers the commandments and never says there are only ten.

The Thirteen Commandments

There are more than ten imperative verbs, which indicate a commandment is being given. Let’s count the imperative verbs and see how many actual commandments there really are.

1. “You shall have no other gods before me.”
2.  “You shall not make for yourself an idol.”
3. “You shall not bow down to them or serve them.”
4. “You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.”
5. “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.”<
6. “You shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.”
7. “Honor your father and your mother.”
8. “You shall not murder.”
9. “You shall not commit adultery.”
10. “You shall not steal.”
11. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
12. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.”
13. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female slave, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

What about the Ten Commandments?

The only time that it is explicitly said that there are ten commandments is in Exodus 34:28. But if you read it, they are not the same commandments.

For example, one of the Ten Commandments here is “You shall keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread” (Exodus 34:18). Another is “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven” (Exodus 34:25). And yet another says, “The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God (Exodus 34:26).

So in the only place that it specifically mentioned that there are Ten Commandments, the list of commandments is different. And as you read it, you understand why this is called the Ritual Decalogue. It is written from the priestly perspective. Give us money, keep the Sabbath, don’t make idols, and make sure the sacrifice is done correctly.

But in Exodus 20, there really are at least 13 commandments, not ten. And different denominations try to combine them to get ten commandments in different ways.

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Jay N. Forrest

Dr. Jay N Forrest is a Spiritual Teacher of the Anglican Middle Way, writing on Prayer, Meditation, and Mysticism. Jay became a Christian in 1983, attended Bible school, and eventually earned his Doctorate in Ministry. Jay served as a Protestant minister for 27 years, took catechism classes with the Orthodox Church of America, and spent about a decade practicing Buddhism. In 2005, Jay was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church, but has since joined the Episcopal Church.

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