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INTRODUCTION TO "THE TEN WORDS"

  1. Terms

    1. Literally "the Ten Words" (BDB 796, CONSTRUCT BDB 182, cf. Exod. 34:28; Deut. 4:13; 10:4).

    2. It was called "The Decalogue" (Deka Logous) by Clement of Alexandria and this was followed by the early church fathers.

    3. In the Bible it is also called:
      1. "Covenant" ‒ Exod. 34:28; Deut. 4:13; 9:9; see Special Topic: Covenant
        1. from barah ‒ to eat
        2. from birtu ‒ to bind
        3. from berit ‒ between
      2. "Testimony" (BDB 730) ‒ Exod. 25:16; see Special Topic: Terms for God's Revelation

  2. Purpose

    1. They reveal the character of God.
      1. unique and authoritative
      2. ethical, both towards society and the individual and for all citizens

    2. They reveal God's plan for His covenant people.
      1. Honeycutt ‒ for chosen people only (p. 9)
      2. Huey ‒ principles that operate in all human societies (p. 84)

        "Because they deal with the most basic moral principles that govern human relationships, they are universal in scope and applicable to all peoples of all ages and of whatever cultural background. No individual or society is better off by ignoring them."

      3. The Bible Commentary, ed. F. C. Cook, "as the Divine testimony against the sinful tendencies in man in all ages" (p. 52).
      4. C. S. Lewis ‒ There is an inner moral sense even among primitive tribes (Rom. 1:19-20; 2:14-15) reflected here.

    3. As all ancient law codes, they were: (see Special Topic: Laws in the ANE)
      1. to regulate and control interpersonal relationships
      2. to maintain stability of the society

    4. They bound the heterogeneous group of slaves and Egyptian outcasts (cf. Exod. 12:28; Num. 11:4) into a community of faith and law.

      B. S. Childs, OT Library, "Exodus" ‒ "The eight negative aspects show the outer limits of the covenant boundary. There are no misdemeanors but to break the very fiber of which the divine-human relation consists. The two positive aspects show definition to the life within the covenant. The Decalogue looks both outward and inward; it guards against the way of death and points to the way of life" (p. 398).

  3. Parallels

    1. Biblical
      1. The Ten Words are recorded twice, in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. The slight difference in the 4th, 5th, and 10th commandments shows the adaptability of these general principles to different situations.
      2. However, their uniformity points toward the preciseness with which they were transmitted.
      3. They probably were read and reaffirmed periodically, as Joshua 24 shows.

    2. Cultural
      1. Other law codes from the Ancient Near East (see Special Topic: Laws in the ANE).
        1. Ur-Naamu (Sumerain, 2050 b.c.) from the city of Ur
        2. Lipit-Ishtar (Sumerian, 1900 b.c.) from the city of Isin
        3. Eshnunna (Akkadian, 1875 b.c.) from the city of Eshunna
        4. Code of Hammurabi (Babylonian, 1690 b.c.) from Babylon but stela were found in Susa
      2. Many of the laws in Exod. 20:18-23:37 have much in common with other ANE law codes. However, the Ten Words are in a unique form which implies their authority (2nd person commands ‒ apodictic).
      3. The most obvious cultural connection is with the Hittite Suzerainty Treaties of 1450-1200 b.c. See Special Topic: Hittite (Suzerainty) Treaties. Some good examples of this similarity can be seen in:
        1. The Ten Words
        2. the book of Deuteronomy
        3. Joshua 24
          The elements of these treaties are:
          (1) identification of the King
          (2) narration of his great acts
          (3) covenant obligations
          (4) instruction for depositing the treaty in the sanctuary for public reading
          (5) deities of parties invoked as witnesses
          (6) blessing for fidelity and cursing for violations
      4. Some good sources on this subject
        1. George Mendenhall, Law and Covenant in Israel and the Ancient Near East
        2. Dewey Beegle, Moses, The Servant of Yahweh
        3. W. Bezalin, Origin and History
        4. D. J. McCarthy, Treaty and Covenant

  4. Internal Structure

    1. Alt, in his book, The Origins of Israelite Law, was the first to make the distinction between apodictic and casuistic.
      1. casuistic being that common form of ANE Law that contained a condition ‒ "if" — "then"
      2. apodictic being that rare form that expresses a direct command, "Thou shall. . ." or "thou shall not. . ."
      3. Roland deVaux, in Ancient Israel: Social Institutions, vol. 1, p. 146, says that the casuistic is primarily used in the secular area and the apodictic in the sacred.

    2. The Ten Words are primarily negative in their expression—8 of 10. The form is SECOND PERSON SINGULAR (i.e., "you"). They are either meant to address the entire covenant community or each individual member or both!

    3. The two tablets of stone (Exod. 24:12; 31:18) are often interpreted as relating to the vertical and horizontal aspects of the Ten Words. Man's relationship to YHWH is spelled out in four commands and human's relationship to other humans in the other six commandments. However, in light of Hittite Suzerainty Treaties, they are two copies of the entire list of commands.

    4. The historical numbering of the Ten Words.
      1. It is obvious that we have ten regulations. However, the exact distinction is not given.
      2. Modern Jews list Exod. 20:2 as the first commandment. In order to keep the number at ten, they make Exod. 20:3-6 the second commandment.
      3. The Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches, following Augustine, make Exod. 20:3-6 the first commandment and in order to keep the number at ten, divide Exod. 20:17 into two separate commands.
      4. Reform churches, following Origen and the early eastern and western churches, assert that Exod. 20:3 is the first commandment. This was the ancient Jewish view represented by Philo and Joseph.

  5. How are Christians to relate to the Ten Words?

    1. Jesus' high views of Scripture are recorded in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and especially Matt. 5:17-48, which shows us the seriousness of the question. His sermon almost seems to be based on the Ten Words and their proper application (i.e., Jesus is Lord of Scripture).

    2. Theories of relationship
      1. for believers
        1. Roy Honeycutt, These Ten Words
          (1) "We never outgrow the Ten Commandments because we never outgrow God" (p. 7).
          (2) "Because the Commandments are witnesses to God, however, there is a sense in which their relevance and the relevance of God are so intertwined as to be almost inseparable. Consequently, if God is so relevant for your life, the Commandments will also be deeply relevant for they are written of God's character and demands" (p. 8).
        2. Personally, we must see these directives as issuing from a faith relation already established. To divorce them from faith and commitment to God is to destroy them. Therefore, for me, they are universal only in the sense that God wants all men to know Him. It must be stated that they are also related to the inner witness of God to His entire human creation. This is expressed by Paul in Rom. 1:19-20; 2:14-15. In this sense the Commandments reflect a guiding light that has an indwelling relevance to all mankind.
      2. for all men in all societies, for all times
        1. Elton Trueblood, Foundations for Reconstruction

          "The thesis of this small book is that the recovery of the moral law, as represented by the Hebrew Decalogue, is one of the ways in which an antidote to potential decline can be found" (p. 6).

        2. George Rawlinson, Pulpit Commentary, Exodus

          "They constitute for all time a condensed summary of human duty which bears divinity upon its face, which is suited for every form of human society, and which, so long as the world endures, cannot become antiquated. The retention of the Decalogue as the best summary of the moral law by Christian communities is justified on these grounds, and itself furnishes emphatic testimony to the excellency of the compendium" (p. 130).

      3. It must be stressed that as a means of salvation, they are not, nor ever have been, God's means for the spiritual redemption of fallen man (see Special Topic: Paul's View of the Mosaic Law). This is clearly explicated by Paul in Gal. 2:15-4:31 and Rom. 3:21-6:23. They do serve as moral guidelines for humans in society. They point to God and then to our fellow humans. To miss the first element is to miss both! Moral rules, without a changed heart, are a picture of human's hopeless fallenness (see Special Topic: The Fall). The Ten Words are valid, but only as a preparation to meet God in the midst of our inability; if not, they are guidelines without a guide divorced from redemption!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Exodus 20:1-3

(A note to the reader. I have written previously on the Ten Words and have used that material here.
The form is a little different. There are even thirteen videos/audios of this chapter online at www.freebiblecommentary.org.
in the first blue box, "OT Studies," audio and video)

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

  1. Context

    1. Larger literary unit (Exod. 19:1-23:33)
      1. The exodus is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Gen. 15:13-16.
      2. The deliverance promised by God was given through Moses and Aaron.
      3. Exodus 19 forms a spiritual preparation for the giving of the Torah.
      4. The Ten Words are followed by and in further amplification in "the Book of the Covenant" (Exod. 20:18-23:33), which is a detailed presentation of covenant life in: (see Special Topic: Laws in the ANE)
        1. cultic worship
        2. civil laws
        3. moral and religious laws

    2. Immediate context The Ten Words seem to be naturally divisible between mankind's obligations first to God and then to his fellow covenant partners. Exodus 20:1-3 opens the explication of the vertical relationship. They set the foundation on which all else rests - the oneness and uniqueness of YHWH (see Special Topic: Monotheism).

    3. Historical form
      1. This revelation has cultural affinity to the Hittite Suzerainty Treaties of the second millennium b.c. (see Special Topic: The Hittite Suzerainty Treaties).
      2. The SECOND PERSON SINGULAR commands ("you") are unique to the Decalogue.
      3. For a good discussion of the Decalogue in light of ANE culture, see John H. Walton, ANE Thought and the OT (pp. 155-161).

  2. Word Study of Significant Terms

    FIRST
    1. Elohim = "God" (BDB 43, KB ), which is used 2,570 times in the OT (see Special Topic: Names for Deity, C.)

    2. Possible etymology
      1. Other related Hebrew terms
        1. El (BDB 42, KB 48) = possibly an Akkadian root meaning "Mighty One" (see Special Topic: Names for Deity, A.)
          It can be translated God or god
        2. Elah (Aramaic form)
          (mostly in Ezra 4-7 and Daniel 2-6)
        3. Eloah (SINGULAR)
          (mostly in Job)
      2. Elohim (used 2,570 times throughout the OT, see Special Topic: Names for Deity, C.)
        1. PLURAL (possible translations)
          (1) rulers, judges as representatives of YHWH
          (2) divine ones, including God and angels and other gods
        2. INTENSIVE PLURAL (possible translations)
          (1) god or goddess
          (2) godlike one

    3. The rabbis assert that El or Elohim refers to God as creator, judge, and sustainer of the material order (cf. Genesis 1) - the All Powerful One!

    SECOND
    1. YHWH - "Lord" used 5,500 times in the OT (see Special Topic: Names for Deity, D.)
      (abbreviated form in Exod. 15:6; 17:16; Isa. 12:2; 20:4; 38:11; and 35 times in the Psalms)

    2. Possible etymology - the significant passage in Exod. 3:12-15, where it is related to the Hebrew VERB "to be."
      This is the popular etymology because the technical etymology is uncertain.

    3. Translation variations (see notes online in Exod. 3:13-16)
      1. "I shall be with you" (Exod. 3:12)
      2. "I shall be the one who will be" (Exod. 3:14)
      3. "He who will be it" (Exod. 3:15)
      4. "I am he who I am"
      5. "I am who I am"
      6. "He who is"
      7. "I am that I am"
      8. "I am who I am"
      9. "I will be what I will be"
      10. "Lord" (in small capitals - normal English translation)
      11. LXX, "I am the Being"

    4. Often used in combination with Elohim - Lord God (first used in Gen. 2:4)

    5. The rabbis assert that YHWH is God in His mercy, love, and covenant fidelity. This is His unique name of covenant promise to Israel (cf. Exodus 3).

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 20:1
  1Then God spoke all these words, saying,

20:1 "God spoke all these words" In Hebrew "spoke" is placed first in the MT, along with Elohim, in order to emphasize the revelatory aspect of the commands (see Special Topic: Inspiration).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 20:2
  2"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

20:2 "I am the Lord" This is numbered as the first commandment within Judaism. It is significant that these commandments are given to a believing, responding, faith community (cf. Exod. 6:2), not just mankind in general. They are based on a covenant faith relationship (see Special Topic: Covenant)!

▣ "who brought you out of the land of Egypt" YHWH is the God of historical acts of grace (cf. Exod. 13:3). He acts as He said He would (i.e., Gen. 12:1-3; 15:1-21), redemptively for Israel. God's grace precedes the Law; see Special Topic: Characteristics of Israel's God (OT). This recitation of God's acts on Israel's behalf is typical of Hittite treaties of the same period. They establish the historicity of this Sinaitic event (see Special Topic: Hittite Suzerainty Treaties). It is crucial to understand God as a caring, loving, personal, and involved Deity (cf. Ps. 81:9-11). It sets the stage for all theology.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 20:3
  3"You shall have no other gods before Me."

20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me" Notice the direct SECOND PERSON SINGULAR NEGATED IMPERFECT used in a strong IMPERATIVAL sense. God is addressing Israel collectively and individually in absolute and simple terms (apodictic law; see Special Topic: Laws in the ANE).

The term "gods" is the same PLURAL term that is used for God (Elohim of Gen. 1:1). It can be SINGULAR or PLURAL in translation. When it is used of YHWH, it always has a SINGULAR VERB.

This is obviously an incipient expression of full philosophical monotheism (Isa. 45:5; 46:1-2). The movement from many gods to one God can also be seen in Egypt—Pharaoh Amenophis IV or Akhenaten (cf. Deut. 4:35,39; see Special Topic: Monotheism).

NASB, NKJV, NRSV, LXX  "before Me"
NRSV footnote, JPSOA, REB  "beside Me"
TEV  "but me"
NJB  "to rival me"
Peshitta  "except me"

This phrase has been found to be used in the ancient world in connection with taking a second wife. This shows the familial, intimate, relationship that YHWH demands from His people. It could, therefore, be related to the often used phrase, "a jealous God" (cf. Exod. 20:5; 34:14).

Some see this phrase, which literally means "before my face," as referring to worship. This verse then means "worship and serve only Me!" Some possible parallels of God's exclusiveness would be Exod. 22:20; 23:13; 34:14; Deut. 13:2ff.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS

  1. This list of laws is related to its own day, as the Hittite Suzerainty Treaties show (i.e., Deuteronomy and Joshua 24), but also it is unique both in its apodictic forms (SECOND PERSON, SINGULAR commands) and its anti-polytheistic assertions.
  2. This forms the heart of the Mosaic legislation. It was to be adapted, expanded, and applied throughout Israel's history as the slight variation in the Deuteronomic parallel shows (cf. Deuteronomy 5).

DEUTERONOMIC PARALLEL

The introduction in Deut. 5:1-5 is significant because

  1. The VERB "hear" in Deut. 5:1 is shema, which means "to hear and to do" (cf. Exod. 6:4). Covenant obedience on the part of all Israel in all aspects was expected.
  2. Deut. 5:3 is significant because it shows the dynamic ongoing nature of the covenant. Each generation had to respond to it themselves. It was more a living relationship than a dead letter of law.
  3. Deut. 5:5 emphasizes the intermediatorial work of Moses in receiving the Law, but also the true author of the legislation is seen as YHWH.
  4. Deut. 6:6-9 is also significant in that it shows the responsibility of parents to pass on their faith as well as the requirements of the Law.

MODERN APPLICATION

  1. The theological points related to the Hebrew text are:
    1. These commands have the authority of YHWH (cf. Exod. 31:18). They are revelatory as to His nature and purposes for redeemed man and human society.
    2. Verse 2 shows that God called and acted in grace toward Abraham and his seed as He said He would, Genesis 12; 15; 17; and 22.

  2. Application points
    1. The Ten Words assume man's religious hunger and needs.
    2. God reveals Himself in personal, moral categories, not philosophical ones.
    3. Man will worship and serve something. Practically speaking, many modern men have gods which they do not recognize. Martin Luther said, "Whatever your heart clings to and relies upon, that is properly your gods." Many today serve and worship:
      1. individualism
      2. nationalism
      3. denominationalism
      4. materialism
      5. pleasure
      6. secularism/society
      7. science and technology
      8. intellectualism

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. How is Exodus 20 related to Deuteronomy 5?
  2. How is the Decalogue related to ANE culture? How is it different from ANE culture?
  3. Explain the different emphases in the titles for God - Elohim and YHWH.
  4. Explain the difference between henotheism and monotheism.

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