
According to Jewish teaching, how did the ancient Hebrews receive the Ten Commandments? God gave them to the Hebrews through a prophet named Moses. Christian teachings helped influence the Declaration of Independence by promoting the idea that people are equal.
What were the Ten Commandments in early Hebrew history?
This is from the Greek words deka, which means ten, and logoi, which means words. From a religious perspective, the Ten Commandments are ten rules on how we should live and behave. In the Bible, the book of Exodus (chapter 20) gives an account of how God gives the Ten Commandments to Moses.
Did God gave the Ten Commandments only to the Hebrews?
The first ten of the 613 commandments given by God to the Jewish people form the foundation of Jewish ethics, as well as civil and religious law. The Ten Commandments, also known as Aseret HaDibrot (“Ten Sayings” in Hebrew) or Decalogue, are the first ten of the 613 commandments given by God to the Jewish people.
What did the Hebrews believe about the Ten Commandments?
We are given the Ten Commandments as the law of the Jews by the Torah in the Jewish Bible. According to Jewish belief, God granted Adam and Eve the Ten Commandments by placing two tablets of stone at Mount Sinai on three occasions. They are written in Hebrew, the original tongue of the Jews.
What religion uses the Ten Commandments?
Religious Issues in the Ten Commandments
- The Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments (found in the book of Exodus in the Torah and known as the "Decalogue") are a central part of Judaism and Christianity.
- Islam and Authenticity. ...
- The 10 Commandments in the Quran. ...
- Comparisons of Islamic and Judaic Rules of Behavior. ...
- Sources. ...

How did the Israelites get the 10 Commandments?
According to the Book of Exodus in the Torah, the Ten Commandments were revealed to Moses at Mount Sinai and inscribed by the finger of God on two tablets of stone kept in the Ark of the Covenant.
When did the Jews receive the 10 Commandments?
Some scholars propose a date between the 16th and 13th centuries bce because Exodus and Deuteronomy connect the Ten Commandments with Moses and the Sinai Covenant between Yahweh and Israel.
Where did the 10 commandments really come from?
Definition. The Ten Commandments introduce the legislation received by Moses on Mt. Sinai after the Israelites escaped from Egypt (as related in the biblical book of Exodus).
Why did God give the commandments to the Hebrews?
God declared that the Israelites were his own people and that they must listen to God and obey His laws. These laws were the Ten Commandments which were given to Moses on two stone tablets, and they set out the basic principles that would govern the Israelites lives.
Do Muslims believe in the Ten Commandments?
Muslims do accept the Ten Commandments as laws given to mankind from God, due to the fact that they are confirmed in the Qur'an. For example, the commandment, “Thou shall not take any god except one God” is a belief found in Islam, as it is stated in the Qur'an, “There is no other god besides GOD,” [47:19].
What is the difference between the Torah and the Ten Commandments?
The most well-known of these laws are the Ten Commandments , but the Torah contains a total of 613 commandments or mitzvah covering many aspects of daily life, including family, personal hygiene and diet.
In what religion did the 10 commandments come from?
Jews believe that God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on two tablets of stone at Mount Sinai. They are written in Hebrew, which is the original Jewish language. This event is recorded in Jewish scriptures, as well in the Christian Bible.
Who wrote the Ten Commandments the first time?
"Both times they were written by the finger of the Lord on tablets of stone," Elder McConkie explained. "The first time they were revealed as part of the fulness of the gospel, but when Moses, returning with the sacred tablets, found Israel reveling in idolatrous worship, he broke the tablets.
Do the 10 commandments still apply?
The Ten Commandments, as written by the finger of God on two tablets of stone and given to Moses at the top of Mount Sinai, are no longer in effect. Christians are not obligated to live by them.
What is the Hebrew name for the Ten Commandments?
The Ten Commandments, also known as Aseret HaDibrot (“Ten Sayings” in Hebrew) or Decalogue, are the first ten of the 613 commandments given by God to the Jewish people. They form the foundation of Jewish ethics, as well as civil and religious law.
Who is the source of the commandments?
According to the Bible, God revealed the Ten Commandments to the Hebrew leader Moses at Mount Sinai. These commandments, which have been preserved in the Old Testament in Exodus 20: 1–17 and Deuteronomy 5: 6–21, established a code of ethical conduct that became the basis for the civil and religious laws of Judaism.
What was the primary purpose of the Ten Commandments?
What was the purpose of the Ten Commandments? The purpose of the Mosaic Law or the Ten Commandments were to set the Jewish people apart from the rest of the world and serve as a guideline for living the moral law .
What are the 7 laws of Judaism?
The descendants of Noah were commanded with seven precepts: to establish laws, (and the prohibitions of) blasphemy, idolatry, adultery, bloodshed, theft, and eating the blood of a living animal.
Where did Moses received the Ten Commandments?
Mount SinaiMount Sinai is renowned as the principal site of divine revelation in Jewish history, where God is purported to have appeared to Moses and given him the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5).
How many sentences are in the Ten Commandments?
There are 13 sentences in the accepted Jewish version of the Ten Commandments (17 in the Christian), but it is difficult to ascertain with certainty from the text itself what comprises the first commandment, the second, and so forth.
What is the ninth commandment?
Ninth Commandment: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house…”
What are the purely ethical commandments?
The purely ethical commandments are arranged in a hierarchal form: life, the family, right of possession, reliability of public statements. The last commandment, the ban in desires arising from jealousy, deals with what is most ethically sensitive, and protects against the infringing of the other ethical commandments.
Who divided the commandments according to the commandments of thought, speech, and action?
The philosopher Abraham ben Chiyya, after placing the first commandment apart as comprising all the others, divided the other nine according to the commandments of thought, speech, and action, and according to relations between human and God, human and his family, and human and human, reaching the following classification:
How to keep the Sabbath holy?
Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord Your God, in it you shall not do any manner of work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.
What are the 10 commandments?
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS are a special set of spiritual axioms (laws) that the LORD Himself wrote on two stone tablets (luchot) that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai ( Exod. 31:18 ). In the Scriptures these axioms are called aseret ha'devarim ( עשׂרת הדברים) the "ten words" or "ten declarations" (see Exod. 34:28, Deut. 4:13 and Deut. 10:4 ).
Where are the Ten Commandments written?
At Mount Sinai the Ten Commandments were written on tablets of stone by the "finger of God" ( Exodus 31:18 ), but at Mount Zion, the Torah is written on tables of the heart by the Spirit of God ( 2 Cor 3:3; Hebrews 8:10 ).
What did Moses learn after returning from the mountain?
After returning from the mountain with the elders, the LORD commanded Moses to go back up to receive luchot ha'even (the tablets of stone) inscribed with the Ten Commandments and to learn the other laws of the Torah ( Exod. 24:12 ), including the instructions for creating the mishkan (tabernacle). Moses re-ascended the mountain, which was still ...
What is the 10th of Tishri?
The 10th of Tishri marks the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). According to the Talmud, the script God wrote the Ten Commandments was in ketav Ivri (the older script ), instead of ketav Ashurit (the divine script that was later restored by Ezra to Israel).
Why are the Ten Commandments recited before the Shema?
In the early Temple period, the Ten Commandments were recited immediately before the Shema as part of the seder (order) of worship, and this seems to be right, since the Shema encapsulates all of commandments to be the duty to love. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.
How long was Moses there when he received the second tablet?
On the 1st of Elul he went up to receive the Second Tablets, and was there for forty days (3rd 40 days). On the 10th of Tishrei God restored His goodwill with the Jewish people gladly and wholeheartedly, saying to Moses "I have forgiven, as you ask", and gave him the Second Tablets.
What is the difference between the first and second tablet of Judaism?
Traditional Judaism teaches that the first tablet, containing the first five "words" or commandments, identifies our duties regarding our relationship with the LORD, while the second tablet, containing the last five commandments, identifies our duties regarding our relationship with other people.
What were the Ten Commandments?
The Ten Commandments. When God spoke to Moses on Mt Sinai in c1446BC , he gave Moses a set of ten guidelines by which the Israelites could live their lives in a way pleasing to God. These guidelines formed part of the solemn covenant agreement (or ‘testament’) between the Israelites and God (also known as ‘The Law’ or ‘The Law of Moses’).
Where did Moses receive the Ten Commandments?
Ex 20:1-26 On the third day, Moses receives the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai (near to where God appeared to Moses in the burning bush some six years earlier – see Exodus 3:1). (See the feature on Mt Sinai earlier in this section.) The Ten Commandments.
What are the three festivals that Moses celebrated?
These were the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Festival of Weeks (Pentecost) and the Feast of Ingathering (Tabernacles).
Why do Jews eat unleavened bread?
The Jews ate unleavened bread (bread made without yeast) to remember that the Israelites did not have time to let their bread rise before leaving Egy pt. The first day of the festival was called Passover or Pesach because the Israelites smeared blood on their doorposts so the Angel of Death would pass over and not harm their first-born. In commemoration of the Passover, each family killed and roasted a sacrificial lamb whose blood saved them from death.
What did Moses do after leaving Egypt?
Moses appoints judges to hear the Israelites’ minor grievances. Ex 19:1-25 Exactly three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites reach the Sinai Desert. They spend two days preparing to meet God at the ‘mountain of God’ (known as Mt Horeb, Mt Sinai or Gebal Mousa – The ‘Mountain of Moses’). Ex 20:1-26 On the third day, Moses receives ...
Where does God appear to Moses and Aaron?
Ex 24:1-18 God appears to Moses and Aaron and to seventy elders on Mt Sinai. Moses experiences the glory - the shining presence or ‘Shekinah’ - of the LORD in a cloud covering the top of Mt Sinai (see 1 Kings 8:10-11). Go to next page.
Who was the King of Egypt in the Law of Moses?
Comparisons have been made between the Law of Moses and earlier law codes such as that of the Babylonian King Hammurabi (dating from c.1600BC), which was probably well-known by Moses as a young prince in Egypt.
What does the Ten Commandments mean in Hebrew?
The Hebrew meaning of Ten Commandments is literally "ten words .". The Greek translation gives us our word decalogue, referring to the moral law. In general, the first four commandments are directed toward God and our obligations to him. The next six focus on our duties toward other people in the community.
What are the Ten Commandments?
The Ten Commandments are the first part of God's law system. In essence, they are a summary of the hundreds of laws found in the Old Testament Law. Designed to guide Israel into a life of practical holiness, the Ten Commandments offer basic rules of behavior for spiritual and moral living. The Hebrew meaning of Ten Commandments is literally "ten ...
Why are the Ten Commandments important to God?
The Ten Commandments were spoken to Moses in God's own voice and then later written on two tablets of stone by the very finger of God. They are extremely important to God.
What did God give Moses and the people on Mount Sinai?
Only through obedience to God ’s laws could Israel fulfill its role as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. God gave these laws to Moses and the people on Mount Sinai. They were written by God's own finger on tablets of stone. Still today, for people who love God, the Ten Commandments serve as a guide for living in a way ...
What was Moses' anger when he saw the people given over to idolatry?
They were acting in direct disobedience to God's new commands. When Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets of stone, his anger burned as he saw the people given over to idolatry.
How long did Moses stay on the mountain?
Eventually, God called Moses to the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. This time he gave Moses instructions for building the tabernacle and conducting the offerings .
Why did the people beg Aaron for something to worship?
We will either worship God, ourselves, money, fame, pleasure, success, or things. An idol can be anything (or anyone) you worship by giving it more import than God.
What did God say about the Ten Commandments?
First, God gave the Ten Commandments for the personal well-being of His people. In Exodus 20:2, God said, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”. God had already redeemed His people and brought them out of slavery.
What did God give the people to bind them together?
They were headed to their common land, the land of Canaan. But what they needed to bind them together was a constitution, a law. That’s what we find, beginning the Exodus 20. And finally, God gave the law to remind the people of their own sinfulness.
What does the Bible say about keeping the law?
Nowhere in the Bible is the idea that we can earn God’s approval by keeping the law. The Israelites had already been redeemed at this point. The law was given for their personal well-being. Many Christians believe the Old Testament teaches that the law saves us and the New Testament teaches we are saved by grace.
Why did God give the law?
Every person is saved by grace, which is appropriated through faith. God gave the law, not to save His people but to teach them how to live. Second, the law was given to serve as a foundation for the nation of Israel. There are three essentials for any nation.
Is there a law in the New Testament?
That is not true. In the New Testament there is law as well as grace. When you become a Christian it doesn’t mean you have no law; it means you serve under the new law that God gives. In the Old Testament, keeping the law did not save people. That was impossible.
Did God bring out slavery?
God had already redeemed His people and brought them out of slavery. And now that they were out there on their own, He was giving them the rules that would govern their lives. Remember this: never is there any hint that keeping the law would result in their redemption.

The Commandments
- First Commandment
I am the Lord Your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. - Second Commandment
You shall have no other gods beside Me. You shall not make for yourself any graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them, for I, the Lord You…
Non-Jewish Ordering of The Commandments
- The above are the Jewish division of the Ten Commandments. However, such writers as [the ancient philosopher] Philo, as well as the Jewish Publication Society’s translation of the Bible, the Greek Church Fathers, and most Protestant churches (except the Lutherans), consider the first of the Ten Commandments to be, “I am the Lord Your God, who brought you out of the land of Egyp…
The Structure of The Ten Commandments
- A dual structure can be seen in the Ten Commandments. Commandments one through four deal with human relationships to God. Commandments six through 10 deal with humanity’s relation to humanity. The fifth commandment, that of honoring one’s parents, forms a sort of bridge between the two. While the Bible itself provides no indication of how the “words” of the commandments …