What is the REAL Decalogue?
Verses 5:6-18 is technically and traditionally called aseret haDibrot, or the "10 sayings/statements" and usually, albeit erroneously, "the 10 commandments". I say "erroneously" because there are more than 10 commandments in the text, although, to be fair, there are disagreements as to how many there are, especially if you want to reconcile them with the version in Exodus 20:2-14, as we will see below.
It should be noted that chapter 5 of Deuteronomy does not call these rules aseret haDibrot, and that term won't appear until Deut. 10:4 with no list of what those commandments are. This is also true with Exodus 20:2-14 - the list is not called aseret haDibrot, and when that term does appear (Ex. 34:28), the expected list of commandments (e.g., "don't steal", etc.) is not there, and the ones that are there are rejected as being the real list:
So based on tradition, the aseret haDibrot in Exodus 34:13-26 is not the real one, but only the ones found on Exodus 20:2-14 and Deut. 6-18.
So let's focus just on those. But before I show the differences between the two versions, I want to cover just a bit of history on the aseret haDibrot has changed as part of the lifestyle of its fans.
The "10 Commandments"
So where does the first commandment begin?
Apparently, there is disagreement on that as well.
When writing the aseret haDibrot in a Torah scroll, the tradition is to put a bit of blank space just before it to indicate a new segment of the text that stands alone. The place where it is done today is just before "I am Yahweh, your God...", but according to Ibn Ezra, it should be as the Masorites decided, which was what is commonly seen as between the second and third commandments. At some point, the Masoretic tradition changed, and the spacing changed to have "I am Yahweh, your God..." to be the first commandment, even though it is not technically a commandment, some include it in their count.
There was a period in history where reciting the aseret haDibrot every morning was a requirement for every Jew. And even today, most prayer-books will include it in the section for preliminary prayers. But for some reason, and there is no universally accepted reason for it, that tradition was stopped even though the text still remain in the prayer-books. One reason given is that Christians used that to show that the "10 commandments" and not the entire Torah was the most important thing. Another is that it made the morning supplications too long. Nobody is completely certain, but it isn't recited like it used to.
Finally, there reading of the Torah portion where the accepted "10 commandments" are listed is considered to be a great honor. Some reserve that honor for the Rabbi. Others have their own ways of deciding who will get to stand before the Torah as the Decalogue is being recited. And there are different communities who have different traditions concerning standing when the Decalogue is being read. Many do, and some don't.
The Differences
I will present non-commandment portions in italics and note the differences in red.
1. I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
No differences. All second-person references are in the singular, and the Targum changes that to the plural as well as changing "slavery" to "servitude". There is a debate as to whether or not this is a commandment: "Acknowledge that Yahweh is God".
2. There will not be for you other Gods in My presence. (literally, "face").
No differences. Given the Deuteronomist's monotheistic views, it is likely that he was repeating this as it was traditionally known, but held that "other Gods" did not mean that other Gods actually existed. The author(s) of Exodus obviously did hold that such Gods existed. Many people render "in My face" as "besides me" based on a more monotheistic view and justify the rendering based on how על used in this verse is rendered as "beside" in Numbers 28:15, Genesis 28:9, and Genesis 31:50. It does make it less anthropomorphic.
3. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured-image of any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters below the earth.
No differences. Saadiah removed "for yourself" in his translation in order to eliminate the idea that you could make a sculpted image (pesel) for someone else. One key bit of text that is often ignored is that the Genesis 1 text has the earth floating on the lower waters, with the upper waters held back by the FIRMament. This verse echoes that view.
4. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I am Yahweh, your God, am a jealous God, Who causes the sin(s) of the fathers to fall upon the children unto the third generation and unto the fourth that hate me, but doing kindness to the thousandth generation to those who keep my mitzvot (commandments).
No difference. The first line that is not in italics is the actual commandment. Which is actually two commandments: do not bow down to idols (1) and do not serve idols (2). Prior to this you have (3) do not make idols and (4) have no other God. There are those who claim that the first verse represents (5) Acknowledge that Yahweh is God is a commandment. Some do not. Few see "keep my mitzvot" as a commandment, but you might include it as well.
5. You shall not (swear) take the name of Yahweh, your God, in vain, for Yahweh will not hold guiltless anyone who takes His name in vain.
No difference. However, notice that the speaker switched to the third person, saying "His name" rather than "My name". It is generally taught that this refers to making oaths, such as "I swear to Yahweh that it will rain three weeks from today", or on Monday someone says "I swear to Yahweh that today is Monday". Saying, "This dinner is so good, even Yahweh would love it" would not fall under this category. Nor would, "Jesus Christ, that's stupid!"
6. Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it as Yahweh your God has commanded you.
The Exodus version has Keep instead of Remember. This difference as caused a lot of apologetics, such as "God said both at the same time" to which the rationalists have responded, "How can you hear two different things at the same time?" Jews have two loaves of bread, light two candles, and, depending on the traditions of that family, will do other forms of "two" to justify having two different terms of keeping the Sabbath. One could also argue that "sanctify it" and "keep/remember it as God commanded" are two commandments, and not one. As for why Christians keep Sunday instead of Saturday as the Sabbath and still claim to keep it in the manner that Yahweh commanded...I cannot explain that.
7. [For] six days you will labor and do all of your work (malachot).
No difference. Some hold that this sentence joins the previous one and the next one, while others hold that this is a commandment in and of itself, which is that you have to work for six days and complete it, which could be one or two commandments. This also means that one cannot spend all six days simply learning and not doing a single bit of malacha (work), but must also do something each day and complete all of the necessary preparations prior to the Sabbath.
8. But the SEVENTH day is for Yahweh, your God. You shall not do any work (malacha); [Neither] you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant nor your ox nor your ass nor any of your cattle, nor the [non-Jewish] stranger who is within your [city] gates so that your male servant and your female servant may rest like you do.
No difference. The Hebrew term ger means "stranger" or "outsider". It is typically an abbreviation for a ger-toshav, an outsider who dwells among the Jews, and who isn't Jewish. Later, when conversion became a thing, which is post-Biblical, the Septuagint used a form of proselyte and that term has found its way into many translations, but one should not read that it is talking about converts.
The variant that is missing the "and/nor" prefix could be a simple scribal error or preference. The addition of "ox and ass" in the Deuteronomy version, which is missing in the Exodus version might indicate a more prosperous period of time. Of course, these commands are being addressed to prosperous men who have servants and property.
In either case, it does increase the number of commandments in this version.
It is at this point that the text diverges as to why one needs to follow the previous commandment. According to Exodus, the ger is irrelevant, but you need to keep the Sabbath as a symbol of Yahweh creating and working for 6 days before ceasing from all work.
The Deuteronomist sees that as irrelevant and instead focuses on why the ger should also be permitted to rest which is to ensure that your servants rest as well, which is not in the Exodus text.
Here are the different views:
9. Exodus: For in six days, Yahweh made the heavens, earth,sea, and all that is in them. Therefore, Yahweh, your God, blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
9. Deut.: And you must remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and Yahweh your God took you from there with a strong hand and and an outstretched arm Therefore Yahweh, your God, has commanded you to make the Sabbath day.
And then the two texts come back together. So the Deuteronomist has added another commandment, but the Exodus text has not.
10. Honor you father and your mother as Yahweh, your God, commanded you, so that your days will be lengthened and so that it will be good for you in the land that Yahweh, your God, is giving you.
No differences. It is interesting to note that one who does this should have a long life, and there have been legends created to explain why this doesn't really happen ("the land" means "the World to Come"). Of course, the context of this verse, just before the Jews are to go into the land, dismisses such nonsense.
11. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not be a lying witness against your fellow.
In these 4 commandments the only difference is that the Exodus version tells one not to be a witness for a vain reason, which likely means to get something out of it. This could infer lying, but it is not explicitly stated.
Adultery refers to a married woman. A married man could have multiple wives, concubines, and conjugal slaves.
Stealing is understood to mean "kidnapping", rabbinically.
12. You shall not covet your fellow's house nor field. You shall not covet the wife of your fellow, nor his male servant nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your fellow's.
While the Exodus writer put the wife first, the Deuteronomist put the house first and added the field as well. This could be each one's personal priorities, which makes for a fun interpretation. And as we can see, this is speaking to the male elites of the time who were property owners, telling them not to covet the stuff of other male elites.
Summary
The "10 commandments" is more than 10 commandments, has two (or three) versions, and depending upon the period that it was written, there was a different focus concerning the strangers who dwelled among the Jews and how the wealthy property owners of their day should treat their peers.
Of course, one can read a lot into these words, and many people do.
And hopefully you will have learned something new from this.
Thanks for reading!
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