Ten Commandments

From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.

The Ten Commandments, were spoken by God to the ancient Jews at Mt. Sinai, after they had left Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses, can be found in the Bible at Exodus, chapter 20. [1] The following is a simple version of what many people feel to be orders from God. They have had a long influence on the development of Western ethics and law from the Roman Empire to the present day.

[edit] Commandments

  1. I am the Lord your God, who freed you from slavery in Egypt. Do not worship any god other than Me.
  2. You must never make any statues or pictures for worship.
  3. You must never use the Name of God disrespectfully.
  4. Remember to observe the Sabbath as a holy day.
  5. Honor your father and your mother.
  6. You must never commit murder.
  7. You must never commit adultery.
  8. You must never steal.
  9. You must not bear false witness.
  10. You must never be envious of another person's house or possessions, or want to have sex with their spouse

This is translated from Ancient Hebrew to Simple English so the exact words chosen cannot mean to us exactly what they meant to the Israelites. Some phrases like "bear false witness" were carefully chosen by the authors of the King James Bible to be as close as possible to the Hebrew meaning as they understood it. In modern words, to "bear false witness" is to lie about somebody.

Many religious groups have separated the commandments in different ways. The Catholics and Lutherans say the first two commandments are the same, and the Protestants say that both are different commandments. The Jews feel that having God free them from slavery was important enough to have its own commandment.

[edit] Issues

Adultery is when somebody has sex with a married person other than their own spouse. There is some controversy if it included unmarried people having sex with each other, in its original interpretation. This seems likely. Also if a desire or lust to do so is considered to be an aspect of adultery, which seems wrong, since this desire is dealt with separately. Also, there is some question if all lying is really wrong or forbidden, especially to protect another, or just perjury. And, finally, if war or other leader authorized killing is murder, since the Old Testament God also commands the Israelites to commit what we now would call a genocide).

[edit] Muslim understanding

Muslims regard Moses as one of their greatest prophets, but they reject the Biblical versions of the Ten Commandments. Islam teaches that the Biblical text used in Judaism and Christianity has been corrupted over the years. This was because of carelessness or malice. So the text as it is given above differs from its divine original. Muslims believe that the Qur'an is a revelation from God continuing the revelations on which they believe the Torah and Gospels to be based, intended to restore the original Adamic and Abrahamic faith.

Despite the Ten Commandments not being explicitly mentioned in the Qur'an they are implied by the following verses in the Quran (using Jewish numbering):

  1. "There is no other god beside God."(47:19)
  2. "My Lord, make this a peaceful land, and protect me and my children from worshiping idols." (14:35)
  3. "Do not subject God's name to your casual swearing, that you may appear righteous, pious, or to get credibility among the people." (2:224)
  4. "O you who believe, when the Congregational Prayer (Salat Al-Jumu`ah) is announced on Friday, you shall hasten to the commemoration of GOD, and drop all business." (62:9)
    The Sabbath was relinquished with the revelation of the Quran. Muslims are told in the Quran that the Sabbath was only decreed for the Jews. (16:124) God, however, ordered Muslims to make every effort and drop all businesses to attend the congregational (Friday) prayer. The Submitters may tend to their business during the rest of the day.
  5. "....and your parents shall be honored. As long as one or both of them live, you shall never say to them, "Uff" (the slightest gesture of annoyance), nor shall you shout at them; you shall treat them amicably." (17:23)
  6. "....anyone who murders any person who had not committed murder or horrendous crimes, it shall be as if he murdered all the people." (5:32)
  7. "You shall not commit adultery; it is a gross sin, and an evil behavior." (17:32)
  8. "The thief, male or female, you shall mark their hands as a punishment for their crime, and to serve as an example from God. God is Almighty, Most Wise." (5:38 - 39)
  9. "Do not withhold any testimony by concealing what you had witnessed. Anyone who withholds a testimony is sinful at heart." (2:283)
  10. "And do not want what we bestowed upon any other people. Such are temporary ornaments of this life, whereby we put them to the test. What your Lord provides for you is far better, and everlasting." (20:131)