Bible Dictionary
Commandments, the Ten
The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are God’s ten covenant words given to Israel at Sinai and written on tablets of stone. They summarize fundamental duties toward God and neighbor.
Definition
The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are the ten covenant words that summarize the immutable moral law. They were written by God on two tables of stone and were given to Israel at Sinai. The tables were kept in the ark of the covenant.
Biblical Usage
The commandments are called “the covenant,” “the tables of the covenant,” and “the testimony.” They were first given in written form to Israel after the exodus from Egypt. Their division into ten commandments has not been numbered identically by all Jewish and Christian traditions.
Historical Background
Moses broke the first tables when he came down from the mountain and later received replacement tables bearing the same words. The commandments were associated with Israel’s covenant life and were preserved in the ark.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Ex. 34:28; Deut. 10:4, marg. “ten words”) i.e., the Decalogue (q.v.), is a summary of the immutable moral law. These commandments were first given in their written form to the people of Israel when they were encamped at Sinai, about fifty days after they came out of Egypt (Ex. 19:10-25). They were written by the finger of God on two tables of stone. The first tables were broken by Moses when he brought them down from the mount (32:19), being thrown by him on the ground. At the command of God he took up into the mount two other tables, and God wrote on them “the words that were on the first tables” (34:1). These tables were afterwards placed in the ark of the covenant (Deut. 10:5; 1 Kings 8:9). Their subsequent history is unknown. They are as a whole called “the covenant” (Deut. 4:13), and “the tables of the covenant” (9:9, 11; Heb. 9:4), and “the testimony.” They are obviously “ten” in number, but their division is not fixed, hence different methods of numbering them have been adopted. The Jews make the “Preface” one of the commandments, and then combine the first and second. The Roman Catholics and Lutherans combine the first and second and divide the tenth into two. The Jews and Josephus divide them equally. The Lutherans and Roman Catholics refer three commandments to the first table and seven to the second. The Greek and Reformed Churches refer four to the first and six to the second table. The Samaritans add to the second that Gerizim is the mount of worship. (See LAW.)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>See COMMANDMENT; TEN COMMANDMENTS.</p>