[First posted in 2012, part of the Exodus series. Translation: The Five Books of Moses by Everett Fox “EF”; where text is unclear, it will be supplemented by AST/Artscroll Tanakh and Robert Alter’s The Five Books of Moses. The commentary are from S6K and AST and EF.–Admin1]
Exodus/Shemoth Chapter 20
God spoke all these statements, saying:
S6K: Self-identification of the GOD Who Communicates, and Who starts revealing Himself and His Ways; these verses answer the specific questions:
WHO’s speaking?
What is His NAME?
Why should you listen to Him?
What did He do for you specifically, children of Israel (and gentiles mixed among you) who were former slaves in Egypt?
AST: This is the positive commandment to believe in the existence of HaShem as the only God.
2. I am YHWH
your God,
who brought you out
from the land of Egypt, from a house of serfs.
Image from www.levitt.com
S6K: What does He then require of you, since He liberated you from former bondage to your cruel Egyptian masters? Complete allegiance, exclusive to Him:
3. You are not to have any other gods before my presence
S6K: Is it not rather strange for YHWH who knows there are no gods that exist “equal to Him’ that he should feel threatened by? This reminder continues all throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. Why is this so? If you know you are the father of all your children, would you keep reminding your children and your wife who you are? Well, if your wife is unfaithful, adulterous, has relationships with other men, there is reason to feel insecure. YHWH is ALONE, there are no other gods that exist, HE KNOWS THAT. . . but unfortunately men do not . . . and so He competes with the gods of men’s making, the gods that dominate men’s minds, hearts, lives. How does one experience the existence of the One True God?
Through His revelation,
His created world,
and his acts in history as recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures.
But alas, other man-made scriptures have duplicated the original with additions and distortions or complete fabrications, and our One True God YHWH has to compete with those “testimonies” as well!
4. You are not to make yourself a carved-image or any figure that is in the heavens above, that is on the earth beneath, that is in the waters beneath the earth;
Graven images in heaven above might be the heavenly bodies, particularly the sun which appears to dominate ancient religious cultures; google “sun worship” and you will get a glut of information more than you’d care to know, including December 25, “sol invictus”. . . ever wonder why we celebrate it to this day?
It is commonly claimed that the date of December 25th for Christmas was selected in order to correspond with the Roman festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, or “Birthday of Sol Invictus”[7] but Pope Benedict XVI has argued that the December 25 date was determined simply by calculating nine months after March 25, regarded as the day of Jesus’ conception (the Feast of the Annunciation).[8] This claim was mainly based on a passage of the Commentary on the prophet Daniel by Hippolytus of Rome, which was written around year 204.[9] However, even Pope Benedict has stated that “Christmas acquired its definitive form in the fourth century when it replaced the Roman Feast of the Sol invictus.” [10] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus]
The First man to declare himself a god, was Nimrod. His mother, Semiramis, declared herself to be “The Mother of god”. Together with their son, Tammuz, they replaced the worship of Jehovah God, with a Triune – “trinity” mystery god. Since Tammuz married his own mother – he was both – “God – the Father” and “God – the son”. [http://christmasxmas.xanga.com/633489653/item/]
Most people who do have statues of their gods know the difference between the god they worship and the statue which supposedly simply aids them in their worship. This has been the explanation given by Catholics whose cathedrals are full of images. Isn’t it better to simply OBEY the commandment? But how can catholics obey when this commandment is missing in their version of the Bible? [Source: http://www.beginningcatholic.com/catholic-ten-commandments.html]
Here are the Catholic Ten Commandments:
- I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
AST: Second Commandment: Prohibition of Idolatry, This commandment comprises four negative injunctions:
(1) It is forbidden to believe in idols;
(2) It is forbidden to make or possess them;
(3) It is forbidden to worship them through any of the four forms of Divine service (prostration, slaughter, offering upon an altar, libations of wine or other liquids upon an altar) and
(4) it is forbidden to worship an idol by a means that is unique to it.
5. you are not to bow to them,
for I, YHWH your God, am a zealous God,
EF: The Hebrew word (kanna) has a cognate meaning in Arabic, “red (with dye),” so an interesting English analogy expressing facial color changes, would be “livid” (from the Latin “color of lead”).
S6K: Other translations use the word “JEALOUS”. If the latter, here’s a puzzle: “a jealous ‘Elohiym.” If there is None like Him, what is there to be jealous about? Apply the same to a married couple; unfaithfulness of one spouse causes doubt and jealousy on the part of the faithful spouse; even if the unfaithful one has changed, there is always that doubt. But YHWH knows everything, even the secrets in men’s hearts, and perhaps that omniscience knows that half-hearted faith could so easily be diverted. EF’s word “zealous” is the better word, our God YHWH is truly zealous about His being One, the only God, and ignorant humans should know Him, specially if He has taken the trouble to be KNOWN to all who care to know Him.
calling-to-account the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons, to the third and the fourth (generation) of those that hate me,
6 but showing loyalty to the thousandth of those that love me, of those that keep my commandments
AST: Children are punished only if they adopt and carry on the sinful legacy of their parents, or if it was in their power to protest, but they acquiesced to the lifestyle that was shown them (Sanhedrin 27b).
S6K: We read this verse a bit differently, like a hyperbole, a figure of speech demonstrating the comparison between God’s anger at sin (visiting it upon the later generations, to the 6th degree—meaning, a long time) with His loving kindness to “thousands” (a much longer time compared) that love Him and keep His commandments. His grace and mercy extends farther than His anger at sin.
7. You are not to take up the name of YHWH your God for emptiness, for YHWH will not clear him that takes up his name for emptiness.
AST: Prohibition of vain oaths.
“You shall not take the Name of HASHEM, your God, in vain, for HASHEM will not absolve anyone who takes His Name in vain.”
Just as it is forbidden to show contempt for God by using an idol, so it is forbidden to disgrace His Name by using it for no valid purpose.
S6K: This commandment is where our Sinai 6000 group is not 100% together in agreement, as we have explained in previous articles. Some of us feel that unless we use the Name and keep declaring it verbally and in writing, no one will ever know about it. The others’ reluctance is more on the context of saying the Name without a title such as “Adonai Elohiym YHWH” (Lord God YHWH), not just saying YHWH by itself. Jewish friends tell us they use it in the context of prayer only and still, with much reluctance. Ultimately, each person has to decide for himself, how to apply this commandment. EF explains “emptiness” as “use for a false purpose” . . . sample . . . when “religionists” use His Name to elicit a response from hearers, usually to give donation or charity because he is supposed to be a YHWH-worshipper. We met someone like that whom we helped to the hilt, and yet was disappointing because while he mouthed Torah and YHWH and even claimed to be a prophet of God, his behavior and bad-mouth negated all his life-work of working on the TNK. If anything, he was a ‘turn-off’ rather than a ‘turn-on’.
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to hallow it.
9 For six days, you are to serve, and are to make all your work,
10 but the seventh day is Sabbath for YHWH your God: you are not to make any kind of work, (not) your, nor your son, nor your daughter, (not) your servant, nor your maid, nor your beast, nor your sojourner that is within your gates.
11 For in six days YHWH made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in it, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore YHWH gave the Sabbath day his blessing, and he hallowed it.
AST:This day is a constant reminder that God is the Creator, who created for six days and rested on the seventh. Sabbath observance testifies to this concept.
This is from http://www.the-ten-commandments.org/romancatholic-tencommandments.html.
The following from the Catholic Encyclopaedia Vol. 4, p. 153 also confirms the deletion of the second Commandment and the change of the fourth.
“The church, after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath of the seventh day of the week to the first made the third commandment refer to Sunday as the day to be kept holy as the Lord’s Day.”
This truth can also be found from the following URL which you will need to copy and paste into the address bar as links promote search engine ranking and I cannot promote what is not Biblical truth. The Catholic version is the column on the right hand side titled “A Traditional Catechetical Formula.” The URL is http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/command.htm
In 1562 the Archbishop declared that tradition now stood above scripture.
“The authority of the Church is illustrated most clearly by the scriptures, for on one hand she recommends them, declares them to be divine, and offers them to us to be read, and on the other hand, the legal precepts in the scriptures taught by the Lord have ceased by virtue of the same authority. The Sabbath, the most glorious day in the law, has been changed into the Lord’s day. These and other similar matters have not ceased by virtue of Christ’s teaching (for He says that He has come to fulfill the law, not to destroy it), but they have been changed by the authority of the Church.” — Gaspare de Posso Archbishop of Reggio, Council of Trent.
Most denominations you ask about the fourth Commandment will say the day is Sunday, otherwise you will receive as many as 1001 different excuses in avoidance of this one Commandment. Besides the five hundred plus denominations that have already rediscovered the truth about this Commandment, it seems the only other Church that acknowledges the truth is the one who changed the day without God’s approval. Since they believe their authority stands above God’s, they observe the wrong day also. If you ask the Catholic Church you will get a statement like the following,
“Most Christians assume that Sunday is the biblically approved day of worship. The Catholic Church protests that it transferred Christian worship from the biblical Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday, and that to try to argue that the change was made in the Bible is both dishonest and a denial of Catholic authority. If Protestantism wants to base its teachings only on the Bible, it should worship on Saturday.” — Rome’s Challenge www.immaculateheart.com/maryonline Dec 2003. Watch this short video to find out what happened to those who did not obey the commandment of the Catholic Church in the dark ages. You can also read more Sabbath Statements from the Roman Catholic Church from this website.
12 Honor your father and your mother, in order that your days may be prolonged on the soil that YHWH your God is giving you.
Jewish commentators explain that the 5th commandment immediately follows the first 4 that relate man toward God because parents, fathers are commanded to teach their children in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4:-9). It is ideal that parents pass on their faith to their children, otherwise who else will teach the child while his mind is still compliant, trusting of his parents. We are in our religions because our parents had us baptized, took us to church, perhaps taught us the Bible. Some retain the same faith as their parents; others take off to a different direction; would that be honoring one’s parents? When children reach the age of responsibility, they are old enough to check out the faith they have inherited and make decisions for themselves.
13. You are not to murder.
[AST] Mechilla notes that the first commandment of the second tablet corresponds to the first of the other one, faith in God. Someone with true belief in God as the Creator and Sustainer of human life will not commit murder.
EF: You are not too . . . : Closer to the Hebrew rhythmically would be a sequence like “No murder!/No adultery!” etc. or “Murder not!/”Adulter not!” etc.
murder: Some interpreters view this as “killing” in general, while others restrict it, as I have done here.
adulter: The English has been tailored to fit the Hebrew rhythm of the last five “commandments,” all of which began with lo (“no”) and a two-syllable command.
steal: ancient Jewish tradition understood this as a reference to kidnapping .
Image from mymorningmeditations.com
flashing torches: perhaps a poetic description of lightning
You are not to adulter.
You are not to steal.
You are not to testify against your fellow as a false witness.
14 You are not to desire the house of your neighbor,
you are not to desire the wife of your neighbor,
or his servant, or his maid, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
15. Now all of the people were seeing the thunder-sounds, the flashing-torches, the shofar sound, and the mountain smoking; when the people saw, they faltered and stood far off.
16. They said to Moshe: You speak with us and we will hearken, but let not God speak with us, lest we die!
S6K: What a privilege it is to be spoken to by the Creator God and yet these people “trembled” and “stood far off” and then begged Moses to be the one to speak to them and not this God they have just met “in person” so to speak, through audio-visuals of smoke, thunder, lightning, and . . . just how does a voice resemble a trumpet, perhaps in eardrum-splitting volume? Again, it is easy to judge in hindsight, knowing what we know today but if we were there ourselves, we might have reacted in exactly the same way. Any experience of the supernatural, the unfamiliar, the unknown, is enough to strike fear in one’s heart.
17 Moshe said to the people:
Do not be afraid!
For it is to test you that God has come,
to have awe of him be upon you,
so that you do not sin.
18 The people stood far off, and Moshe approached the fog where God was.
19 YHWH said to Moshe: Say thus to the Children of Israel:
You yourselves have seen that it was from the heavens that i spoke with you.
20.You are not to make beside me
gods of silver, gods of gold you are not to make for yourselves!
21 A slaughter-site of soil, you are to make for me,
you are to slaughter upon it
your offerings-up, your sacrifices of shalom,
your sheep and your oxen!
At ever place where I cause my name to be recalled
I will come to you and bless you.
Image from imgur.com
22 But if the slaughter-site of stones you make for me,
you are not to build it smooth-hewn,
for if you hold-high your iron-tool over it, you will have profaned it.
S6K: Is it not odd that God prefers altar material as He has created it, un-improved by human hands . . . what is the message? That nature as He designed it cannot be improved upon by humans? Or that the best of human effort is not good enough? Or that between humanity and creation, the latter has performed according to His purposes while humanity with free will has misused it, against His revealed will? Look at the magnificent cathedrals, priestly garments, adorned altars of religious sects, while well intentioned and inspired by love for God, would these not be acceptable to YHWH? What is His simple requirement? Read vs. 22 again.
23 And you are not to ascend my slaughter-site by ascending-steps, that your nakedness not be laid-bare upon it.
EF: that your nakedness: To make sure that the priests’ genitals not be uncovered during the rites; the Egyptians wore rather short skirts (Palut). Note again the desexualizing of religion.
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