PENTATEUCH

Lecture on the Ten Commandments

Rev. Paul Conway, Associate Professor, 2011

Lesson Summary:

This lesson examines the Ten Commandments in their Ancient Near Eastern Context and
Christo-Judaic use and application. Attention is given to history, language and extra-
biblical literature.

Outline:
I. COVENANT AT SINAI (19 – 24)
A. General comments
B. Ex. 20:1-2 “Preamble and Prologue”
C. Ex. 20:3-17 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Objectives:
1. Examine the Para dynamic nature of law in the Ancient Near East.
2. Observe the Theophany nature of this pericope.
3. Observe the use of law code throughout the Ancient Near East outside of the Bible.
4. Exegete the individual commands from a historic, linguistic and doctrinal perspective.

I. COVENANT AT SINAI (19 – 24)

A. General comments
1. This is a covenant Theophany encounter with God
i. In the ANE a covenant was made between a King and the people
(Suzerainty/Vessel)
i. The people pledged loyalty to their sovereign
ii. The king pledged allegiance to protect and provide for the
people
ii. The two established a reciprocal relationship mutually beneficial
iii. There were ingredients to the covenant that are reflective of the
covenants made in this time throughout the ANE (Egypt,
Mesopotamia etc..)
iv. A handout and detailed analysis of these covenants will be
provided later when we cover the book of Deuteronomy since it is
a perfect example of such a covenant treaty.
2. The Theophany
i. Was the appearance of the king in power
ii. In the case of God he would demonstraight his glory by appearing
usually in a cloud or flame of fire in the OT.
iii. Man would catch a glimpse of God
3. The Law Code had two types of Laws
 i. Apodictic “Command” unconditional command with no
restriction. “You Shall Not.”
ii. Casuistic Conditional set as a guideline. Cites a specific case,
specific problem. “If you… I will…”
4. The Laws were Para dynamic by nature:
i. Ancient laws were paradigmatic, not exhaustive. We try to be
exhaustive with modern law. Not the ancients. They realized you
can’t cover every situation so they gave guiding principles. For
example, if a man attempts to break into your house and murder
your family you have the right to defend yourself even by killing
the invader. However, if the intruder escapes out the window and
dies on the lawn he “technically” was murdered on your lawn
rather than you defending yourself in your home. Also if a
criminal appears in court and no one shows up to testify against
him or her, they are let go. There were no such loop holes or
technicalities in the laws of the ANE.
ii. Justice:
aa. General E. Lee. There once was a soldier sitting outside
General Lee’s tent during the civil war. He was trembling.
A man saw him and said, “Don’t worry son, you’ll find
justice in there.” The young man replied “That’s why i'm
trembling sir.” God is a just God. He never gives up his
love for his justice nor his justice for his love. The law
must be satisfied. It is perfect and absolute.
B. Ex. 20:1-2 “Preamble and Prologue”
Exodus 20:1-2 And God spoke all these words: 2 "I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
1. This verse emphasizes who is giving the commands
a. “God spoke all these words,” not man.
2. It also reminds us of how Israel and YHWH came to be in this relationship
a. Vs. 2 “Who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of Slavery”
3. There are no “commands or laws” in the original language. Rather god
spoke “all these words” ~yrIb ï 'D>h;-lK' cal ha-de-va-reem.”all these
words”
4. Ancient Near Eastern Law Codes:
a. Two things reigned in the Ancient Near East. Covenants and Law
Codes.
i. The Difference between a covenant and a law code
aa. A covenants purpose was to create a new
relationship. (In this case, God, through his
covenant with Abraham was in relationship with
Israel and brought them “out of the land of slavery”
as he promised.
 bb. A law code, Dr. George Mendenhall says,
“regulated and perpetuated an existing relationship
by orderly means”1
cc. Dr. Brevard Childs comments “The law defines the
holiness demanded of the covenant people.2
ii. Covenants:
aa. Like the one made by God to Abraham and his
descendents Gen. 12:1ff.
bb. See “Readings from the Ancient Near East” for
examples
iii. Ancient Near Eastern Law Codes3
aa. Code of Ur Nammu: (2100 – 2000 BC) First Law
code known in history. Written in Sumerian and
only small portions have survived. There is a
prologue and twenty-nine laws, all casuistic.
bb. Code of Eshnunna: (1980 BC) Eshnunna is a city in
Babylon near Modern Baghdad. Oldest code
written in Babylonian.
cc. code of Lipit-Ishtar: (1930 BC) Located In modern
Iraq, a city-state near ancient Ur (Where Abraham
was from). Written in Sumerian. Thirty-eight laws
have survived, all casuistic in nature.
dd. Code of Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC) He was king
of the Old Babylonian Kingdom. Written in
Babylonian and is the most famous or most
recognized extra-biblical law code. It contains 282
Casuistic laws.
ee. The Hittite law code: (1552-1500 BC) They are
difficult to date but the approx. will do. They are
found on two stone tablets (100 laws on each).
ff. the Middle Assyrian Laws: (1115-1107 BC) They
date to the Time of Tiglath-pileser I. 116 laws
preserved on 11 tablets. The laws contain multiple
penalties in the form of bodily mutilation. For
example, cutting of the nose or removing a finger
for a violation. This was not seen in previous law
codes. This is typical of the violent Assyrian
Empire.
iv. General comments on Ancient Law codes.
aa. It was not that law codes were foreign to the
Ancient Near East or even that the battle for the

1
Hamilton, 189.
2
Ibid.
3
Hamilton, 201.
 Bible is who introduced the “Law.” That’s not the
point. The point is that it was “God’s Words”
spoken to “his chosen or covenant people”
bb. All truth is God’s truth. There are extra biblical
creation accounts, flood accounts, patriarch
accounts and even law codes. The point is that
“God’s truth and version is what we have in his
Holy Scriptures.
cc. See “Readings from the Ancient Near East” for
examples.
v. Contrasts and Comparisons between the Biblical law code
and Ancient Near Eastern law codes.
aa. Victor Hamilton notes that although there are
similarities between Ancient Near Eastern Law
codes and the Bible there are differences that set
them apart.4
 The A.N.E. codes are concerned with
economic compensation in a business
context where the Bible requires a more
severe punishment. For example, codes
concerning an ox that gores
O “he shall give one-half mina of silver”
(Hammurabi, 251)
O “The owner of the ox shall pay two-
thirds of a mina of silver” (Eshnunna,
54)
O By Contrast the bible calls for the death
of the Ox (Ex. 21:28 cf. Gen. 9:5-6)
 A.N.E. codes were concerned more about
the master of the slave than the slave’s
rights.
O The ANE codes place the master’s rights
first and add the slaves as an addendum
(Hammurabi, 278-282).
O The Bible focuses on the slaves rights
(Ex. 21:1-11, 20-21, 26-27, 32)
 The Bible does not have many “bodily
mutilation” consequences where ANE
laws had them in epidemic proportions.
O Hammurabi required the cutting off of
half the hair (Ham. 127), removal of the
tongue (192), the eye (193) the ear of a
slave (205) or the hand (218, 226, 253.)

4
Hamilton, 204-205.
 O The Bible only has one law like this “An
eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” (Ex.
21:23-25.)
C. Ex. 20:3-17 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. The paradigmatic nature of biblical law.
a. Our Laws today are exhaustive. There are clauses and
amendments to the detail.
i. Justice seems to be crooked lawyers who find a loop hole
in the detail of the law for the guilty.
ii. E.G. Man who insured his cigars for $17,000. His policy
claimed he was insured for small fires. He placed a claim
to be paid because his items were lost in multiple small
fires. The man won. However, the insurance company
countered sued him for arson and won $24,000.
iii. If a person is killed in your home for entering it unlawfully
they deem it self defense. However, if he is hanging half
way out of your window or on the yard you may be facing
attempted murder charges.
b. Biblical Law is “Paradigmatic”
i. They gave models behaviors, prohibitions and
punishments.
ii. There was not “getting off on a loop hole” in the Ancient
near east.
iii. The ancient people were to extrapolate the principle from
the general law for the specific situation they faced.
aa. No one could say “the law says I can’t steel your
ox. But since it was a goat I don’t have to pay you
back.”
2. Summary of the Ten Commandments:
a. No gods
b. No idols
c. Keep Sabbath
d. No misuse
e. Honor (of parents)
f. No murder
g. No steeling
h. No adultery
i. No lies
j. No coveting
3. Interesting grammatical note:
a. Each time the word “you” is found in the commandments it is
masculine singular, not plural.5 What does that mean to us?
i. If I was to address the class as “you,” I would mean it in
the “plural” sense. You mean everyone in the room.

5
Hamilton, 187.
 ii. The bible could have used that word addressing us and
Israel
iii. Instead it chooses to say it as if god is speaking one on one.
That is what singular means in grammar.
iv. The law is a very individual matter for us.
v. Like Akiens sin causing the defeat at AI when they later
enter the promise land we can see it’s also a very corporate
matter too.
vi. Holiness is individualist but it affects us corporately too.
4. “You shall have No other gods before me”
a. The Golden Calf was the immediate application of this command.
b. Dr. Douglas Stuart summarizes this command in his commentary
well;
God demands that “Only YHWH be worshiped as the sole divinity,
or God. All other “gods” (Supernatural beings such as angels)
are to be understood and appreciated for their roles in the
universe, but only Yahweh is Divine.”6
Dr. Victor Hamilton simplifies it by saying it means: “no other
god’s in addition to me.”7 He goes on to say: “God’s people must
allow nobody and nothing else to exercise an ultimate claim over
or demand an ultimate loyalty from them.”8
c. Historically there have always been alternatives or additions to
worship.
i. ANE Pantheons
ii. Greek and Romans
iii. Native Americans
iv. Even Self Worship in Hollywood and Postmodern
Philosophy.
d. The Hebrew “before me” y;n©)P" '-l[; (al- panay) Lit. means “before
my face, in my presence.” Not a numeric order of before me in
competition. With God there is not competition.
i. Pastor Bob Phillips of Time Square church use to always
say “God cannot be #1. Because if he is #1 then there is a
#2 and #3. He must be “All in All” (1 Cor. 15:28).
ii. Jesus must have preeminence in our lives as supreme.
Even over ourselves. (Luke 14:26)
ESV
Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own
father and mother and wife and children and brothers and
sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

6
Stuart, 449.
7
Hamilton, 191.
8
Hamilton, 191-192.
 5. You shall not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
a. Dr Stuart Summarizes this command again:
“In other words, nothing from anywhere can be copied and used as an
object of veneration.”9
He continues by saying: “The nature of idolatry is usually
misunderstood by modern people. Idolatry was not merely
the practice of worshiping by means of statues and/or
pictures as focal points for worship; it was rather an entire,
elaborate religious system and lifestyle. The attraction of
Idolatry was very powerful….”10
b. Perhaps one of the few places of identification might be pop
culture and Hollywood and music star worship. There is enormous
pressure to venerate stars, look a certain way, or avoid looking a
certain way. It’s so engraved in our culture we have images that
say “Wear Abercrombie and Fitch and you will have sex as a teen”
or “use dentine Ice and chicks will be attracted to your cool
breath.” In the same way there was a faith in their system of
Idolatry that sent false images and messages but because of their
hope for something better and lack of putting faith in God or even
the highly seductive part of their “Hollywood” scene with temple
prostitutes, Idolatry had a strong hold on the culture.
c. St. Augustine said: “Idolatry is worshiping anything that ought to
be used, or using anything that is meant to be worshiped.”11
d. In the Ancient Near East there was a belief that when you came
before an idol you were actually standing before that God. They
believed the God inhabited the “image.”
e. Man is the “image” or “idol” of God. We are the closest thing to
his image. That is why self deification is the greatest temptation in
our day. “You shall be “like” gods. Not that you have to see
yourself as a god but even “like” one.
f. Ancient Near Eastern Text on gods and idols.
i. An Egyptian text speaks of this process of the gods
incarnating stone idols.
“So the gods entered into their bodies of every kind of
wood, of every kind of stone, of every kind of clay, or
anything that might grow upon him, in which they had
taken form. So all the gods, as well as their ka (spirit)
gathered themselves to him.”12

9
Stuart, 450.
10
Ibid.
11
Hamilton, 193.
12
Readings from The Ancient Near East, 65.
 g. The Temple with no image: The gentiles were fascinated with the fact
that the Jews worshiped a god but had no “image” of him.
i. Cassius Dio: 17:2 “They never had any statue of him even
in Jerusalem itself, but believing him to be unnamable and
invisible…”

h. In Church History
i. From around 630 to 730 AD the church experiences an ebb
and flow of favor and disfavor towards the arts known as
the “Iconoclastic Movement.” Which debated should or
shouldn’t images be used in the worship of God.
ii. The early church avoided images and relied more on
symbols like the “fish” since the Greco-Roman Culture was
so heavily iconic “image Driven” However, the prohibition
is images in an Ancient Near Eastern context of worship.
Not as a visual aid to help understanding.
iii. The early church used “Traveling Plays” that focused on
topics like creation, the sacrifice of Isaac etc. To aid an
illiterate society in understanding their faith.
iv. Stain Glass windows were produced and mini gospels as a
visual bible in the churches.
v. Later, as the middle ages gave way to abuse in the church
statues, indulgences etc became more the idolatrous
violation of this commandment.
vi. People would scrape paint off of the saint statues and drink
it with the hope of receiving a blessing. (Misdirection of
worship) while others would pour out their tears and
prayers to statues of saints (misdirected worship).
h. In our worship today:
i. We must harmonize the fact that the OT was full of artistic
image and icons. The tabernacle is on giant work of art for
worship.
ii. We can embrace the God given talents or arts and images
so long as we do not channel our worship through those
images.
6. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the
LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
a. Note this command holds a punishment
b. A few questions:13
i. What exactly is involved in taking God’s name in
vain/misusing his name?
ii. Why is his name so important that protecting it is one of the
ten foundational commandments to Israel?

13
Stuart, 455.
 iii. What kind of punishment might ensue for breaking this
commandment?
c. Ancient Voices on the “Silent Name”
i. Cassius Dio: 17:2 “They never had any statue of him even
in Jerusalem itself, but believing him to be unnamable and
invisible…”

d. A few comments
i. The Literal translation of this verse from Hebrew is “raise
up Yahweh’s name for no good use” which helps us
understand its meaning a bit easier than the normal
translation of “takes the name of the Lord your God in
vain.”14
ii. Some ways of rising up his name for no good use might be
in an oath. Today we say things like “I swear to God” or
“God as my witness.”
iii. Dr. Stuart notes that the command is worded generally
enough to encompass vain oaths to substitute cursing.15
iv. We must remember the word “LORD” in our bible is a
translation of God’s name “Yahweh,” a name that the Jews
revered so much only the high priest would say it openly in
the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement. We take his
name too lightly in our day
v. The value / devalue of Christ’s name speaks to his divinity.
No one stubs their toe and shouts “Buddha” or “Adolph
Hitler.” Instead they take the name that is above every
name and reduce it to the equivalent of a four letter curse
word. This is not appropriate for any one professing Jesus
as their Lord.
7. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
a. Based off of Gen. 2:3 NIV Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the
seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the
work of creating that he had done.
i. The word “Sabbath” tb;v' is the same word in Hebrew for
the “Seventh day” in this verse. It means “to cease, to
desist.” The Sabbath is literally the “stopping day.”16
b. Holy days of rest were not uncommon in the Ancient Near East.
Dr. Walter Kaiser notes:
“In Babylon the people tried to keep the first, seventh, fifteenth
and twenty eighth days as special days devoted to sacrifice of the
gods.”17

14
IBID.
15
Stuart, 454.
16
Stuart, 458.
 c. Flawed Translations:
i. Many translations render this verse “Remember the
Sabbath day, and keep it holy” where the NIV has it right
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”
aa. This is important because we are active in the
Sabbath when we participate in it.
bb. When we keep the Sabbath we show a sign of
partaking in the covenant.
d. Jews and the Sabbath
i. 2 Maccabees account of Jews Dying on the Sabbath and the
Maccabees decision to fight on that day.
aa. (1Ma 2:33-41 RSV)
33
And they said to them, "Enough of this! Come out and do
what the king commands, and you will live."
34
But they said, "We will not come out, nor will we do
what the king commands and so profane the sabbath day."
35
Then the enemy hastened to attack them.
36
But they did not answer them or hurl a stone at them or
block up their hiding places,
37
for they said, "Let us all die in our innocence; heaven
and earth testify for us that you are killing us unjustly."
38
So they attacked them on the sabbath, and they died,
with their wives and children and cattle, to the number of a
thousand persons.
39
When Mattathias and his friends learned of it, they
mourned for them deeply.
40
And each said to his neighbor: "If we all do as our
brethren have done and refuse to fight with the Gentiles for
our lives and for our ordinances, they will quickly destroy
us from the earth."
41
So they made this decision that day: "Let us fight against
every man who comes to attack us on the sabbath day; let
us not all die as our brethren died in their hiding places."
ii. Josephus shows the Jews not willing to work on the Sabbath
even in a time of war.
aa. (Jwr 1:146 JOE) Pompey lays siege to Jerusalem and
notes the Jews only fight defensively on the Sabbath
146
nor had the Romans succeeded in their
endeavours, had not Pompey taken notice of the
seventh days, on which the Jews abstain from all sorts
of work on a religious account, and raised his bank,
but restrained his soldiers from fighting on those
days; for the Jews only acted defensively on Sabbath
days.

17
Gaebelein, 423.
  Josephus reflecting 1 Maccabees 2:33-41 cited
above
bb. (Ant 12:272-277 JOE)
“and wives into the desert, and dwelt in caves. But
when the king's generals heard this, they took all the
forces they then had in the citadel at Jerusalem, and
pursued the Jews into the desert;
273
and when they had overtaken them, they in the
first place endeavoured to persuade them to repent,
and to choose what was most for their advantage, and
not put them to the necessity of using them according
to the law of war;
274
but when they would not comply with their
persuasions, but continued to be of a different mind,
they fought against them on the Sabbath day, and they
burnt them as they were in the caves, without
resistance, and without so much as plugging up the
entrances of the caves. And they refused to defend
themselves on that day, because they were not willing
to break in upon the honour they owed the Sabbath,
even in such distresses; for our Law requires that we
rest upon that day.
275
There were about a thousand, with their wives and
children, who were smothered and died in these caves;
but many of those who escaped joined themselves to
Mattathias, and appointed him to be their ruler,
276
who taught them to fight, even on the Sabbath
day; and told them, that unless they would do so, they
would become their own enemies, by observing the
Law [so rigorously], while their adversaries would still
assault them on this day, and they would not then
defend themselves; and that nothing could then
hinder but they must all perish without fighting.
277
This speech persuaded them. And this rule
continues among us to this day, that if there be a
necessity, we may fight on Sabbath days.”
iii. Cassius Dio (160 CE-230CE) was a Roman who gained high
position in administration, governorship of Pannonia Superior.
Some of his events account for the most important literary
source of Jewish History in the Roman Period.
cc. Reflecting on Pompey’s Events above he refers to the
Sabbath as the “Day of Saturn” 16:3 ”Thus the
defenders were captured on the day of Saturn, without
making any defense, and all the wealth was
plundered.”
 dd. 17:3 “…likewise dedicated to him the day called the
day of Saturn, on which, among many other ost
peculiar observances, they undertake no serious
occupation.

e. Practical Thoughts:
i. There is a ceremonial part of this command “The seventh
day” and a moral aspect through devoting a portion of our
week to God. The day may have changed ceremonially
from a Saturday to Sunday but the moral exercise is still
embraced by the church.
ii. The Sabbath is a ceasing of “labor” and an active participation
in worship of God so we might remember him, his acts etc.
We also demonstraight to the world we are in a covenant
relationship with God by participating in it.
iii. Dr. Stuart notes a balance is struck with this command
between “stopping” and “Keeping Holy.”18 He continues
to point out:
“the change the Sabbath brings about in one’s weekly routine
makes it a refreshing day rather than the absence of
activity therein. Indeed one whose weekly work is
essentially sedentary (a desk job) might be more active
physically on the Sabbath than at any other time and still
completely fulfill its obligations regarding the cessation of
“LABOR.”19
8. Honor your father and your mother
a. Note that we are to Honor our mother and father “IN THE LORD”
i. "Honor (Exo 20:12) Greek: Τίμα “To Honor”
Hebrew: ‫ כַּבֵּ֥ד‬Ca-ved: “To honor, to make heavy”
Same word used for the “Glory of God”
aa. To make the opinion, words and influence of our
parents to have weight in our lives.

bb. Contrast “Obey” your parents. ὑπακούετε

NIV
Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in
everything, for this pleases the Lord. (Col 3:20 NIV)
 Hoop-oh “to come under”
 Akoo-oh “to listen”

ii. This does not mean whether or not they are “in the LORD”
but our actions as they are “in keeping with the will of the
Lord.”

18
Stuart, 457.
19
Stuart, 460.
 iii. We are to honor our Father and Mother or any other figure
who has taken the role of that person.
aa. By respecting their wishes and requests
bb. By speaking well of them
cc. By caring for them in their old age.
dd. Honor the inheritance they give you by not
squandering it.
b. Note this is the first commandment with a promise “That you
might enjoy long life in the land God is giving you.” Things are
seen generationally in the Middle East. E.g. Palestinians are
willing to endure harsh conditions so their children might some
day push out the Israeli presence and become a Palestinian state.
How often do you think about what you can contribute to your
children’s children? How many decisions have you made in the
best interest of your future generations? Are you a generational
Christian?
c. The Bible is ripe with a demand for us to respect our parents
i. Lev. 19:3 "'Each of you must respect his mother and father,
and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your
God.’”
ESV
ii. Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord,
for this is right.
iii. Violation of this command is attributed to the exile.
ESV
Ezekiel 22:7 Father and mother are treated with
contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your
midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you.ESV
Ezekiel 22:15 I will scatter you among the nations and
disperse you through the countries, and I will consume your
uncleanness out of you.
9. You shall not murder.
a. The Ethical reasoning behind this command is that man has been
created in the “image of God.”20
Genesis 1:27" 27 So God created man in his own image, in the
image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 9:6 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall
his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
b. There are seven words for killing in Hebrew. The word here rah
ts-ah xc;r' appears only 47 times in the OT.
i. Dr. Walter Kaiser Jr. says: “If any word could be used
where the factors of premeditation and intentionality are
present, this is the verb.”21

20
Gaebelein, 424.
21
Ibid., 424-425.
 ii. Dr. Doug Stuart says: “The Hebrew term used here is
specific to putting to death improperly, for selfish
reasons.22
aa. David’s Murder of Uriah to take Bathsheba is a
perfect example of the violation of this
commandment.
2 Samuel 11:14-15 14 In the morning David wrote
a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he
wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the
fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he
will be struck down and die."
1 Kings 15:5 5 For David had done what was right
in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep
any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life-
- except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.
c. Many translations state “you shall not kill” seeming to insinuate
any form of taking a life is sin.
Some people embrace this meaning but say they “Pray for
forgiveness”
i. One must recognize instances “conditions” in scripture
where the taking of life was permissible under certain
circumstances. Some examples would be;
aa. Animals Gen. 9:3
bb. Burgerlers in your home Ex. 22:2
cc. Accidental killing known as “manslaughter Deut.
19:5
dd. Capital punishment Gen. 9:6 cf. 1 Ki. 2:29 & Rom.
13:4.
d. The Hebrew word here is a specific word for premeditated cold
blooded killing.
i. It does not include war, capitol punishment etc.
10. You shall not commit adultery
a. Adultery was called “the great sin” in the ancient near east.
b. Marriage was the stability and foundation of society.
c. Sex was the initiation of the covenant.
d. This does not address premarital sex but that can be found
elsewhere in scripture.
e. Today over 50% of the marriages in or outside the church end in
divorce.
f. We need to revisit this through the book of Corinthians and other
passages
i. Mt. 19:1-3
ii. I Cor. 7:1-16, 27-40.
iii. Deut. 22 & 24

22
Stuart, 462.
 11. You shall not steal
a. This is straight forward
12. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor
a. In the Hebrew this says do not “Speak up against your neighbor by
way of false testimony
b. It has a court room scene in mind however; it does not limit
honesty to the court. It’s Paradigmatic. Truth and Honesty is
attested all over scripture.
i. Proverbs 12:22 “The Lord detests lying lips”
ii. Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth and do not sell it.
iii. I Jn. 2:3-8
13. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. Wife, servants, ox, donkey
or anything that belongs to your neighbor
a. This is a confusing one to some people.
b. It almost seems as if God says “You shall not desire” or “if you
want something, it is sin to want it.”
c. This is not what the commandment is saying.
d. The condemnation is on coveting things that “ALREADY
BELONG TO SOMEONE ELSE.” These are the prohibited items
of coveting since pursuing for possession would be sinful.
D. Ex. 20:22-23:33 Miscellaneous Law Units.
1. Misc. laws concerning slaves, animals, religious and social matters etc.
a. See Victor Hamilton’s Handbook on the Pentateuch pages 198-199
for a summary of these laws.
b. General comments concerning them.
i. Very practical
aa. They were traveling with animals so laws of goring
bulls etc. were practical.
bb. With community comes problems, steeling, disputes
etc. These laws practical to settle disputes
ii. Very Timely
aa. They just left Egypt with no social or judicial
structure. God knew they would need it. Societies
need social and judicial structure.
bb. Laws on slavery were very timely. All they knew
was the Egyptian model. God structures servitude
models, not slavery modes like the one they came
out of.
E. Numbers 16:15-31:14 Moses and Anger