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"And the Lord told Moses to be his spokesman to the people of Israel. 'You are witnesses to the fact that I have made known my will to you from heaven.'"
- Exodus 20: 22, The Living Bible, see link below.
This is one of the most famous, most quoted, and most misquoted sections of the Bible. We'll just go through it, then have a bit of discussion at the end of the chapter.
1
"way dabar" (and spoke) 'Elohim, - "kal" (all) "darar" (words (different form of same root)) "elleh" (these things) "amar" (said / saying),
2
"anoki" (I am) "YHWH 'Elohim" (the LORD 'your' GOD), who "yatsa" (brought) 'you' out of "erets" (land) of "Mitsrayim" (Egypt), out of "bayith" (house) "ebed" (slave / bondage).
3
"lo" (no / not) "hayah" (exist / cause / have) you "'elohim" (gods) "acher" (other) "al" (upon / over) "panim" (face / countenance).
4
"lo" (no / not) "asah" (make / accomplish / do) yourself "pesel" (graven image / idol) or "kal" (all / every / any) "temunah" (form / representation) "asher" (which / that) "shamayim" (heaven / sky) "maal" (above), or "asher" (that) is "erets" (earth) "tachath" (under), or "asher" (that) is in "mayim" (water) "tachath" (under) the "erets" (earth).
5
"lo" (no / not) "shachah" (bow down / prostrate / worship) them "lo" (no) "abad" (serve / perform) them - "anoki" (I am) "YHWH 'Elohim" (the LORD 'your' GOD), "'el" (God / god) "qanna" (jealous), "paqad" (visit / attend) the "avon" (iniquity / guilt) of "ab" (father) on "ben" (descendant / child) to "shillesh" (third) and "ribbea" ('great great grandchild' / generation) those that "sane" (hate / detest / hostile) 'me'/.
6
"asah" (make / accomplish) "checed" (lovingkindness / goodness / loyalty / etc) to "eleph" (thousand / thousands), who "aheb" (To love) me and "shamar" (keep / observe) my "mitsvah" (commandment).
7
"lo" (no / not) you "nasa" (lift / bear (as in 'use')) "shem" (name) of YHWH 'Elohim in "shav" (emptiness / worthlessness / falsehood / etc) - "ki" (because / for) "lo" (not) "naqah" (clean / free / innocent) YHWH "asher" (who / which) "nasa" (lift / bear (as in 'use')) His Name as "shav" (empty / worthless).
8 - 11
"zakar" (remember / recall to mind) the "yom" (day) "shabbath" (Sabbath) keep it "qadash" (set apart / make holy). "shesh" (six) "yom" (days) "abad" (serve / labor) "asah" (make / do / accomplish / etc) "kol" (all / every) "melakah" (work / occupation / craft / etc), "way" (and / but) "yom" (day) "shebii" (seventh) is "shabbath" (Sabbath) of YHWH 'Elohim, "lo" (no / not) "asah" (make / do / etc) you, nor your.... (people and animals) -
"ki" (for / because) in "shesh" (six) "yom" (days) "asah" (made / accomplished) YHWH - "shamayim" (heaven / sky) and "erets" (earth) and "yam" (sea) and "kol" (every / all) that is in them, and "nuach" (rest / repose) day the seventh - "ken" (thus / therefore / surely) "barak" (bless / blessed) YHWH the "yom" (day) "shabbath" (Sabbath) and "qadash" (consecrate / set apart / etc) it.
12
"kabad / kabed" (honor / glorify (includes idea of 'weighty')) your "ab" (father) and your "em" (mother) "maan" (for the sake of / in order that / so that) "arak" (lengthen / prolonged) your "yom" (days) in "adamah" (land / ground) "asher" (which / that) YHWH 'Elohim is "nathan" (give / giving) you.
13
"lo" (no / not) "ratsach" (murder (first use in OT)).
14
"lo" (no / not) "naaph" (commit adultery (first use in OT)).
15
"lo" (no / not) "ganab" (steal / carry away).
16
"lo" (no / not) "anah" (answer / respond / testify (even 'sing')) "rea" (neighbor / friend / another) "ed" (witness / evidence) "sheqer" (lie / falsehood / deception).
17
"lo" (no / not) "chamad" (desire / to take pleasure in / covet) "bayith" (house / temple / dwelling (includes 'household')) of your "rea" (neighbor / friend / another) - not "chamad" (desire...) "ishshah" (woman / wife) ... "ebed" (slave / bondservant) ... "amah" (maidservant) ... "shor" (ox / bull) ... "chamor" (donkey) nor "kol" (all / everything / entire) "asher" (which / that) is "rea" (neighbor's....).
NOTE: This set of the Ten Commandments was given by God to Moses orally. They were not written in stone. That doesn't happen until Exodus 31. And because Moses has a bad temper.... they came to a bad end. So in 34, they were re-written.
18 - 19
and all the people "raah" (saw / had seen) the "qol" (noise / sound / thunder) and "lappid" (lightning / flame), and sound of "shophar" (trumpet / ram's horn) and the "har" (mountain) "ashen" (smoking / smoldering) - and when saw the people, they "nua" (shake / 'move to and fro') and "amad" (stood) "rachoq" (distant / remote / far away).
And they said to Moses, "dabar" (speak / converse) you with us, and we'll "shama" (hear / listen). But not "dabar" with us 'Elohim, "pen" (or / otherwise) we "muth" (die)
20
And said Moses to the people "al" (not) "yare" (fear / afraid), because "nasah" (test / prove) has come 'Elohim that "hayah" (exist / happen / become) "yirah" (fear / awe / reverence) "al" (concerning / upon) you, "bilti" (no more / without / nothing) "chata" (sin / go wrong).
21
So stood "am" (people) "rachoq" (distant / remote / far away), but Moses "nagasg" (draw near / approach) "el" (into / unto) the "araphel" (thick darkness / gloom (this is a different word from the 'darkness' of before creation or the plague of Egypt in chapter 10)) "asher" (where / when / which) "sam" (there) was 'Elohim.
22 - 23 Summary:
And said YHWH to Moses, say this to the sons of Israel, you "raah" (have seen" that from "shamayim" (heaven / sky) that I "dabar" (speak / converse / etc) with you. "lo" (no / not) "asah" (do / make / accomplish) "eth" (before / among) 'Me' "'eloheim" (gods) of "keseph" (silver (includes 'money')), or "'elohim" (gods) of "zahab" (gold) "lo" (no / not) "asah" (do / make) yourselves.
24
"mizbeach" (altar) of "adamah" (ground / earth) you will make for Me, and you "zabach" (sacrifice / slaughter) on it "olah" (burnt offering) and your "shelem" (peace offering) and your sheep and oxen - in "kol" (every / all) "maqom" (location / place) where I "zakar" (remember / call to mind / mark) My Name, I will come and "barak" (bless) you.
25 - 26 Summary:
if you build a stone altar, do not use carved / hewn stone, for your tools will "chalal" (profane / defile / desecrate (includes concepts of prostitution and 'staining' (but not 'unclean')) it. Nor shall you go up "ma'alah" (stairs / steps) to My altar, that not "galah" (revealed / uncovered) your "arvah" (nakedness / bare) on it.
Chapter Discussion:
Many times through the years we have heard believers and non-believers alike remark that while the Commandments may be good ideas, especially the ones about not killing and stealing and so on, why would Almighty God be so specific about how He is to be worshiped? More of which is coming in later chapters of Exodus and the other Books of Moses. For example: From the verses above, does HE really need the altar to be of uncarved stone? As seen later with Joshua's altar in 8 : 30 and 31 of his book, and later, probably, the one Elijah builds / rebuilds on the mountain in 1 Kings 18 to challenge the priests of Baal. Although it is never explained how a stone can be 'defiled', but, that's what God said, so we'll go with it.
The answer was in verse twenty. YHWH was testing the people to see if they were willing to do what He said, and to continue to do it through the next handful of generations.
And if history allows us to objectively judge the past behavior of humanity when measured by the Word of God, down to the current edition of His Church, the answer is 'no', that on the whole, we have failed miserably in keeping to what was asked of us. And in some cases, the failures were, and are, intentional.
End Chapter 20
Selected Resources:
All links will open in a new tab/window, all were working as of original date of posting:
Interlinear English / Hebrew: Chapter 20 https://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/20.htm
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Exodus-Chapter-20/
The Living Bible https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2020&version=TLB
NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.
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