Out of Context: Misunderstanding the Bible Week 5: The Ten Commandments (Mis)Understood

(1) And God spoke all these words, saying: (2) I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (3) Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. (4) Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; (5) thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; (6) and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments. (7) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. (8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (9) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; (10) but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; (11) for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (12) Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. (13) Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (14) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

(6) I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (7) Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. (8) Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, even any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (9) Thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate Me, (10) and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments. (11) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. (12) Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee. (13) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; (14) but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou. (15) And thou shalt remember that thou was a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. (16) Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God commanded thee; that thy days may be long, and that it may go well with thee, upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. (17) Thou shalt not murder. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. (18) Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s wife; neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his man-servant, or his maid-servant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s. (19) These words the LORD spoke unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice, and it went on no more. And He wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them unto me.

(28) And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten words.

(6) And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the ha-rotse-akh to flee thither; and beside them ye shall give forty and two cities.

(11) then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person through error may flee thither.

(16) But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. (17) And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. (18) Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. (19) The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death.

(20) And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him any thing, lying in wait, so that he died; (21) or in enmity smote him with his hand, that he died; he that smote him shall surely be put to death: he is a murderer; the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meeteth him. (22) But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him any thing without lying in wait, (23) or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm; (24) then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances; (25) and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he was fled; and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.

(23) Three times in the year shall all thy males appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. (24) For I will cast out nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders; neither shall any man yakh-mod thy land, when thou goest up to appear before the LORD thy God three times in the year.

(25) The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire; thou shalt not takh-mod the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.

(21) When I saw among the spoil a goodly Shinar mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I va-ekh-m'dem them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.’

(25) Do not takh-mod after her beauty in your levav; Neither let her captivate thee with her eyelids.

(12) The wicked kha-mad the prey of evil men; But the root of the righteous yitan.

(17) Why look ye askance, ye mountains of peaks, At the mountain which God kha-mad for His abode? Yea, the LORD will dwell therein for ever.