Aseret HaDibrot (the 10 Commandments)

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Aseret HaDibrot (the 10 Commandments)

The Ten Commandments is the name given to the set of instructions given to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai by God. The biblical account of this is set out in two places: at Exodus 20: 1-17 and at Deuteronomy 5: 4-21.

In Hebrew, the original language of the Bible, the Ten Commandments are known as Aseret HaDibrot, which literally means ‘Ten Statements’.

The ten principles set out in the Aseret HaDibrot are:

God exists
Do not commit idolatry
Do not take God’s name in vain
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy
Honour your father and your mother (treat them respectfully)
Do not murder
Do not commit adultery
Do not steal
Do not bear false witness
Do not covet (desire the belongings of others)

The 10 principles above are enumerated according to the Jewish tradition; in the Christian tradition they are numbered somewhat differently.

Traditionally, the Aseret HaDibrot are illustrated as being written on (carved into) two tablets (pieces of stone), with 5 commandments on each tablet. The first 5 statements are characterised as regulating the relationship between man and God, and the last 5 of the statements are characterised as regulating the relationship between man and his fellow man (the 5th commandment, to honour one’s parents, is seen as a bridge between the two categories since God is considered to stand in locus parentis to man, and the commandment can thus be understood as requiring respectful behaviour to both God and to one’s parents).