Four Versions of the Ten Commandments: The Fifth Commandment

This is the fifth in a series of blogs that presents four versions of the Ten Commandments (based on Exodus 20). Each blog presents a commandment from the sources listed in chronological order below:

(1) Rabbinic Judaism (200 CE)

(2) Catholicism (325 CE)

(3) Protestantism (16^th century CE)

(4) Biblical Heritage Center (analysis completed in 2014 CE)

The Fifth Commandment

Rabbinic Judaism

Honor your mother and father.

Catholicism

You shall not kill.

Protestantism

Honor your mother and father.

Biblical Heritage Center

You shall not kill.

Don’t keep this information to yourself – share it with others. The next time someone says something about the Ten Commandments, be sure to ask which version.

CLICK HERE to read our blog on the FIRST COMMANDMENT.

CLICK HERE to read our blog on the SECOND COMMANDMENT.

CLICK HERE to read our blog on the THIRD COMMANDMENT.

CKICK HERE to read our blog on the FOURTH COMMANDMENT.

Shalom & Be Empowered!

Please let us know you like this blog by going to our Facebook page by clicking here and – “Like” it & “Sharing” it with others. 

Our work is completely funded by the gifts of individuals. If you find our work useful and valuable, take time to contribute by clicking here.  Your consideration is greatly appreciated.

Four Versions of the Ten Commandments: The Fourth Commandment

This is the fourth in a series of blogs that presents four versions of the Ten Commandments (based on Exodus 20). Each blog presents a commandment from the sources listed in chronological order below:

(1) Rabbinic Judaism (200 CE)

(2) Catholicism (325 CE)

(3) Protestantism (16^th century CE)

(4) Biblical Heritage Center (analysis completed in 2014 CE)

The Fourth Commandment

Rabbinic Judaism

You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the Seventh Day is the Shabbat of the Lord your God. In it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the Seventh Day, wherefore the Lord blessed the Shabbat Day, and hallowed it.

Catholicism

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 

Protestantism

You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the Seventh Day is the Shabbat of the Lord your God. In it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the Seventh Day, wherefore the Lord blessed the Shabbat Day, and hallowed it.

Biblical Heritage Center

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain. You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the Seventh Day is the Shabbat of the Lord your God. In it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made Heaven and Earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the Seventh Day, wherefore the Lord blessed the Shabbat Day, and hallowed it. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you.

Don’t keep this information to yourself – share it with others. The next time someone says something about the Ten Commandments, be sure to ask which version.

CLICK HERE to read our blog on the FIRST COMMANDMENT.

CLICK HERE to read our blog on the SECOND COMMANDMENT.

CLICK HERE to read our blog on the THIRD COMMANDMENT.

Shalom & Be Empowered!

Please let us know you like this blog by going to our Facebook page by clicking here and – “Like” it & “Sharing” it with others. 

Our work is completely funded by the gifts of individuals. If you find our work useful and valuable, take time to contribute by clicking here.  Your consideration is greatly appreciated.

Four Versions of the Ten Commandments: The Third Commandment

This is the third in a series of blogs that presents four versions of the Ten Commandments (based on Exodus 20). Each blog presents a commandment from the sources listed in chronological order below:

(1) Rabbinic Judaism (200 CE)

(2) Catholicism (325 CE)

(3) Protestantism (16^th century CE)

(4) Biblical Heritage Center (analysis completed in 2014 CE)

The Third Commandment

Rabbinic Judaism

You shall not take the name of the Lord your G-d in vain.

Catholicism

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it, you shall not do any work.

Protestantism

. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Biblical Heritage Center

You shall not bow down to graven images or serve them.

Don’t keep this information to yourself – share it with others. The next time someone says something about the Ten Commandments, be sure to ask which version.

CLICK HERE to read our blog on the First Commandment.

CLICK HERE to read our blog on the Second Commandment.

Shalom & Be Empowered!

Please let us know you like this blog by going to our Facebook page by clicking here and – “Like” it & “Sharing” it with others. 

Our work is completely funded by the gifts of individuals. If you find our work useful and valuable, take time to contribute by clicking here.  Your consideration is greatly appreciated.

Four Versions of the Ten Commandments: The Second Commandment

This is the second in a series of blogs that presents four versions of the Ten Commandments (based on Exodus 20). Each blog presents a commandment from the sources listed in chronological order below:

(1) Rabbinic Judaism (200 CE)

(2) Catholicism (325 CE)

(3) Protestantism (16^th century CE)

(4) Biblical Heritage Center (analysis completed in 2014 CE)

The Second Commandment

Rabbinic Judaism

. You shall have no other gods but me.

Catholicism

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Protestantism

. You shall not make unto you any graven images.

Biblical Heritage Center

You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Don’t keep this information to yourself – share it with others. The next time someone says something about the Ten Commandments, be sure to ask which version.

CLICK HERE for to see the blog on the First Commandment.

Please post your comments on this blog or email them to me by clicking here.

Shalom & Be Empowered!

Please let us know you like this blog by going to our Facebook page by clicking here and – “Like” it & “Sharing” it with others. 

Our work is completely funded by the gifts of individuals. If you find our work useful and valuable, take time to contribute by clicking here.  Your consideration is greatly appreciated.

Four Versions of the Ten Commandments: The First Commandment

It is discussions about things that everyone thinks they know that often reveal some very interesting surprises. Discussions about the Ten Commandments often fit into that category.

 Depending on who is presenting the list of commandments, you may be surprised to learn that the commandments will differ. In this series I will present four versions of the Ten Commandments that are based on Exodus 20, the verses that are traditionally called ”The Ten Commandments.” The different versions are Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and ours (Biblical Heritage Center). I will present the different versions of each commandment in separate blogs, so you will have time to consider the differences.

Each blog will list the versions in a chronological order based on when the source came into existence or in our case, last week when we completed the analysis:

(1) Rabbinic Judaism (200 CE)

(2) Catholicism (325 CE)

(3) Protestantism (16^th century CE)

(4) Biblical Heritage Center (analysis completed in 2014 CE)

The Book of Exodus is part of the Torah, which is the first section of the Jewish Scriptures. It existed long before Rabbinic Judaism, Catholicism, Protestantism or the Biblical Heritage Center came into being; just as Rabbinic Judaism existed before the others. At the end of this series I will provide an overview.

The First Commandment

Rabbinic Judaism

I am the Lord your G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Catholicism

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.

Protestantism

You shall have no other gods but me.

Biblical Heritage Center

You shall not have other gods but me.

Please post your comments on this blog or emailthem to me by clicking here.

Shalom & Be Empowered!

Please let us know you like this blog by going to our Facebook page by clicking here and – “Like” it & “Sharing” it with others. 

Our work is completely funded by the gifts of individuals. If you find our work useful and valuable, take time to contribute by clicking here.  Your consideration is greatly appreciated.

Basic Tools for Studying the Hebrew Bible

I receive many inquiries asking about which Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible I would recommend. There are two interlinear Bibles that I have used in Bible studies and classes for many years:

(1) The Interlinear NIV Hebrew-English Old Testament by John R. Kohlenberger III 

(2) The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew-English (4 Volume Set) by Jay Patrick, Sr. Green

The text of an interlinear Bible looks like this:

(Remember, Hebrew is read from right to left ß     ß     ß)

As you can see, the Hebrew text is written on the upper line and an English translation for each word is found below each Hebrew word. Studying with an interlinear Bible is a step up from just using an English translation, but unless you know how to find the root words for each of the Hebrew words in the interlinear text and look up their meanings in a lexicon you are still dependent on the choices translators made and will not know the other options for translating the words were.

Being able to look up the root words in a lexicon requires another tool – an analytical lexicon. In order to use it, you need to memorize the Hebrew alphabet or use the BHC Hebrew-English Transliterator.

(If you haven’t downloaded and learned how to use our FREE Hebrew-English Transliterator CLICK HERE for Part 1 & CLICK HERE for Part 2. These are very short exercises that teach you how to use the BHC Hebrew-English Transliterator.)

Below is a picture of what you see in an analytical lexicon and how it identifies the root word:

As you can see, the Hebrew text is written on the upper line and an English translation for each word is found below each Hebrew word. Studying with an interlinear Bible is a step up from just using an English translation, but unless you know how to find the root words for each of the Hebrew words in the interlinear text and look up their meanings in a lexicon you are still dependent on the choices translators made and will not know the other options for translating the words were.

Being able to look up the root words in a lexicon requires another tool – an analytical lexicon. In order to use it, you need to memorize the Hebrew alphabet or use the BHC Hebrew-English Transliterator.

(If you haven’t downloaded and learned how to use our FREE Hebrew-English Transliterator CLICK HERE for Part 1 & CLICK HERE for Part 2. These are very short exercises that teach you how to use the BHC Hebrew-English Transliterator.)

Below is a picture of what you see in an analytical lexicon and how it identifies the root word:

The Hebrew analytical lexicon I recommend is -- The Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon

by Benjamin Davidson

I also recommend that students use A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by William Lee Holladay to find the meanings of root words. Most of the analytical lexicons were written over a century ago, long before the Dead Sea Scrolls and other important discoveries were made. Holladay’s lexicon includes the later information and is much more useful and relies less on theology. The BHC Hebrew-English Transliterator is also keyed to Holladay’s lexicon.

A comprehensive computer program that allows you to do in-depth Bible studies is BibleWorks 9. This a great computer program that includes a library of resources. I have been using it for many years. BibleWorks 9 is a large collection of software tools and database resources designed specifically to assist pastors, seminary students, professors and missionaries in their exegesis of the Biblical text. It contains more than 200 Bible translations in nearly 40 languages, 45 original language texts and morphology databases, 29 lexical-grammatical references, and a wealth of practical reference works. These include Greek and Hebrew sound files, Bible maps, Greek New Testament diagrams, Greek and Hebrew grammars, new transcriptions and image sets for seven of the most important Greek New Testament manuscripts, and the full CNTTS New Testament apparatus. 

For more information about the above Hebrew Bible Study Tools or to purchase them – CLICK HERE.

Different Types of Biblical Love -- HESED & RAChAM

Today, I received an email with the following question:

In the Hebrew Bible, what is the difference between hesed and rahamim?

These are two very important biblical words that are translated by the same English words often, but they have very important differences.

(If you haven’t downloaded and learned how to use our FREE Hebrew-English Transliterator CLICK HERE for Part 1 & CLICK HERE for Part 2. These are very short exercises that teach you how to use the BHC Hebrew-English Transliterator. It will transform the way you study your Bible. The Hebrew Lexicon we use and recommend is A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by William L. Holladay. For more information about it, or how to order your copy -- CLICK HERE.)

The first word we will examine is HESED.

The definition is found in A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by William L. Holladay on page 111a entry # II:

1. obligation to the community in relation to relatives, friends, guests, master, and servants; loyalty; faithfulness.

2. In relationship of God to people or individuals, faithfulness, kindness, grace.

The second word is RAChAM (rahamim is the plural form).

Its definition is found on page 337b:

1. show love for

2. have compassion on

When a Hebrew speaker sees or hears this word, they understand its relationship to another Hebrew word that has the same root and is found written exactly as the above word – RAChAM. Its meaning is found below the definition above:

1. womb

I was discussing this with a rabbi many years ago and I haven’t forgotten what he said:

RAChAM means “to show love or compassion like a mother shows for her child.” It denotes a “motherly type of love.” This parental type of love is seen in Psalm 103:13 where RAChAM is used twice – “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”

On the other hand, HESED is “linked to a relationship based obligation” and denotes a “loyalty and faithfulness type of love.” This type of love is seen in Psalm 33:5 – “He loves (AHAV) righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the loving-kindness (HESED) of the LORD.”

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SHALOM & Be Empowered!