The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20:1-21
Exo.20.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- הדברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 5:22 (verbal): A restatement of the Decalogue context—'these words' and the LORD speaking them to the assembly on the mountain parallels Exodus' introductory formula for the commandments.
- Exodus 24:3 (verbal): Moses reports 'all the words of the LORD' to the people, echoing the same language of God speaking 'all these words' in 20:1 and showing continuity in transmission of the law.
- Hebrews 1:1-2 (thematic): Themes of divine speech and revelation: God has spoken through various means and finally through the Son, which reframes Old Testament instances where 'God spoke' (like Exodus 20:1) as part of progressive revelation.
- John 1:1-3 (thematic): The identification of the divine 'Word' (Logos) who was with God and through whom all things were made connects the motif of God's speech in Exodus 20:1 to the theological idea that God's words are creative and authoritative.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God spoke all these words, saying,
- And God spoke all these words, saying:
Exo.20.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הוצאתיך: VERB,hif,perf,1,c,sg,obj=2ms
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עבדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Deut 5:6 (verbal): Direct repetition of the Ten Commandments’ opening—identical formula: 'I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.'
- Exod 6:6-7 (verbal): Earlier divine promise of deliverance and covenant identity: 'I will bring you out... and you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brought you out,' echoing the same covenantal grounds for obedience.
- Josh 24:17 (thematic): Joshua’s covenant summons appeals to the foundational act of God bringing Israel out of Egypt as the basis for loyalty—same saving event functions as covenantal grounding.
- Ps 105:42-45 (thematic): Psalmic retelling of the Exodus celebrates God’s deliverance from Egypt as proof of covenant faithfulness, echoing the Exodus as the decisive ground for God’s claim on Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
- I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Exo.20.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אחרים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
Parallels
- Deut.5.7 (quotation): Repeats the Ten Commandments' opening prohibition — identical command: 'You shall have no other gods before me.'
- Deut.6.14 (verbal): Commands Israel not to 'go after other gods,' echoing Exodus' exclusive loyalty language and practical application of the same prohibition.
- Isa.45.5 (thematic): Affirms YHWH's uniqueness — 'I am the LORD, and there is no other' — the theological basis for forbidding other gods.
- 1 Kings.18.21 (thematic): Elijah's challenge to Israel ('How long will you waver...if the LORD is God, follow him') confronts religious double‑loyalty and calls for exclusive worship like Exodus 20:3.
- Jer.2.11-13 (allusion): Condemns Israel for exchanging the true God for idols — portrays the same problem of turning to 'other gods' that Exodus forbids.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall have no other gods before me.
- You shall have no other gods before me.
Exo.20.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- תעשה: VERB,qal,imf,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- פסל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- תמונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בשמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ממעל: ADV
- ואשר: CONJ+PRON,rel
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- מתחת: PREP
- ואשר: CONJ+PRON,rel
- במים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מתחת: PREP
- לארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deut.5.8 (quotation): Direct restatement of the command against making carved images in the Deuteronomic version of the Ten Commandments—very close verbal parallel.
- Deut.4.15-19 (thematic): Explicit warning not to make images, with the same motif of celestial bodies (heavens, sun, moon, stars); develops the same theological concern about idolatry.
- Lev.26.1 (verbal): Priestly-law prohibition against idols and pillars (פסל ותמונה); legal parallel forbidding image-making within covenantal legislation.
- Exod.34.17 (verbal): Reiterates the ban on making molten/god-images at the covenant renewal (golden calf context); another Exodus-law parallel forbidding idols.
- Isa.44.9-20 (thematic): Prophetic polemic exposing the folly of crafting and worshiping images; thematically echoes Exodus’ critique of carved and fashioned idols.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall not make for yourself a carved image, nor any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth beneath or in the waters beneath the earth.
- You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth beneath or in the waters under the earth.
Exo.20.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשתחוה: VERB,hitp,impf,2,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- תעבדם: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg+PRON,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- אל: NEG
- קנא: ADJ,m,sg
- פקד: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אבת: NOUN,m,pl,const
- על: PREP
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- שלשים: NUM,m,pl,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- רבעים: NUM,card,pl
- לשנאי: PREP+PART,ptc,pl+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 5:9 (verbal): Repetition of the Decalogue with nearly identical wording: prohibition of worshiping idols, 'I the LORD your God am a jealous God,' and the clause about visiting iniquity on later generations.
- Exodus 34:6–7 (verbal): Very close verbal parallel describing God's character—'jealous,' and 'visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation'—within God's self‑description after the covenant renewal.
- Numbers 14:18 (verbal): Affirms the same theological formula: God is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, yet 'by no means clearing the guilty' and visiting iniquity on children to the third and fourth generation.
- Ezekiel 18:20 (thematic): Deliberate theological contrast: Ezekiel asserts individual responsibility—'the son shall not bear the guilt of the father'—challenging a straightforward reading of generational punishment.
- Jeremiah 31:29–30 (thematic): Prophetic reversal of the proverb that children suffer for parents' sins; anticipates a shift toward individual accountability and renewed covenantal relations.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me;
- You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third and to the fourth, to those who hate me;
Exo.20.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חסד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאלפים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לאהבי: PREP+VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl
- ולשמרי: CONJ+PREP+VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl
- מצותי: NOUN,f,pl,abs,1cs
Parallels
- Deut.5.10 (verbal): The Decalogue repetition: nearly identical wording promising steadfast love to thousands for those who love God and keep his commandments.
- Exod.34.6-7 (verbal): God’s self‑description as merciful, gracious and ‘keeping steadfast love for thousands’ — same motif and language of covenantal hesed and forgiveness.
- Deut.7.9 (thematic): Affirms God’s faithfulness and covenantal steadfast love toward those who love him and keep his commandments, extending mercy to many generations (‘‘a thousand generations’’).
- Ps.103.17 (thematic): Speaks of the LORD’s enduring steadfast love toward those who fear him, echoing the promise of lasting divine mercy to God’s people.
Alternative generated candidates
- but showing steadfast love to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.
- but showing steadfast love to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exo.20.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שם: ADV
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- לשוא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- ינקה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ישא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לשוא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 5:11 (quotation): Repeat of the same command in Deuteronomy's restatement of the Ten Commandments: do not take the name of Yahweh in vain.
- Leviticus 19:12 (verbal): Forbids swearing falsely by God's name and profaning the divine name—closest parallel in wording and concern about oath-profanation.
- Leviticus 24:10-16 (structural): Narrative and legal case where one who blasphemes God's name is brought before Moses and punished—illustrates enforcement of the prohibition against misusing God's name.
- Matthew 5:33-37 (thematic): Jesus' teaching against making oaths and emphasis on simple truthfulness echoes and reinterprets the OT prohibition on taking God's name in vain in the context of sworn speech.
- James 5:12 (verbal): Direct New Testament echo advising believers not to swear by heaven or earth but let 'yes' be 'yes'—reflects the same concern about invoking oaths and profaning God's name.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold guiltless anyone who takes his name in vain.
- 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.
Exo.20.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זכור: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השבת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לקדשו: PREP+VERB,qal,inf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exod.31:13-17 (verbal): Reiterates the Sabbath command as a perpetual sign between God and Israel, sanctifying the seventh day (language and legal force parallel Exod 20:8).
- Deut.5:12-15 (verbal): Restates the command to 'keep the Sabbath' with similar wording but emphasizes the historical rationale (remembrance of Israel's deliverance from Egypt).
- Gen.2:2-3 (structural): Provides the creation precedent for Sabbath observance: God rests on the seventh day and blesses/holifies it, which undergirds the command in Exodus.
- Isa.58:13-14 (thematic): Calls the faithful to honor the Sabbath as a delight and holy day, linking proper Sabbath observance with blessing and covenantal faithfulness.
- Mark 2:27-28 (allusion): Jesus interprets the Sabbath's purpose ('made for man') and asserts his authority ('Lord of the Sabbath'), engaging and reframing the meaning of the command in Exod 20:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo.20.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ששת: NUM,m,sg,cons
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- תעבד: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ועשית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- כל: DET
- מלאכתך: NOUN,f,sg,cons+2ms
Parallels
- Deut.5.13 (verbal): Direct repetition of the Sabbath command in the Deuteronomic restatement of the Decalogue: 'Six days you shall labor and do all your work.'
- Exod.23.12 (verbal): Parallel wording within the covenant law: ties the six days' labor to the command to let the seventh be a day of rest for people and animals.
- Gen.2.2-3 (structural): Creation pattern on which the Exodus command is based: God completes work in six days and rests on the seventh, providing the rationale for human labor/rest rhythm.
- Isa.58.13-14 (thematic): Prophetic development of Sabbath observance: calling the people to cease ordinary labor and treat the day as holy, emphasizing delight and proper use of the Sabbath.
- Mark 2:27-28 (thematic): New Testament reflection on the purpose of the Sabbath ('The Sabbath was made for man...'), engaging the Exodus command's intent and human needs in interpreting Sabbath practice.
Alternative generated candidates
- Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
- Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
Exo.20.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השביעי: NUM,ord,m,sg,def
- שבת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- לא: PART_NEG
- תעשה: VERB,qal,imf,2,m,sg
- כל: DET
- מלאכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- ובנך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- ובתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2ms
- עבדך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,ms
- ואמתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2ms
- ובהמתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2ms
- וגרך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בשעריך: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 5:14 (verbal): Moses repeats the Sabbath command with almost identical language, listing household members, servants, livestock and the sojourner — a direct verbal parallel (but gives a different rationale).
- Exodus 23:12 (verbal): An earlier Sabbath instruction in Exodus that similarly commands rest for people and animals and includes the stranger — close wording and concern for dependents/animals.
- Leviticus 23:3 (thematic): Institutes the seventh day as a Sabbath rest and a holy convocation, reiterating the prohibition of work and the cultic/social dimensions of Sabbath observance.
- Mark 2:27–28 (thematic): Jesus interprets the Sabbath’s purpose (made for humanity) and asserts authority over it, engaging the ethical and theological intent behind the OT prohibition on work.
- Hebrews 4:9–10 (allusion): Develops the Sabbath motif into the idea of God’s ‘rest’ for his people; draws on Sabbath language to speak of spiritual rest and consummation.
Alternative generated candidates
- but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. You shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant, your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
- but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. You shall not do any work, you, your son or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant, your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
Exo.20.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- ששת: NUM,m,sg,cons
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ואת: CONJ
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- הים: NOUN,m,sg,abs,def
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- וינח: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ביום: PREP
- השביעי: NUM,ord,m,sg,def
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- ברך: VERB,qal,inf,NA,NA,NA,NA
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השבת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויקדשהו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 2:2-3 (quotation): Identical creation-week motif: God finishes creation on the sixth day, rests on the seventh, and blesses/keeps the seventh day as holy.
- Exodus 31:16-17 (verbal): Repeats the same wording and rationale (God made the heavens and earth in six days and rested on the seventh) to ground the Sabbath as a perpetual sign between Yahweh and Israel.
- Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (thematic): Another formulation of the Sabbath command that emphasizes Israel's deliverance from Egypt (rest from slavery) rather than the creation motif — offering a complementary rationale for Sabbath observance.
- Hebrews 4:4-10 (allusion): New Testament reflection on God's rest after creation and the promise of entering God's rest; uses the creation-rest motif to argue for a theological 'rest' for believers.
Alternative generated candidates
- For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
- For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Exo.20.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כבד: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- אביך: NOUN,m,sg,suff+2ms
- ואת: CONJ
- אמך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- למען: PREP
- יארכון: VERB,hiphil,imperfect,3,m,pl
- ימיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
- על: PREP
- האדמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- נתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Deut.5.16 (verbal): Restates the fifth commandment in Deuteronomy with virtually identical wording and the same promise of long life in the land.
- Eph.6.2-3 (quotation): Paul directly cites the command and its promise to ground his exhortation to children and household conduct.
- Mark 7.10 (quotation): Jesus cites Moses' command to honor parents (and the related penalty for reviling them) when addressing Pharisaic interpretations of the law.
- Col.3.20 (thematic): Echoes the ethical expectation that children obey and honor their parents as part of Christian household instruction derived from the commandment.
- Exod.21.17 (structural): A closely related legal provision in the covenant code prescribing punishment for cursing or reviling one's parents, reinforcing the command's seriousness.
Alternative generated candidates
- Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
- Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
Exo.20.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- תרצח: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Deut.5.17 (quotation): Repeats the same command within the Deuteronomic formulation of the Ten Commandments.
- Matt.5.21-22 (verbal): Jesus cites the command (“You have heard that it was said…”) and expands its moral scope by addressing anger and insult as related to murder.
- Rom.13.9 (quotation): Paul explicitly cites “You shall not murder” among the commandments summarized by the rule of love.
- Gen.9.6 (thematic): Places a foundational rationale for forbidding murder in the sanctity of human life made in God’s image and prescribes death for bloodshed.
- Num.35.30 (structural): Part of the Mosaic legal treatment of homicide, prescribing capital punishment for murder and distinguishing it from accidental killing (cities of refuge material).
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not murder.
Exo.20.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- תנאף: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 5:18 (quotation): Repeats the same commandment in the Deuteronomic restatement of the Decalogue: 'You shall not commit adultery' (same wording).
- Deuteronomy 22:22 (thematic): Part of the Deuteronomic legal code prescribing the community sanction for adultery—shows how the command is applied in case law and procedure.
- Leviticus 20:10 (thematic): Priestly/Holiness Code prescription that an adulterer and the woman both suffer death—illustrates the cultic-legal consequences attached to the prohibition.
- Matthew 5:27-28 (allusion): Jesus cites the command ('You shall not commit adultery') and expands it, teaching that lustful intent in the heart is a violation of the commandment.
- John 8:3-11 (thematic): Narrative encounter over an accused adulterous woman; applies the command in a judicial and ethical context and highlights mercy, judgment, and Jesus' interpretation.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not commit adultery.
Exo.20.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- תגנב: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Leviticus 19:11 (verbal): Repeats the command against stealing within the holiness code: "You shall not steal," linking theft to broader ethical prohibitions.
- Deuteronomy 5:19 (verbal): Restates the tenth commandment in the Deuteronomic version of the Decalogue, echoing the exact prohibition against theft.
- Exodus 22:1-4 (structural): Provides detailed civil and penal regulations addressing theft and restitution, expanding the Decalogue's brief prohibition into concrete legal cases.
- Matthew 19:18 (quotation): Jesus cites the Decalogue in response to the rich young man, explicitly repeating "You shall not steal" as part of the moral requirements.
- Ephesians 4:28 (thematic): New Testament ethical teaching that transforms the command into positive practice: the former thief must work honestly and share with others, reflecting the command's moral intent.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not steal.
Exo.20.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- תענה: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ברעך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- שקר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deut.5.20 (quotation): Restates the ninth commandment in the Deuteronomic repetition of the Decalogue: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'
- Lev.19.11 (verbal): Contains closely related wording prohibiting lying to one another and speaking falsehood about a neighbor ('do not lie, do not deal falsely, and do not speak a false report').
- Prov.6.19 (thematic): Lists a 'false witness who breathes out lies' among detestable behaviors, linking bearing false witness with moral reproach and punishment.
- Eph.4.25 (verbal): New Testament ethical parallel urging believers to 'put away falsehood' and 'speak the truth to one another,' echoing the command against false testimony.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Exo.20.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- תחמד: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- לא: PART_NEG
- תחמד: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- רעך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- ועבדו: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- ואמתו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- ושורו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3ms
- וחמרו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3ms
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לרעך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 5:21 (verbal): A near-verbatim restatement of the tenth commandment in the Deuteronomic repetition of the Decalogue, prohibiting coveting the neighbor’s house, spouse, servants, animals, and all that belongs to him.
- Romans 7:7 (quotation): Paul cites the command “You shall not covet” (or its equivalent) to show how the law reveals sin—coveting is singled out as an example of what the law condemns.
- Colossians 3:5 (thematic): Lists covetousness among vices to be put to death, equating covetous desire with idolatry and connecting New Testament moral teaching to the prohibition against coveting.
- Matthew 5:27-28 (thematic): Jesus broadens the command’s scope by emphasizing inward desire: lustful intent is treated as equivalent to the forbidden act (adultery), paralleling the tenth commandment’s concern with inner coveting.
- 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (thematic): Warns that the desire to be rich leads to temptation and ruin and identifies the love of money (a form of covetousness) as a root of evil, thematically linked to the prohibition against coveting a neighbor’s possessions.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant or his female servant, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
- You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant or his female servant, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Exo.20.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ראים: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הקולת: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ואת: CONJ
- הלפידם: NOUN,m,pl,def+3mp
- ואת: CONJ
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השפר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עשן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וינעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- ויעמדו: CONJ+VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- מרחק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exod.19:16-19 (verbal): Same Sinai theophany immediately preceding the giving of the law—thunder, lightning, trumpet/blast, and the mountain smoking; a near-verbatim narrative parallel describing Israel's fear and distance.
- Deut.5:22 (quotation): Deuteronomy's retelling of the Sinai event repeats key language (fire, cloud, thick darkness, loud voice) and likewise emphasizes that the words were spoken to the whole assembly—an explicit recapitulation of the Exodus account.
- Deut.4:11 (thematic): Describes Israel standing at the foot of a burning, cloud-covered mountain; echoes the motif of a smoking/mysterious Sinai and the people's fearful removal and standing at a distance.
- Rev.11:19 (allusion): Apocalyptic imagery (lightnings, voices, thunderings, earthquake) echoes the Sinai theophany motifs from Exodus—Revelation reuses these features to portray God's cosmic presence and judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- All the people saw the thunder and the lightnings, the sound of the ram’s horn, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood far off.
- All the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning, heard the sound of the trumpet, and saw the mountain smoking; and the people saw and trembled and stood at a distance.
Exo.20.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- עמנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ונשמעה: VERB,qal,imprf,1,pl
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- ידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עמנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- פן: CONJ
- נמות: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,_,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 5:27 (verbal): Direct repetition of the people's plea—'Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us'—in Moses' retelling of Sinai.
- Deuteronomy 5:5 (structural): Moses' recounting that he stood between the LORD and the people because they were afraid of dying echoes the function and motive behind the request in Exod 20:19.
- Hebrews 12:18-21 (allusion): The New Testament contrasts Sinai's terrifying, voice-filled revelation with Zion, explicitly recalling the fearful reaction of those who begged that God not continue speaking (an allusion to Exod. 20:18–19).
- Exodus 33:20 (thematic): God's declaration to Moses that no one may see His face and live resonates with the Israelites' fear in Exod 20:19 that hearing God's voice would cause death.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will listen; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
- They said to Moses, Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but let God not speak with us, lest we die.
Exo.20.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- תיראו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- לבעבור: PREP
- נסות: VERB,qal,inf
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ובעבור: CONJ+PREP
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- יראתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- פניכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- לבלתי: PART,neg
- תחטאו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Exod.16:4 (verbal): God says he will 'test' Israel (נָסוֹתִים) by providing manna to see whether they will follow his law—language and purpose closely parallel Moses' statement that God has come to test them so they will fear and not sin.
- Deut.8:2 (verbal): Moses recalls that the LORD led Israel 'these forty years in the wilderness' and 'humble[d] and test[ed] you' to know what was in your heart—same motif of divine testing to produce reverent obedience.
- Deut.13:3 (verbal): In warning against false prophets Deuteronomy explicitly explains that trials are a form of God's testing of Israel (לְנַסּוֹתְכֶם), echoing Exodus 20:20's claim that God's presence/tests are meant to preserve fidelity.
- Hebrews 3:9 (allusion): The author recalls the fathers who 'tested' God in the wilderness as a warning to believers—an NT allusion to the Exodus testing motif that Moses invokes to deter sin.
- 1 Corinthians 10:9 (allusion): Paul warns 'we should not test Christ, as some of them tested and were destroyed'—a New Testament reference to Israel's testing of God in the wilderness, reflecting the same theme that testing led to sin and judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses said to the people, Do not fear, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, so that you do not sin.
- Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid, for God has come in order to test you, and in order that his fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.
Exo.20.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעמד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מרחק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומשה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נגש: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- הערפל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שם: ADV
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exodus 19:16-20 (verbal): Same Sinai theophany: thick darkness/cloud, thunder and people kept at a distance while God summons Moses to approach—directly parallels the scene in 20:21.
- Exodus 24:15-18 (thematic): Moses again approaches the mountain into a cloud/‘glory of the LORD’ that covers Sinai; continuation of the motif of Moses alone drawing near into divine darkness.
- Deuteronomy 4:11-12 (quotation): Retells the Horeb/Sinai theophany: the people stood afar off before fire, cloud and thick darkness—an explicit restatement of the same event and imagery.
- 1 Kings 8:12 (cf. 2 Chronicles 6:1) (allusion): Solomon’s statement that the LORD would ‘dwell in thick darkness’ echoes the association of divine presence with ‘thick darkness’ found at Sinai, linking temple/dwelling language to the Sinai theophany.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the people stood far off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
- And the people stood at a distance, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
And God spoke all these words, saying,
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above or what is on the earth beneath or what is in the waters under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me; But showing steadfast love to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold guiltless anyone who takes his name in vain.
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; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant, your livestock, or your sojourner who is within your gates.
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant or his female servant, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. And all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. And they said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will listen; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said to the people, Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, so that you do not sin. And the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.