The Ten Statements of God

## עשר הצהרות של אלוהים

Moses unleashing his anger on the Israelites after receiving God's commandments.

### Abrahamic beliefs that canonize this

Judaism, Christianity, Catholicism, Lutheranism

The **Ten Statements** (falsely translated into English as "Ten Commandments") or **עשר הצהרות של אלוהים** in Hebrew are the laws set forth by God for all of humanity to follow. The Statements each have their own meaning and can all be relevant to both life Before Common Era and modern life.

## Creation of the Statements

3 months after Moses helped the Israelites escape Egypt, they situated themselves in the Sinai Desert.

Moses went up to the top of the mountain where he first saw God as the Burning Bush. *The Lord called out to him from the mountain. He said, “Here is what I want you to say to my people, who came from Jacob’s family. Tell the Israelites, ‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt. You saw how I carried you on the wings of eagles and brought you to Myself."*

God used his divine power to carve out text on two stone slabs and revealed to Moses his Ten Statements.

Moses took the Statements down the mountain to show his brother and the Israelites, but the Israelites were worshiping an idol the built for God, which was a direct violation to one of God's statements. In anger, Moses threw down the tablets in rage, smashing them into thousands of pieces. He then made the Israelites grind the idol up into dust, pour it into their water, and then drink it as punishment for disobeying the Lord. Then he made the Isrealites rebuild the tablets and place them within a case made of gold.

## The Statements

The Ten Statements are the divine commands from God unto the people of Earth and Israel. Each of these statements state a law in which each human must honor in order to be judged worthy of passage into Heaven.

1. “I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have any strange gods before Me.”

* This statement is the most important of all. God is the Lord, your Lord, who led the Israelites out of Egypt, out of bondage, and into freedom. There are no other gods or deities besides God and you shall not worship any other god or deity, for that is a sin.

**2. “Thou shalt not misuse the name of the Lord.”**

* This statement is commonly mistranslated as "Do not use the Lord's name in vain". This is not the proper translation. What this statement is commanding is to not commit a horrible act of sin in the Lord's name. Do not "misuse" means to not do something sinful in His name. It does NOT mean that it is a sin to say "Oh my God".

3. “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.”

* This statement commands you to honor the Sabbath. In six days (debatable whether or not it was literally six days) God created the Heavens and the Earth. On the seventh day, God rested and forbade work on that day. Sunday is the Sabbath, and so on Sunday you shall not work (unless it is very important, like if you're a doctor, president, soldier, or CEO) or else it is sin.

4. “Honor thy father and mother.”

* A very simple order by God; respect your mother and father. Even if they are not good people, they are still your parents and they are the ones who brought you into God's world. Honor them and respect them. Do what they ask of you and obey. Only resist if it is truly just.

5. “Thou shalt not murder your fellow man.”

* Commonly mistranslated as "Thou shalt not kill"; this statement forbids you from taking the life of another human without just cause. God does not condemn the killing of others in war, nor does he forbid you from killing animals and insects (as he said that humans have a rightful dominance over the cattle of the Earth), however you will be punished for **murdering** your fellow man. It is wrong to steal the joy of life from another in such a way.

6. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

* A hard to follow but essential order. You shall not cheat on your spouse. A man shall not cheat on his woman and a woman shall not cheat on her man. Marriage is a religious bond that binds the souls of two lovers in eternal wonder, but these bond is shattered the moment a spouse has sexual relations with someone other than their spouse.

7. “Thou shalt not steal.”

* This is a very important statement that means more than on the surface. What it means is never steal in any capacity. Never steal the life of another (Statement 5), never steal justice (Statement 8), never steal another man's wife/another woman's husband (Statement 9), and never steal another's property (Statement 10). The point of this Statement is to conclude the first half of Statements and to begin the half relating to laws that are specific to theft.

8. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

* Do not lie. Do not prevent justice by deceiving. Very simple.

9. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”

* You shall not have sex or a relationship with a married person's spouse. This would make that person's spouse a breaker of Statement 6.

10. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”

* You shall never steal any property that belongs to your fellow man without just cause. It is lazy, and it is your fellow man who worked to get that property, not you.