What Makes the 10 Commandments Special?
3/23/202645 min
The 10 Commandments E1 — What comes to mind when you hear “Thou shalt not”? Probably the 10 Commandments! Even if you know very little about the Bible, you’re probably familiar with “Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not steal,” “Honor your father and mother,” and many others. They’re all over movies, literature, and even carved into public buildings. In the Exodus scroll, these are the core commands God gives to Israel on tablets of stone at the foot of Mount Sinai. And there’s a lot that sets them apart from the hundreds of other laws God gives to Israel. In this episode, Jon and Tim kick off a new series on the 10 Commandments, exploring what makes them special and how they are quoted throughout the rest of the Bible.
FULL SHOW NOTES
For chapter-by-chapter summaries, biblical words, referenced Scriptures, and reflection questions, check out the full show notes for this episode.
CHAPTERS
- The 10 Words (0:00-17:28)
- What Sets These Words Apart? (17:28-31:58)
- The Foundation for Righteousness and Pathway to Eternal Life (31:58-45:00)
OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
View this episode’s official transcript.
REFERENCED RESOURCES
- The Ten Commandments: Interpretation: Resources for the Use of Scripture in the Church by Patrick D. Miller
- Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books.
SHOW MUSIC
- “Aquarelle,” by Magiksolo
- “Air,” by Magiksolo
- “Atlantic Way,” by Stefano Mastronardi
- BibleProject theme song by TENTS
SHOW CREDITS
Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty writes the show notes. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJon Collins· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Thou shalt not. What do you think of when you hear those words? Well, probably the Ten Commandments. Even if you know very little about the Bible, you've likely heard, "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not steal," "Honor your mother and father." The Ten Commandments are everywhere. They're in our movies, our literature. They're even engraved on public monuments. The Ten Commandments are central to our life now, but more importantly, they were central to the story of ancient Israel. But surprisingly, in the Bible, they're not introduced as the Ten Commandments. Instead, they're called- Aseret HaDibrot, which means the Ten Words So this new podcast series is on the Ten Words.
Tim Mackie· Host0:45
So they're not 10 divine commands dropped out of Heaven for all people of all time. They were spoken at a moment in time and place in history in the context of a relationship.
Jon Collins· Host0:55
After God gives the Ten Words, He gives hundreds of laws to ancient Israel, 613 to be exact, and these laws are about all sorts of things, from what animals to eat to how do we treat widows and orphans. But the Ten Words come first, and they're treated as foundational.
Tim Mackie· Host1:15
These 10 are also the only ones that are said to be written on the two tablets, etched on stone by the finger of God. The story's inviting us to see these 10 as a uniquely pure expression