The Ten Commandments: Today's Verse is Ex 20:1

 Today we continue our look at The Ten Commandments with an in-depth look at Ex 20:1

You can find the posts on a few of the Scripture passages that precede The Ten Commandments at the following links:

The observational overview of Ex 19:3-11 can be found HERE

And the in depth look at Ex 19:3-6 can be found HERE.

The in depth look at Ex 19:7-11 can be found HERE.

The concluding thoughts on Ex 19:3-11 can be found HERE. 

The initial overview of Ex 20:1-17 can be found HERE.   

I do encourage everyone to look at all the prior posts in this series as the preceding context helps us to a deeper understanding of the Ten Commandments.

It may also seem odd to start the Commandments themselves with just Ex 20:1, but I feel that the serious of this verse sets the correct tone for us to receive the Ten Commandments. 

Oh and I have solved the Cross-Reference Hyper Link problem.  So if you hover over any verse listed in the post, the actual verse SHOULD NOW pop up on your computer screen.

Exodus 20:1 (NASB)
¹ Then God spoke all these words, saying,

Grammatical Considerations:

• God spoke: God is speaking to the Israelites. This is not Moses repeating what God told him to say.

My Questions:

• Why did the author emphasize the word, "words"??
• Why use the word spoke and then saying?

Verse Cross References:

• ex 20:1 -- Dt 4:33 Dt 4:36 Dt 5:4 Dt 5:22 Dt 6:5 Lev 19:18 Mat 22:35-40
• Thoughts -- As can be seen by Dt 4:33 this IS a special occurrence! Very special. The more I stay in this section of Scripture I realize how special this moment truly was! Up until this point in time God had only spoken directly to a few chosen people! Now He is about to speak to His chosen people! And realizing this makes it even more special that God in His endless grace, love and mercy has allowed us to be a part of all this through His Son Jesus Christ!

Important terms:

(God) Spoke:

• WORDSearch concordance search -- Ge 8:15 Ge 9:8 Ge 16:13 Ex 6:2 Mk 12:26 Ex 3:4 Ex 3:7 Gen 7:1 Gen 17:9
• Thoughts -- Again it is amazing to see how special and unique it was (is) for God to speak directly to an entire nation like He does in Exodus 20 Up until then it had only been a select few people, then the nation of Israel, more select prophets and then finally through His Son Jesus Christ, God is speaking to all of us who have ears to hear. Mat 11:15 Mark 4:9 Luke 8:8 How amazing is this! God came down to us as Jesus! He actually CAME DOWN to us...to speak to us...so that we may have the opportunity to have a right relationship with Him! For some reason this is hitting me like a beautiful, inspiring, and humbling ton of bricks right now!!
• Definition -- a verb meaning to speak. The Hebrew word used here is closely related to the Hebrew word translated as words. See below:

Words:

• WORDSearch concordance search -- Dt 4:10 Dt 12:28 Joshua 3:9 2Sa 7:28 John 3:34-36 John 8:47 Rev 19:9
• Thoughts -- More of the same. Inspired, overwhelmed by how MONUMENTAL this was for God to speak directly to a people. And then He sent His Son Jesus Christ to to not only speak with us but to BE WITH US! Do we truly grasp how amazing this is? Do I?
• Definition -- word or speech. Spoken words. A command. Often used to convey divine communication.

Saying:

• WORDSearch concordance search -- Ge 8:15 Ge 9:8 Ge 24:7 Dt 1:6 Mk 12:26 Ex 6:10 Ex 7:8 Ex 13:1 Ex 14:1 Ex 25:1 Nu 16:36 AND MANY MANY MORE!
• Thoughts -- These two words are often used in like manner as they are in this verse.
• Definition -- a verb meaning to say. Almost always followed by a quote.

Factual information from Study Helps:

• The Holman Bible Dictionary stresses that the Decalogue (or what most people call the Ten Commandments) was the only revelation at Mt. Sinai that was communicated directly by God to the people AND then written down on tablets by God Himself. That is what makes them special!
• What follows after Ex 20:1 is the beginning of the covenant!

Answering My Questions:

• Why did the author emphasize the word, "words"?? -- To emphasize that these were spoken words! By definition this Hebrew word for "words" was often used when the words to follow were a command.
• Why use the word spoke and then saying? -- Again, to emphasize that what follows is a direct quote. This wasn't someone else repeating what God had told them to say! This is what God said directly to His people!

Summarizing:

• God begins His covenant with His chosen people, by speaking to them directly. A partial reason for this is that God wanted them to believe that Moses did speak as God's intermediary and that God wanted them to know that He, God, was there. He wanted them to feel confident!! ( Ex 19:3-11 )

Topical for further study:

• Hearing God's Words
• The ones God spoke directly to!

 

Bibliography

 

 

• Baker, Warren, ed. – The Complete Word Study Old Testament. Chattanooga, TN: AMG, 1994. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• Baker, Warren and Eugene Carpenter. The Complete Word Study Dictionary – Old Testament. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• Brand, Chad, Charles Draper, Archie England, ed. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• God's Word: Today's Bible Translation That Means What It Says Holiday, FL: Green Key Books, n.d.. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• God's Word Application Index. Holiday, FL: Green Key Books, n.d.. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• . WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• – Holman Christian Standard Bible Nashville: Holman Bible, 1999. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• Holy Bible, New American Standard. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• . WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• Holy Bible, New American Standard La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• Thompson, Frank Charles. Thompson Chain Reference Bible. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbride Bible Co., 1997. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• Torrey, R. A. The New Topical Textbook. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1897. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• . WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
• Vine, William E. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1940. WORDsearch CROSS e-book. 

We will begin to look at the ACTUAL Commandments in our next posts!