Why Are There Different Forms of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1)?
The answer to this question becomes clear when we allow God's Word to guide us. No one doubts the number of the Commandments, ten (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; 10:4). It is their content that has been disputed, and this is of vital—eternal—concern.
It was not until the fourth century AD that this confusion even began to exist. At that time, Augustine (Catholic bishop of Hippo in North Africa, 354-430) devised a new way of presenting the Ten Commandments in order to allow the use of images and statues in religious worship. He dropped the second commandment altogether, divided the tenth into two "commandments," and then renumbered his revised list of ten.
Dropping the second commandment makes it appear that there is only one commandment against idolatry. However, God makes it clear that there are two kinds of idolatry, and thus a need for two distinct commandments to prohibit these two major sins. The first commandment forbids worship of anything in the place of God (Exodus 20:3). The second commandment is altogether different, forbidding making, bowing down to, serving, or otherwise using statues in the worship of God (verses 4-6).
As mentioned above, to retain the correct number of commandments, Augustine made two "commandments" out of the tenth (verse 17). According to Augustine's mistaken idea, the ninth commandment is, "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife," and the tenth is, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house."
Notice how the apostle Paul was inspired to quote five of the Commandments, including the tenth: "For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'You shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Romans 13:9). Unlike Augustine, Paul makes no distinction between coveting a neighbor's wife and his house. Elsewhere, he says, "For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet'" (Romans 7:7). Clearly, only one principle is involved, and only one commandment governs it.
The King James and New King James versions of the Bible contains two complete lists of the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20:1-17 and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The church of God uses and practices the Ten Commandments in this inspired form.
It is common to skip over the preamble to the Ten Commandments, but notice how God introduces His law. He begins with His authority and the fact that He brought Israel out of the house of bondage. Thus, He brings to mind His deliverance, and then states His commands. The unstated implication is that the commands are critical to remaining free. This is backed up by James, who twice refers to God’s law as “the law of liberty” (James 1:25; 2:12). Contrary to common misunderstanding, God’s law is not what puts us into bondage. We were in bondage, and God delivered us, and He gives His law to help us remain free. God’s law tells us what sin is, which is a blessing because sin is what enslaves. God’s law teaches us how to keep from being brought back into bondage.
Notice that God begins with commands against idolatry. His opening statement to the nation is to forbid worshiping any other god, or else worshiping the true God in a way other than how He commands, and specifically with physical representations. Those two commands are foundational to remaining free.
