Paper #1

The chapters of Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 are both similar and different in many ways. But the real question is: what makes these passages so significant among a book with so many writings? The Bible is the most significant, printed, and read, book in the history of our world. It is because of the writings in this book that so many people show their devotion and love of God by observing the Sabbath. Many people devote their entire lives to pursuing the ideas printed in this book. Wars are fought, grudges are held, and the morals of our entire society are shaped and molded based upon this text. So why are Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 important in a book which has more than 700,000 words in it? What makes these passages significant enough to shape our everyday living habits and drive our world leaders into making decisions? In this report, these passages will be explored; why they are so significant, and what makes them so similar but yet so different?

When reading these two passages there is one thing that quickly becomes clear; both passages use almost the exact same wording. These passages describe what have become known today as вЂ?The 10 Commandments,’ or the вЂ?Decalogue.’ They contain a list of religious and moral commands written by God to be followed by all. Several different religions worship the Bible and interpret these passages differently. For example, in the Christian and Lutheran religion, verses 1-6 are considered only one commandment, whereas Protestants separate these verses into two separate commands (Jackson, 1957). These small differences are extremely important. The Christian religion also takes their set of rules from the Deuteronomy passage, while other religions such as the Jewish religion believe in following the Exodus passage (EncyclopÐ"¦dia Britannica, 1996).

The first half of Exodus 20, verses 2-7, is absolutely identical to Deuteronomy 5, verses 6-11:

"I, the Lord, am our God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishments for their father' wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation but bestowing mercy, down to the thousandth generation, on the children of 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 leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain."

This is extremely significant, because this same wording appears twice in the same book. The traditional view of the Bible believes Moses to be the author of the first five books (of which both Exodus and Deuteronomy are included). Why would he write the same wording twice, and why don’t the remaining verses in the chapters use the same wording? Many modern day scholars believe the books to be written by more than one author. Nonetheless, perhaps it can be assumed that the passages are both significant and important because of being stressed twice.

The remainder of the passage varies. Within the next paragraph in Exodus, the author stresses only to “Remember…the Sabbath day,” while the writing in Deuteronomy seems to give more importance to this, by saying “Take care to keep holy the Sabbath day, as the Lord, your God, commanded you.” It seems as if in Deuteronomy the author is a different writer, due to the way he refers to God. It also seems as if the writer in Deuteronomy is trying to identify with the reader, thus giving it more of an importance by giving a reminder that God has вЂ?commanded’ instructions for the Sabbath day. Following this quote in Deuteronomy is a sentence which is identical to a quote in Exodus. The way it is written makes it seem as if it is a quote from God. The text expresses the desire for the reader to do as God has commanded, and it immediately switches to first person as if quoting God’s words. This again conveys the impression Deuteronomy is written by a separate author.

Following Exodus verse 10 is the most striking difference among the passages. The two books give different reasons for observing the Sabbath. Exodus talks of God taking six days to create the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested. Exodus states “That is why the Lord has blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Deuteronomy also talks of taking rest from work on the seventh day, however it stresses the importance of allowing your slaves to take rest. It asks that you allow your slaves to rest because “…you too were once slaves in Egypt, and the Lord, your God, brought you from there with his strong hand and outstretched arm. That is why the Lord, your God, has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” This Deuteronomy passage puts much emphasis on allowing one’s slaves a day of rest, and conveys this message because the reader was once considered a slave of Egypt. When talking about the Sabbath day, Deuteronomy verse 14 states specifically, “Your male and female slave should rest as you do.” These are not small differences. With the Bible being the most read text in the world and having so many followers who observe the Sabbath, this difference is very significant.

A small, but notable, difference in Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16 is the addition of the word �prosperity’ in Deuteronomy. The wording of the verses are the exactly the same, but Deuteronomy promises not only a long life but also prosperity. This can be interpreted in a variety of ways, as prosperity