Exo 20.1-26 begins with what is called the “Ten Words” or commandments; it is this event, not the miracles of the Exodus, that serves as the greatest moment in the history of man based on Deut 4.32-40 where it says in all of history up to that point, “has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you have heard it, and survived?” ; this event at Sinai is known as a Ma’aseh Merkavah or the “work/chariot of God” and it is seen as the betrothal covenant which is how the bride should live out her life with her bridegroom Yehovah; we do not accept miracles as the basis for our faith; these commandments are the central teachings of the Messiah and the basis for what we understand about what is right and wrong today; the first table tells us about our duties to God, and the second table tells us about our duties to man; there is a relation to each other in these commands; commandments 1 and 6 tells us that man is made in God’s image so it is wrong to murder him; commandments 2 and 7 tells us that worshiping other Gods is like adultery; commandments 3 and 8 tells us that names are ownership marks; commandments 4 and 9 tells us that observing the sabbath gives a true witness because it shows which God is the creator; commandments 5 and 10 tells us that one who covets will bear children who will curse their parents and covet their possessions; then we learn about the effect of this revelation on the people; then we have a collection of various laws to Exo 23.33.
v 1…Then God spoke these words, saying,
v 2…”I am the Lord (“anechi Yehovah”; Moses told them, now they hear it for themselves) your God (power), who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;
v 3…you shall have no other Gods (powers) before me (because there are no other “gods”).
v 4…You shall not make for yourselves an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth (this forbids the worship of God in the wrong way-Deut 4.15-19).
v 5…You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord (Yehovah) your God is a jealous God (for his name and honor and glory and he will not share it with another), visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, , on the third and fourth generations of those who hate me (this is an important part of the verse; each person who sins will die-Deut 24.16);
v 6…but showing lovingkindness (mercy) unto the thousandth generation of them who love me and keep my commandments.
v 7…You shall not take the name of the Lord (Yehovah) your God in vain (in falsehood, unreal or groundless); for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain.
v 8…Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy (give it the proper kedusha; the sabbath teaches that Yehovah is the creator;Deut 5.12 says we should observe the sabbath and recall the creation; in Deut 5.12-15 it says to observe the sabbath and recall the Exodus).
v 9…Six days you shall labor and do all your work (Hebrew (melakah” meaning business, as in Psa 107.23),
v 10…but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God (devoted to him; a type of the Day of the Lord in eschatology), you shall not do any work, your or your son or your daughter, your male and female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you (Ger ha Sha’ar).
v 11…For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day (Gen 2.1-3); therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and made it holy (Hebrew “kadoshayhu” or gave it a kedusha, meaning it was set apart to God with certain limitations and restrictions).
v 12…Honor (by showing obedience, respect and love) your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the lOrd your God gives you (Canaan).
v 13…You shall not murder.
v 14…You shall not commit adultery.
v 15…You shall not steal (property that belongs to another by force or fraud, with or without their knowledge, etc).
v 16…You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (in court, or by defamation, slander, misrepresentation).
v 17…You shall not covet your neighbor’s house (inward cravings and desires concerning unlawful things); you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
v 18…And all the people saw the thunderings (Hebrew “kolot” or voices) and the lightnings (Hebrew “lappidim” or torches) and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance (afar off; a breakdown in faith because it was the opposite of what they were supposed to do in 19.13).
v 19…Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will hear (obey), but let not God speak to us lest we die (they are looking when they should have been listening; they wanted a mediator; this gave rise to the function of prophets-Deut 5.28-31).”
v 20…And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you (examine; to see if they would take him as their king) you, and in order that the fear of him (of offending God which prevents sin) may remain with you, so you may not sin (but pursue righteousness as defined in the Torah; faith).
v 21…So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was (not on the mountain yet-Exo 24.1; Moses demonstrated his faith by action when doing this because he had been with the Lord before).
v 22…Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.
v 23…You shall not make gods besides me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.
v 24…You shall make an altar of earth for me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen on every place where I cause my name to be remembered. I will come to you and bless you.
v 25…And if you make an altar of stone for me, you shall not build it with hewn stones (showing man’s work, but unhewn stones which is God’s handiwork; in Deut 27.6 it says “uncut” stones, and “uncut” is “shalemot” meaning peaceful stones, whole, complete), for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it.
v 26…And you shall not go up by steps to my altar (they will use a ramp), that your nakedness (no “fleshly” works involved) may not be exposed on it.
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