Deuteronomy 5:6–21—Did Moses Change the Ten Commandments? Exodus vs. Deuteronomy

Why don't the Ten Commandments sound exactly the same in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5? Did Moses change what God originally commanded—or is something else going on?

Host Lance Smith examines the differences between the two passages, including the Sabbath command, the reasons given for keeping it, and the wording of the command against coveting. The episode also considers critical scholarship, manuscript variations, and traditional Jewish and Christian explanations.

The conclusion: Moses wasn't changing God's law. He was faithfully restating and applying the same commandments to a new generation preparing to enter the Promised Land.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: bibledifficultiesandanswers@gmail.com

Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas Howe. The Big Book of Bible Difficulties. Baker Books, 1992. Available at: https://a.co/d/7shn4hI

DeRouchie, Jason S. “Which is the Real Ten Commandments?” jasonderouchie.com, January 10, 2014. https://jasonderouchie.com/derouchie-which-is-the-real-ten-commandments/

Lockshin, Marty. “The Existence of Two Versions of the Decalogue.” TheTorah.com. https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-existence-of-two-versions-of-the-decalogue

Lockshin, Marty. “Two Versions of the Decalogue: Ibn Ezra’s Non-Explanation.” TheTorah.com, 2019. https://www.thetorah.com/article/two-versions-of-the-decalogue-ibn-ezras-non-explanation