The Rosary Dad

I always thought the Ten Commandments were the same for everyone—ten clear moral rules given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. But one day, while randomly surfing the internet, I stumbled upon a comparison of Catholic and Protestant versions—and to my surprise, the numbering didn’t match.

For example, Protestants list “You shall not make for yourself a graven image” as a completely separate commandment, while Catholics include it under “You shall have no other gods before me.” Then, at the end, Catholics separate coveting a neighbor’s wife from coveting a neighbor’s possessions, making them two different commandments—while Protestants combine them into one.

That got me curious. Why do different traditions number them differently? And more importantly, which one is correct? After digging into the history, I found that the Catholic numbering actually makes the most sense. Here’s why.

The Bible Doesn’t Actually Number Them

One of the first things I learned is that the original Hebrew text doesn’t number the commandments at all. In Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, the commandments are simply given as a continuous passage—no numbers, no “First Commandment” or “Second Commandment” labels.

So the way we divide them into “ten” is actually based on tradition, not on an explicit list in the Bible itself. That’s why different groups divide them differently.

Jewish Numbering:

Since the Ten Commandments were first given to the Israelites, let’s start with the Jewish numbering:

1. “I am the Lord your God.” (Not actually a command, but more of an introduction.)

2. “You shall have no other gods before me.”

3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”

4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

5. “Honor your father and your mother.”

6. “You shall not murder.”

7. “You shall not commit adultery.”

8. “You shall not steal.”

9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

10. “You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Including both wife and property.)

A couple of things stand out:

• They count “I am the Lord your God” as the first “commandment,” even though it’s not actually a command.

• They don’t separate coveting into two commandments—they treat desiring a neighbor’s wife and desiring their possessions as part of the same issue.

While this system is historically significant, it doesn’t quite fit with the idea of “Ten” distinct commandments, since the first one isn’t a rule at all.

Catholic Numbering:

The Catholic Church, following St. Augustine (354–430 AD) and the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, organizes the commandments this way:

1. “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Includes the prohibition against idols.)

2. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”

3. “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.”

4. “Honor your father and your mother.”

5. “You shall not kill.”

6. “You shall not commit adultery.”

7. “You shall not steal.”

8. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

9. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.”

10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”

This numbering has two big advantages over the Jewish and Protestant versions:

 

1. Idolatry Is Not a Separate Commandment—Because It Shouldn’t Be

• Catholics combine the commandment against false gods with the prohibition of idols.

• This actually makes more sense, because in the Bible, the ban on graven images is an extension of the commandment against worshiping false gods.

• The Protestant tradition separates them, but this was largely due to the Reformation’s opposition to Catholic religious images. In other words, the split was more of a theological reaction than a text-based necessity.

2. Coveting a Wife vs. Coveting Property: Two Different Sins

• The Catholic tradition splits coveting into two commandments:

• 9th Commandment: Don’t lust after your neighbor’s wife.

• 10th Commandment: Don’t envy your neighbor’s property.

• This actually follows human nature better—lust and greed are two very different struggles.

• Even Jesus made this distinction in Matthew 5:27-28, where He separates lusting after a woman from other sinful desires.

In contrast, Jewish and Protestant numbering treat all coveting as one issue, which oversimplifies the moral reality.

So, Which Numbering Is Correct?

1. The Jewish numbering is historically the oldest, but it includes a statement (“I am the Lord”) as a commandment and doesn’t separate different types of coveting.

2. The Protestant numbering artificially separates the command against idols, even though the biblical text treats it as part of worshiping false gods.

3. The Catholic numbering is the most logical, because:

• It keeps idolatry within the commandment against false gods, rather than treating it as something separate.

• It recognizes that lust (coveting a wife) and greed (coveting possessions) are two different sins.

I always assumed that everyone agreed on the Ten Commandments, but studying these differences has shown me how much our traditions shape how we read Scripture. The Catholic numbering makes the most sense because it follows biblical logic rather than historical controversies.