A mall in Sebring, Florida, has posted the Ten Commandments at their main entrance. Sort of.
Interestingly enough, there is more than one way to number the Ten Commandments. The Bible gives them in Exodus 20 and again in Deuteronomy 5, but gives no numbers. Someplace in the Old Testament, it says there are ten of them. I have seen a Roman Catholic numbering, a Protestant numbering and a Jewish numbering and there could be others. Different versions break up some commandments and merge others. The Protestant numbering goes back to John Calvin, and this is the numbering that we see at the mall.
Which translation did they use for this exhibition of the Commandments? It uses “thou shalt not” and “thy,” so it sounds like the King James version but it isn’t that simple.
The mall’s display of the Ten Commandments contains 84 words, and this is shorter than Biblical versions. Using Exodus 20, in the KJV the Commandments come out to 297 words. In the New International Verions, NIV, the Commandments come out to 284 words. By the number of words, the display version gives us 28% of the Ten Commandments, using the KJV. I will round that to 30%.
The most radical shortening is in the Sabbath Commandment, number four according to John Calvin. In the mall display, the Sabbath Commandment is eight words. In the New International Version it is 97 words. The mall chooses to give us about 8% of this Commandment. The mall display gives the Second Commandment, graven images, in nine words. In the KJV the Second Commandment is 91 words. The mall chooses to give us about 10% of this Commandment. The last of the Commandments, which forbids coveting, is twelve words in the mall display. It is 30 words in the NIV.
Perhaps the Mall should change the title of their display from “The Ten Commandments” to “The Ten Commandments, Consensed,” the Ten Commandments, Abridged,” or maybe “Essentials of the Ten Commandments.”
There is a lot of talk about posting the Ten Commandments in schools and in public buildings. I suspect these are also condensed to the essentials.
Interestingly enough, there is more than one way to number the Ten Commandments. The Bible gives them in Exodus 20 and again in Deuteronomy 5, but gives no numbers. Someplace in the Old Testament, it says there are ten of them. I have seen a Roman Catholic numbering, a Protestant numbering and a Jewish numbering and there could be others. Different versions break up some commandments and merge others. The Protestant numbering goes back to John Calvin, and this is the numbering that we see at the mall.
Which translation did they use for this exhibition of the Commandments? It uses “thou shalt not” and “thy,” so it sounds like the King James version but it isn’t that simple.
The mall’s display of the Ten Commandments contains 84 words, and this is shorter than Biblical versions. Using Exodus 20, in the KJV the Commandments come out to 297 words. In the New International Verions, NIV, the Commandments come out to 284 words. By the number of words, the display version gives us 28% of the Ten Commandments, using the KJV. I will round that to 30%.
The most radical shortening is in the Sabbath Commandment, number four according to John Calvin. In the mall display, the Sabbath Commandment is eight words. In the New International Version it is 97 words. The mall chooses to give us about 8% of this Commandment. The mall display gives the Second Commandment, graven images, in nine words. In the KJV the Second Commandment is 91 words. The mall chooses to give us about 10% of this Commandment. The last of the Commandments, which forbids coveting, is twelve words in the mall display. It is 30 words in the NIV.
Perhaps the Mall should change the title of their display from “The Ten Commandments” to “The Ten Commandments, Consensed,” the Ten Commandments, Abridged,” or maybe “Essentials of the Ten Commandments.”
There is a lot of talk about posting the Ten Commandments in schools and in public buildings. I suspect these are also condensed to the essentials.
