The Decalogue The Ten Commandments (Decalogue), are a list of religious and moral imperatives that according to Judeo-Christian tradition, were written by God and given to Moses on the mountain referred to as "Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19:23) or "Mount Horeb" (Deuteronomy 5:2) in the form of two stone tablets. They feature prominently in Judaism and Christianity. "The name "Decalogue" is derived from the Greek name "dekalogos" ("ten statements") found in the Septuagint (Exodus 34:28 and Deuteronomy 10:4), which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name. In Biblical Hebrew language, the commandments are termed Biblical Hebrew, sometimes called Classical Hebrew, it is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, in which the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh was written, and which the ancient Israelites spoke. It is not spoken in its pure form today, although it is studied by religious Jews – as well as Christian theologians, linguists and Israeli archaeologists – for practical application and deeper understanding in their studies of the Tanach and its commentaries. Jews usually learn it when studying ancient scriptures. Classical Hebrew is taught in most if not all public schools in Israel. The romanization of Hebrew is the use of the Latin alphabet to transliterate Hebrew words and in Rabbinical Hebrew. The Mishnaic Hebrew language or Early Rabbinic Hebrew language is one direct ancient descendant of Biblical Hebrew as preserved by the Jews after the Babylonian captivity, and definitively recorded by Jewish sages in writing the Mishnah and other contemporary documents. It was not used by the Samaritans, who preserved their own dialect, Samaritan Hebrew. Both translatable as "the ten statements. Biblical Hebrew can be read by anyone familiar with modern Hebrew. The differences between Biblical Hebrew and modern Hebrew are mainly in grammar, modern vocabulary, and Biblical Hebrew's distinct writing style. Although Modern and Biblical Hebrew's grammar laws are often different, parts of Biblical Hebrew are often used in literary Modern Hebrew. Elements of Biblical Hebrew are also often used in conversation and in the Israeli media and in Rabbinical Hebrew. both translatable as "the ten statements." The phrase "Ten Commandments" generally refers to the very similar passages in Exodus 20:2–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21. Some distinguish between this "Ethical Decalogue" and a series of ten commandments in Exodus 34 that are labeled the "Ritual Decalogue". [The Ritual Decalogue is one of the two very different lists within the Torah that are known as the Decalogue or Ten Commandments — the name decalogue merely means ten terms. The Ritual Decalogue is the list of commandments in Exodus 34:10-26. They are generally viewed as having minor significance compared to the Ethical Decalogue. Although the Ritual Decalogue appears in the text at the point where the Ten Commandments are inscribed into the second set of stone tablets, and it is they, rather than the Ethical Decalogue, which are there identified as the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). Ritual Decalogue It is the Ethical Decalogue which is commonly believed to have been inscribed on both sets of tablets. The commandments passage in Exodus contains more than ten imperative statements, totalling fourteen or fifteen in all. However, the Bible itself assigns the count of "ten" to the list, using the Hebrew phrase aseret had 'varim. The uses of the phrase aseret had'varim are at Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13, and Deuteronomy 10:4. For alternative theory to what these verses may be referring to see Ritual Decalogue - end-notes [3] Various religions divide these statements among the Commandments in different ways, and may also translate the Commandments differently. Manipulation of the Ten Commandments   References to Wikipedia Text of the Ten Commandments Division of the Commandments Traditional division and interpretation Controversies Sabbath day Ritual Decalogue