Digging Deeper – One Command, or Two?

Avatar photo Chris Boggess on July 30, 2026

 

“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

7 “You must not have any other god but me.

8 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 9 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 10 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those[b] who love me and obey my commands.

11 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. 15 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.

16 “Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

17 “You must not murder.

18 “You must not commit adultery.

19 “You must not steal.

20 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

21 “You must not covet your neighbor’s wife. You must not covet your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. 

Deuteronomy 5:6-21 (NLT)


ONE COMMAND, OR TWO?

I grew up in church and always thought I knew the Ten Commandments. I mean, they’re right there on the page and seem pretty straightforward. So, I was surprised to learn from a Roman Catholic friend that my numbering wasn’t the same as his.

You see, this list, often referred to as the “Decalogue,” is important enough to God that it appears twice in Scripture.

Catholics use Augustine’s numbering, which is based on the Deuteronomy 5 account of the commandments rather than the Exodus 20 account that we’ve been studying on Sundays. In Augustine’s numbering, what we call the first and second commandments (“You shall have no other gods before Me” and “You shall not make for yourself a carved image”) are combined into a single commandment. Then, at the end of the list, coveting your neighbor’s wife is counted as the ninth commandment, while coveting your neighbor’s possessions is counted as the tenth—taking what Protestants count as one commandment and dividing it into two.

One more interesting fact: Judaism numbers the Ten Commandments differently from both Catholics and Protestants. The first commandment is Exodus 20:2: “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.” Then what Protestants number as the first and second commandments (Exodus 20:3–6) are combined into a single commandment.

So, is coveting one commandment or two? I would argue that it doesn’t matter whether you are coveting a person or a possession. They don’t need to be separated. In fact, we could say that coveting a person is a form of objectification. That person simply becomes something we want, while their humanity, personality, and desires are pushed aside.

Treating people like things is something God repeatedly speaks against through His prophets, and it certainly violates the second greatest commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Take a moment to evaluate your own heart. Are there people in your life whom you may not be coveting, but whom you are failing to treat with the dignity due to someone created in God’s image? Ask God to forgive you, and perhaps you also need to ask that person for forgiveness.

 

Chris Boggess is the Care + Family Pastor at NorthStar Church. He grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia, and still cheers for the Mountaineers. He and his wife, Heather, have two grown children and one granddaughter.

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