Supplemental Information #5: How are the 10 Commandments numbered/ordered? #
God never gives us a numbering system in the Bible. We are told that there are 10, but we are not told which groupings to make to form the 10. Because of this, a few different numbering systems of the 10 Commandments arose. For instance, if you talk to a Baptist about the 5th Commandment, you might be talking about how wrong it is to murder, but they would think you were talking about honoring your father and mother! No system is “right” or “wrong” – each has advantages and disadvantages and stresses different things. What follows are the three primary numbering systems and who uses them:
