The Ten Commandments for Reading and Memorization

[Jason]

There are two versions of the Ten Commandments in the Bible: in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5. When I memorized them, I did so from Exodus 20. Here's the text:

¹וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֵ֛ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לֵאמֹֽר׃ ²אָֽנֹכִי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֧ר הֽוֹצֵאתִ֛יךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֣ית עֲבָדִ֑ים לֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ אֱלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים עַל־פָּנָֽי׃ ³לֹֽא־תַעֲשֶׂ֨ה לְךָ֥ פֶ֨סֶל֙ וְכָל־תְּמוּנָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר בַּשָּׁמַ֨יִם֙ מִמַּ֔עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּאָ֖רֶץ מִתָּ֑חַת וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּמַּ֖יִם מִתַּ֥חַת לָאָֽרֶץ׃ ⁴לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֣א תָֽעָבְדֵ֑ם כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵד עֲוֺ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹֽׂנְאָֽי׃ ⁵וְעֹ֥שֶׂה חֶ֖סֶד לַֽאֲלָפִ֑ים לְאֹֽהֲבַ֖י וּלְשֹֽׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֺתָֽי׃ ⁶לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא׃
⁷זָכ֛וֹר אֶת־י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖ת לְקַדְּשֽׁוֹ׃ ⁸שֵׁ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד וְעָשִׂ֖יתָ כָּל־מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ׃ ⁹וְיוֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י שַׁבָּ֖ת לַֽיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ לֹֽא־תַעֲשֶׂ֨ה כָל־מְלָאכָ֜ה אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבִנְךָ֣ וּבִתֶּ֗ךָ עַבְדְּךָ֤ וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֙ וּבְהֶמְתֶּ֔ךָ וְגֵֽרְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֥ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃ ¹⁰כִּ֣י שֵֽׁשֶׁת־יָמִים֩ עָשָׂ֨ה יְהוָ֜ה אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶת־הַיָּם֙ וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֔ם וַיָּ֖נַח בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑י עַל־כֵּ֗ן בֵּרַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וַֽיְקַדְּשֵֽׁהוּ׃ ¹¹כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ לְמַ֨עַן֙ יַֽאֲרִכ֣וּן יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ ¹²לֹ֥א תִרְצָ֖ח לֹ֣א תִנְאָ֑ף לֹ֣א תִגְנֹ֔ב לֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵֽעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁקֶר׃ ¹³לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד בֵּ֣ית רֵעֶ֑ךָ לֹֽא־תַחְמֹ֞ד אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֶ֗ךָ וְעַבְדּ֤וֹ וַֽאֲמָתוֹ֙ וְשׁוֹר֣וֹ וַֽחֲמֹר֔וֹ וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְרֵעֶֽךָ׃

Interested in going through how to memorize passages like this?

[Jason]

When I memorize a passage, I break it into phrases and repeat one phrase several times until I get it down before moving on to the next. Verse 1 of this passage is really simple. The basis of it is repeated again and again in the whole Bible: וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים... לֵאמֹר "And God spoke... saying." The only thing that is added to this common formula is the expression אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵ֫לֶּה "all these words."

וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵ֫לֶּה לֵאמֹֽר׃

With that, you can easily have the first verse of the Ten Commandments passage memorized.

The next line is אָֽנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶ֫יךָ "I am Yahveh your God," to which is added the relative clause אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִ֫יךָ מֵאֶ֫רֶץ מִצְרַ֫יִם "who I took you out of the land of Egypt." Notice that the first person appears after the relative pronoun, although we tend to translate it in the third person: "I am Yahveh your God who took/brought you out..." הוֹצֵאתִ֫יךָ is hiphil perfect 1ms + 2ms suffix of the root יצ״א.

Remember that I-Yod verbs were often originally I-Vav, and יצ״א is no exception. The vav reverts in the hiphil (and niphal).

הַ + [יצא] ← הַוציא ← הַוְצִיא ← הוֹצִיא (aw → ô)

Once you've got this phrase pulled together, you should go back to the first line and run through both lines together. Then add the last phrase, which is an appositive for "land of Egypt."

אָֽנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶ֫יךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִ֫יךָ מֵאֶ֫רֶץ מִצְרַ֫יִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים

[Jason]

When I memorize a passage, I break it into phrases and repeat one phrase several times until I get it down before moving on to the next. Verse 1 of this passage is really simple. The basis of it is repeated again and again in the whole Bible: וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים... לֵאמֹר "And God spoke... saying." The only thing that is added to this common formula is the expression אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵ֫לֶּה "all these words."

וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵ֫לֶּה לֵאמֹֽר׃

With that, you can easily have the first verse of the Ten Commandments passage memorized.

The next line is אָֽנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶ֫יךָ "I am Yahveh your God," to which is added the relative clause אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִ֫יךָ מֵאֶ֫רֶץ מִצְרַ֫יִם "who I took you out of the land of Egypt." Notice that the first person appears after the relative pronoun, although we tend to translate it in the third person: "I am Yahveh your God who took/brought you out..." הוֹצֵאתִ֫יךָ is hiphil perfect 1ms + 2ms suffix of the root יצ״א.

Remember that I-Yod verbs were often originally I-Vav, and יצ״א is no exception. The vav reverts in the hiphil (and niphal).

הַ + [יצא] ← הַוציא ← הַוְצִיא ← הוֹצִיא (aw → ô)

Once you've got this phrase pulled together, you should go back to the first line and run through both lines together. Then add the last phrase, which is an appositive for "land of Egypt."

וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵ֫לֶּה לֵאמֹֽר׃ אָֽנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶ֫יךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִ֫יךָ מֵאֶ֫רֶץ מִצְרַ֫יִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים׃
And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am Yahveh your God who (I) brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of slaves...."

Of course, "the house of slaves" is often rendered "the house of slavery." It is almost like an early way of creating an abstract drawn from the concrete idea of a slave. That is, it means "slavery" as a concept, which came to be called עַבְדוּת along the lines of nouns like מַלְכוּת "royalty, reign" and יַלְדוּת "childhood."

In this way, you continue through the whole passage. Just add a phrase or two and start back at the beginning. Repeat it aloud. Practice writing it. Notice the little details about which vowels points are used. Commit it to memory in completion.

There is nothing as useful to mastering Hebrew than reading and memorizing text.

Do you have any comments or questions?

[samthemanB3]

I want to memorize them. A couple of days ago I wrote down vv. 2 & 3, but it makes sense that I should start with v. 1.