Footnote

This division of the Ten Commandments, vss 2-17, is the natural division. It agrees with the first-century C.E. Jewish historian Josephus (Jewish An­tiq­uities, Book III, chapter 5, ¶5) and with the first-century Jewish philosopher Philo, who divide off vs 3 as the first commandment, vss 4-6 as the second commandment and vs 17, which forbids all covetousness, as the tenth commandment. Others, including Augustine, consider vss 3-6 as one commandment but divide vs 17 into two commandments, the ninth against coveting a fellowman’s house and the tenth against coveting his living possessions. Augustine supported his division on the later parallel statement of the Ten Commandments in De 5:6-21, which uses two different Heb. verbs in vs 21 in forbidding covetous desire for what belongs to a fellowman, whereas Ex 20:17 uses the same Heb. verb both times. Augustine’s division has been adopted by the Roman Catholic religious system.