The 10 Commandments are a set of norms that God, according to the Bible, gave to the Israelites.

We find the foundation for them in Exodus chapter 20: verses 1-17 (NIV)[1]:

“And God spoke all these words:

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.

You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.”

There are several traditions on how to divide the verses to get the 10 Commandments. Store Norske Leksikon says: “The division of the Commandments is not given from the mentioned biblical texts, since they are not formed as short verses, but contains much additional information. Jewish tradition divides the Commandments differently than what is usual in the Christian tradition, and Judaism has kept the “aniconism commandment” as their second Commandment”[2].

Jewish tradition

The regular division of the Commandments in Jewish tradition is according to Store Norsk Leksikon:

1. I am the Lord your God…
2. You shall not have other gods than me + aniconism [you shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them]
3. you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God…
4. Remember the Sabbath [the day of rest] day by keeping it holy…
5. Honour your father and your mother…
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.
10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

To divide the 10 Commandments in this way is known from the 1st Century AD by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and the Jewish philosopher Philon.

Another division – Catholic and Protestant

Another common division, both in the catholic and protestant churches, is due to the theologian Agustine (354-430), who removed the “aniconism commandment” and instead divided the commandment about coveting (verse 17)[3] in two. So that according to Catholic News Agency[4]:

1. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.
4. Honour your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
9. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s goods.

The third variation we can find on Wikipedia[5]:

1. I am the Lord thy God
2. No other gods before me
3. No graven images or likeness
4. Not take the Lord’s name in vain
5. Remember the sabbath day
6. Honour thy father and thy mother
7. Thou shalt not kill
8. Thou shalt not commit adultery
9. Thou shalt not steal
10. Thou shalt not bear false witness
11. Thou shalt not covet

[1] There is a similar reciting in Deuteronomy 5: 6-21

^[2] SNL – The 10 Commandments – Judaism (in Norwegian)

[3] Augustine defends his division of the “coveting commandment” in two by the parallel reciting in Deuteronomy 5:21, there are two different verbs used to covet “your neighbour’s goods” and “covet […] wife”.

[4] https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55029/the-ten-commandments

[5] Directly recited from Wikipedia