What are the 613 commandments in the Old Testament Law? | GotQuestions.org

The Number 613 and the Debate Over Counting the Commandments

Today's question is, what are the 613 commandments in the Old Testament law? In this video I'll answer that question from a biblical perspective. Then afterwards, as always, I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.

The number 613 is often cited as the number of commandments in the Old Testament law. However, there is no verse in the Bible that gives 613 as the correct enumeration. There are other counts as well.

There is no universal agreement among Jews or Christians that there are exactly 613 laws given by God through Moses. In any calculation of the number of commandments in the Mosaic law, complications arise.

For example, if a command occurs in Exodus and is then repeated in Deuteronomy, does that count as one commandment or two? Further, some commandments can be understood as clarifications of other commandments rather than additional commandments.

There is some debate as to who first came up with 613 as the number of commandments. The Talmud points to Rabbi Simlai in the 3rd century AD as the originator. However, there is no record of Rabbi Simlai listing all 613 commandments.

The most commonly accepted breakdown was done by Maimonides in the 12th century AD. Maimonides further divided the 613 commandments into positive do-this commandments, numbering 248, and negative do-not-do-this commandments, numbering 365.

The Law’s Purpose Was to Point Us to Christ

Biblically speaking, whether or not 613 is the correct count is not that important. The purpose of the law was to point us to Christ. Galatians 3, verse 24 says, "...therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by.

Faith.".

No one can perfectly obey all the commandments, no matter how many or few there are. In fact, no one can even perfectly obey the Ten Commandments. The law makes our sinfulness evident. God gave the law to define sin and demonstrate our need for a Savior.

Jesus Fulfilled the Law and Saves from Its Condemnation

Jesus is the only One who has perfectly obeyed the law. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He fulfilled all of God's righteous commands. For more information on how faith in Jesus saves us from the condemnation of the law, please watch our video, What Does It Mean That Jesus Saves?

Below in the description is a list of all 613 commandments found in the Old Testament.

Law.

Note that some verses contain more than one command. Want to learn more? Subscribe so you don't miss the next video! Visit GotQuestions .org for more great content. And check out the details section below this video, there you'll find one book I recommend, along with links to several related questions.

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