The veil was torn in the middle, and all the burdens of the ceremonial laws were nailed to the cross.

Many believers in Jesus Christ have neglected the Ten Commandments, either out of ignorance, misunderstanding of the numerous laws in the Bible, or simple disregard. The Ten Commandments are the words of God written on hearts and minds through the blood of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:4 says, “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but the Spirit.” Whatever the reason for this neglect, the Lord Himself is restoring the proper understanding through His servants.

God made it clear in Exodus that the Ten Commandments were to be placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. These commandments were written twice by the finger of God, and each time Moses spent forty days and forty nights on the mountain without food or drink (Exodus 24). Yet, many believers confuse the Ten Commandments with the “book of the covenant.” These are distinct and should not be mixed.

The Book of the Covenant

The book of the covenant contains 613 laws that God dictated to Moses as binding for Israel. These include ceremonial laws, rituals involving animal sacrifices, and rules that separated Jews from Gentiles. These laws pointed forward to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and were nailed to the cross by Him, removing the wall of partition and enabling believers to serve God in spirit and truth (John 4:23–24).

The Ten Commandments and other instructions—such as God’s feast days and new year observances—were separated from the ceremonial laws but were not destroyed. They remain God’s commandments for His people (Leviticus 23:1–2).

Although the number 613 is often cited as the total of these laws, there is no biblical verse confirming this exact count. Different traditions have different enumerations, and the original manuscripts no longer exist. Moses received these laws from God, wrote them down, and presented them to the people as the “book of the covenant” (Exodus 24:1–8).

How Moses Received the Covenant

Exodus 24:1–8 describes the process:

1. God called Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders to worship from afar.

2. Moses alone approached God, received the words and judgments of the Lord, and wrote them down.

3. He built an altar, offered sacrifices, and sprinkled the blood on the altar and the people, declaring it the blood of the covenant.

4. Moses read the book of the covenant to the people, who pledged obedience.

This “book of the covenant” is different from the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments

Starting in Exodus 24:9, God called Moses (with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders) to ascend Mount Sinai. There, Moses received the Ten Commandments directly written by God on stone tablets. He spent forty days and forty nights on the mountain for each set of tablets (Exodus 24:12–18). These commandments were specifically placed inside the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:16).

There is often confusion because translations sometimes refer to these tablets as the “covenant” or “testimony,” but they are distinct from the book of the covenant. The Ten Commandments were written by God Himself and are the moral law that points us to Christ.

Purpose of the Law

The precise number of commandments in the Mosaic Law is less important than their purpose. Galatians 3:24 says the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ. Through Jesus, the Ten Commandments are written on believers’ hearts, not just on stone, enabling justification by faith.

No human can perfectly obey all commandments, including the Ten Commandments (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23). The Law reveals our sinfulness (Romans 7:7) and shows our need for a Savior. Only Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law through His life, death, and resurrection (Matthew 5:17–18).

Unlike the book of the covenant, the Ten Commandments were never sprinkled with blood; God commanded Moses simply to place them inside the Ark of the Covenant.

Below is a list of the 613 commandments found in the Old Testament laws or covenant that the Lord dictated to Moses, placed by the side of the ark of the covenant (Deuteronomy 31:12, 15–16).

1. Genesis

2. Exodus

3. Leviticus

4. Numbers

5. Deuteronomy