What are the differences between 10 commandments in exode and 10 commandments in vaetchanan?

The Ten Commandments appear twice in the Torah — once in Exodus 20 (Parashat Yitro) and once in Deuteronomy 5 (Parashat Va'etchanan) — and while they are largely identical, there are several notable differences in wording, emphasis, and rationale. These differences have fascinated rabbis and scholars for millennia.

Key Takeaways

The most famous difference is in the Shabbat commandment: Exodus says "Zachor" (remember), while Deuteronomy says "Shamor" (observe/guard).
The reason given for Shabbat differs: Exodus ties it to Creation; Deuteronomy ties it to the Exodus from Egypt.
The commandment against coveting uses different verbs and structure in each version.
The Talmud resolves the Zachor/Shamor difference with the famous teaching that both were spoken simultaneously.
Moses in Deuteronomy is retelling the commandments from memory, which some use to explain the variations.

Detailed Analysis of the Differences

1. The Shabbat Commandment — Zachor vs. Shamor

This is the most famous difference.

Exodus 20:8 — "זָכוֹר אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ" — "Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it."
Deuteronomy 5:12 — "שָׁמוֹר אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ" — "Observe/Guard the Sabbath day to sanctify it."

The Talmud resolves this tension with a stunning teaching:

"זָכוֹר וְשָׁמוֹר בְּדִבּוּר אֶחָד נֶאֱמְרוּ" — "Zachor and Shamor were spoken in a single utterance." [Rosh Hashanah 27a; Shevuot 20b]

Rashi explains that this was a miraculous Divine speech impossible for human mouths to replicate [Rashi, Deuteronomy 5:12]. The two words are understood as complementary:

Zachor (Remember) → positive commandments of Shabbat (Kiddush, meals, joy)
Shamor (Observe) → negative commandments of Shabbat (refraining from forbidden labor)

This is also the basis for the famous Friday night piyyut (liturgical poem) Lecha Dodi: "שָׁמוֹר וְזָכוֹר בְּדִבּוּר אֶחָד" — "Shamor and Zachor in one word."

2. The Reason for Shabbat

The two versions give entirely different rationales for Shabbat:

Exodus 20:11 — Shabbat commemorates Creation: "כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה ה' אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ" — "For in six days God made the heavens and the earth..."
Deuteronomy 5:15 — Shabbat commemorates the Exodus: "וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם" — "And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt..."

Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 31) explains that both reasons are true and complementary — Shabbat simultaneously testifies to God as Creator and to Israel's redemption as His chosen nation.

3. The Commandment Against Coveting — Different Verbs

Exodus 20:14 uses "לֹא תַחְמֹד" (lo tachmod) twice — "You shall not covet your neighbor's house... you shall not covet your neighbor's wife."
Deuteronomy 5:18 uses "לֹא תַחְמֹד" for the wife, but "לֹא תִתְאַוֶּה" (lo tit'aveh — "you shall not desire") for the house, and also reverses the order, listing the wife before the house.

Ramban (Nachmanides) sees a meaningful distinction: chemdah (coveting) implies taking action to acquire, while ta'avah (desire) refers to the internal longing itself [Ramban, Exodus 20:14]. This reflects a deeper psychological teaching about the progression from desire to action.

The reversal of wife before house in Deuteronomy is noted by commentators as emphasizing the primary importance of a person's spouse.

4. The Shabbat Commandment — Additional Words

Deuteronomy's version of Shabbat adds the phrase: "לְמַעַן יָנוּחַ עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ כָּמוֹךָ" — "So that your servant and maidservant may rest like you" [Deuteronomy 5:14].

This addition emphasizes the social justice dimension of Shabbat — the rest of servants and workers — which connects thematically to the Exodus narrative that follows.

5. The Framing of the Ox and Donkey

In the Shabbat commandment, the list of those who must rest differs slightly:

Exodus lists: your son, daughter, servant, maidservant, animal, and the stranger.
Deuteronomy lists the same but adds "וְשׁוֹרְךָ וַחֲמֹרְךָ וְכׇל־בְּהֶמְתֶּךָ" — "your ox, your donkey, and all your animals" — making the animal welfare dimension more explicit [Deuteronomy 5:14].

6. The Word "And" (Vav) in the Murder/Adultery/Theft Series

In Deuteronomy, the commandments "do not murder," "do not commit adultery," and "do not steal" are connected with the conjunction vav ("and"), whereas Exodus presents them without the connecting vav.

The Ba'al HaTurim notes this stylistic difference suggests Deuteronomy is presenting these as a unified, interconnected moral cluster.

Why Are There Differences? — The Big Question

Three major approaches explain the discrepancies:

A. The Talmudic Approach — Divine Simultaneity

As cited above, the Talmud teaches that Zachor and Shamor (and by extension, other variations) were spoken simultaneously by God in a single miraculous utterance [Shevuot 20b]. Human language cannot capture what was a single Divine speech.

B. Moses Paraphrased

Ramban and others suggest that in Deuteronomy, Moses is recounting the commandments from memory in his farewell address, and under Divine inspiration he emphasized different aspects suited to the new generation about to enter the Land [Ramban, Introduction to Deuteronomy].

C. Different Theological Emphases for Different Audiences

The Exodus generation needed to hear about Creation (establishing God's identity as Creator). The Deuteronomy generation, who had been wandering and were children of slaves, needed to hear the Exodus — a reminder of their personal redemption and the obligation to extend rest to their own servants.

For personal guidance on any halachic implications of these differences, consult your local rabbi or posek.