THE MYTH OF THE 613 COMMANDMENTS AND THE TRUE COMMANDMENTS EVERY SERVANT OF GOD MUST SEEK TO OBEY
COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS
Many times, when we publish texts about the necessity of obeying all the commandments of the Father and the Son for salvation, some readers become irritated and respond with comments such as: “If that’s the case, we’ll have to keep all 613 commandments!”
Such comments reveal that most people have no idea where this mysterious number of commandments—which no one has ever seen in the Bible—originated or what it actually entails.
EXPLAINING THE ORIGIN OF THE MYTH
QUESTION-AND-ANSWER FORMAT
In this study, we will explain the origin of this myth in a question-and-answer format.
We will also clarify which are the true commandments of God, as contained in the Holy Scriptures, that every person who fears God the Father and hopes to be sent to His Son for the remission of sins should seek to obey.
Question: What are the so-called 613 commandments?
Answer: The 613 commandments (613 Mitzvot) were invented by rabbis in the 12th century AD for practicing Jews. Their main author was the Spanish rabbi and philosopher Moses Maimonides (1135–1204), also known as Rambam.
Question: Are there truly 613 commandments in the Scriptures?
Answer: No. The true commandments of the Lord are few and simple to obey. The devil inspired this myth as part of his long-term plan to convince humanity to abandon obedience to the Lord. This strategy has been in place since Eden.
Question: Where did the number 613 come from?
Answer: This number originates from rabbinic tradition and the concept of Hebrew numerology, which assigns a numerical value to each letter of the alphabet. One such tradition claims that the word tzitzit (ציצית), meaning fringes or tassels (see Numbers 15:37-39), has a numerical sum of 613 when its letters are added together.
Specifically, these tassels, according to the myth, are said to have an initial numerical value of 600. Adding eight threads and five knots brings the total to 613, which they claim corresponds to the number of commandments in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). It is worth noting that the use of the tzitzit is a genuine commandment that must be obeyed by all, but this connection to 613 commandments is pure invention. It is one of the many “traditions of the elders” mentioned and condemned by Jesus (see Matthew 15:1-20). [See the study on the tzitzit]
Question: How did they come up with so many commandments to fit the 613 number from the tzitzit (tassels)?
Answer: With great difficulty and creativity. They divided true commandments into several smaller ones to inflate the count. They also included numerous commandments related to priests, the Temple, agriculture, livestock, festivals, and more.
Question: What are the true commandments we must strive to obey?
Answer: In addition to the Ten Commandments, there are a few other commandments, all of which are simple to obey. Some are specific to men or women, others to the community, and a few to specific groups such as farmers and livestock keepers. Many commandments do not apply to Christians because they are exclusive to the descendants of the tribe of Levi or are connected to the Temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed in 70 AD.
We must understand that now, in the end times, God is calling all His faithful children to prepare, for at any moment, He will take us from this corrupt world. God will only take those who strive to obey all His commandments, without exception.

Do not follow the teachings and examples of your leaders, but follow only what God has commanded. Gentiles are not exempt from any of God’s commandments: “The assembly is to have the same laws for you and for the gentile [גֵּר gēr (stranger, foreigner, non-jew)] residing among you; this is a perpetual decree for your generations: before the Lord, it will apply equally to you and the gentile residing among you. The same law and ordinance will apply to both you and the gentile residing among you” (Numbers 15:15-16).
The term “gentile residing among you” refers to any non-Jew who wishes to join God’s chosen people and be saved. “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews“ (John 4:22).
Below are the commandments most often ignored by Christians, all of which were followed by Jesus, His apostles, and His disciples. Jesus is our example.
COMMANDMENTS FOR MAN:
- Hair and beard: “You shall not cut the hair of your head round about, nor spoil the edges of your beard” (Leviticus 19:27). [Access study on the Christian’s hair and beard.]
- Tzitzit: “Tell the sons of Israel to make for themselves tassels on the edges of their garments in their generations…and to look at them, to remember all the commandments of the Lord” (Numbers 15:37-39). [Access study on tzitzit.]
- Circumcision: “Eight days old from birth, let your male child be circumcised… Both the nativate and the gentile.” (Genesis 17:12). [Access study on Christians and circumcision.]
COMMANDMENT FOR WOMEN:
- Abstinence from relationships during menstruation: “If anyone lies down with a woman during her sickness and reveals her nakedness…both of them shall be destroyed from among their people” (Leviticus 20:18).
COMMANDMENTS FOR THE COMMUNITY:
- Sabbathrest: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall work…but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God” (Exodus 20:8-11). [Access study on the Sabbath]
- Forbidden foods: “Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat…” (Leviticus 11:1-46]
Question: In his letters (epistles), doesn’t Paul say that Jesus obeyed all the commandments for us and canceled them through His death?
Answer: Absolutely not. Paul himself would be horrified to see what pastors are teaching in churches using his writings. No human being, including Paul, was given authority by God to change even a single letter of His holy and eternal Law. If this were true, both the prophets and Jesus would have been clear that God would send a certain man from Tarsus with this level of authority. However, the fact is that Paul is not mentioned at all—neither by the prophets in the Tanach (Old Testament) nor by the Messiah in the four Gospels. Such an important matter would not have been left unaddressed by God.
The prophets mention only three individuals who appeared during the New Testament period: Judas (Psalm 41:9), John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:3), and Joseph of Arimathea (Isaiah 53:9). There is zero reference to Paul, and that is because he did not teach anything that adds to or contradicts what had already been revealed by the prophets or Jesus.
Any Christian who believes that Paul changed something from what had been previously written must reconsider their understanding to align with the prophets and Jesus—not the other way around, as most people do.
If one cannot make Paul’s writings fit with the prophets and Jesus, it is better to set them aside than to disobey God based on one’s interpretation of any human’s writings. Such reasoning will not be accepted as an excuse at the final judgment.
No one will convince the Judge by saying, “I am innocent of having ignored Your commandments because I followed Paul.” Here is what has been revealed about the end times: “Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith in Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).
Question: Didn’t the Holy Spirit inspire changes and cancellations to God’s Law?
Answer: Such an idea borders on blasphemy. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God Himself. Jesus was clear that the sending of the Holy Spirit was meant to instruct us by reminding us of what He had already said: “He (the Spirit) will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).
There is no mention that the Holy Spirit would bring a new doctrine not already taught by the Son or the Father’s prophets. Salvation is the most important topic in the Holy Scriptures, and all the necessary information had already been delivered by the prophets and by Jesus: “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded [εντολη (endoli) command, rule, instruction] me to say all that I have spoken. I know that His command [endoli] leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say” (John 12:49-50).
There is a continuity of revelations that ended with Christ. We know this because, as previously mentioned, there are no prophecies about the sending of any human being with new primary doctrines after the Messiah. The only revelations after the resurrection pertain to the end times, and there is nothing about new doctrines from God arising between Jesus and the end of the world.
All of God’s commandments are continuous and eternal, and we will be judged by them. Those who pleased the Father were sent to the Son to be redeemed by Him. Those who disobeyed the Father’s commandments did not please Him and were not sent to the Son: “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them” (John 6:65).
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