Are the Ten Commandments a perfect summary of all the commandments found in the Bible? Many Christians claim that Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) are special because they summarize the &quot;moral law&quot; of God. However, in the Old Testament we find about 613 commandments, and similarly in the New Testament there are about 1050 commandments. Thus, there are about 1663 commandments in the whole Bible, which makes me seriously doubt that the 10 commandments can successfully capture and summarize all what the Bible has to say about morality.
Is it true that the Ten Commandments are a perfect summary of all the commandments found in both the Old and New Testaments?
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself'.
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
— Matthew 22

That was a two-part summary of the Ten Commandments (which are actually 10 freedoms for those that follow them):
The first four about loving God:

Paganism — Free of fear other gods.
Idolatry — Free of fear of any physical object.
Blasphemy — Free of fear that God will ignore you.
Disrespect — Free of mundane labour.

And the last six about loving man:

Dishonour — Free of fear of dishonouring one's family.
Murder — Free of mental poisons such as hatred and vengeance.
Adultery — Free of fear of temptation to be unfaithful.
Theft — Free of desire for what is not rightfully yours.
Perjury — Free of desire to use words to hurt others.
Extortion — Free of resentment of others for what they have.

Many commandments were for specific purposes, such as defining the infrastructure for running the country or organizing the religious hierarchy.
But all the other general commandments tend to fit into one of these ten categories.
Even the rules for how to have a healthy lifestyle could be considered as part of the commandment against (self-)murder.

Under the old covenant, the laws were considered in a strictly physical, letter-of-the-law manner.
Thoughts are not significant, it is one's actions that count.
(e.g. homosexual desire is not condemned (even today in modern Judaism); but acting on that desire is.)
Under the new covenant, the laws take on a spiritual meaning.
Physical actions are still significant, but so is mental attitude.
It's not only physically killing someone that is a sin, it is also simply hating them.
It's not only physical adultery that is a sin, it is also simply lusting in one's mind.