a mere housewife
Not your cup of tea
This is a much clearer, and I hope more clearly answerable, restatement of questions from a thread here (that thread contains specific examples of what I mean by 'tension').
Are the commandments hierarchical, so that in some situations (as of preserving life) the 6th commandment outranks the 4th or the 9th?
If the answer is "yes, they are hierarchical", how do we tell which commandment outranks which in a given circumstance?
If the answer is "no, they are not hierarchical" how do we know further what account is to be given of the exceptions we see practised and in some cases approved in the rest of Scripture.
Can they be harmonised by paying strict attention to the letter of the law? Does their justification depend on the spirit of the law?