I made such an attempt. I document it in the chapter "Which Ten Commandments?" in Plague, Precept, Prophet, Peace. I elaborate on it in "Appendix I: A Clock for Timothy".
The problem is to find a use of the commandments as an organizational schema in some other part of the Bible. If one can show how that section of the Bible has a "ten-ness" to it with each part corresponding to a different commandment and the correspondence is detailed enough to rule out one way of dividing the commandments and rule in another, then you have your answer.
I found several such passages. Some of the Ten Plagues on Egypt have a close correspondence to the matching Commandments. The argument is complex because it draws some of the correspondences from later events in the Old Testament.
The cleanest and most compact passage is in 1 Timothy. In my appendix, I show how the ten chapters of 1 & 2 Timothy each correspond to a commandment; that is Paul's organizational principle that unifies the two letters. However, Paul does not give the commandments in canonical order. Nevertheless, even with his reordering of commandments, it is clear that he divided the commands the way Protestants and Orthodox do.
Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just
- II but for the lawless and disobedient,
- I for the ungodly and sinners,
- IV for the unholy
- III and profane,
- V for those who strike their fathers and mothers,
- VI for murderers,
- VII the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality,
- VIII enslavers,
- IX liars, perjurers,
- X and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine…
1 Timothy 1:8-10 ESV
To clarify a few assignments:
- "the ungodly and sinners" do not worship the one God of the first commandment
- "the lawless and disobedient" are those who practice idolatry
- "the unholy" break the sabbath commandment, because we are to keep the sabbath holy.
- "the profane" break the commandment by profane speech when they take the Lord's name in vain
- "the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality" commit adultery
- "enslavers" steal people's freedom, hence commit theft
- "liars, perjurers" break the command to not bear false witness
This leaves the catchall "whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine" to address covetousness which thus is a single commandment, not two.
The correlations are reinforced when you look at the actual content of the chapters in Paul's letters. For example, "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," (1 Timothy 2:5) speaks of there being only one God, the first commandment.
So using the Apostle Paul's division of the commandments, you arrive at the Protestant list.
