The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments are recorded in chapter 20 of Exodus and in chapter 5 of Deuteronomy. The Old Testament calls them “the words of the covenant” (Exod 34:28) and “the ten words” (Exod 34:28; Deut 4:13); the New Testament calls them “the commandments”, in Greek ἐντολαί (Matt 19:17; Rom 13:9). Today they are often called the Decalogue, from the Greek δέκα λόγοι, “ten words”.
The two records of the Ten Commandments are essentially the same, but they give different grounds for the Sabbath commandment: in Exodus it rests on the creation of the world, in Deuteronomy on Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
In the New Testament Jesus and the apostles refer to these commandments more than once — to all of them except the Sabbath commandment. They speak above all of keeping them inwardly rather than outwardly and single out two chief requirements: love for God and love for one’s neighbour.
Exodus and Deuteronomy
I [am] the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered], which have brought youi out of the land of Mitzrayim [Egypt - The Narrow Place], out of the house of bondage.
youi shall have no other gods before me.
youi shall not make unto youi any graven image, or any likeness [of anything] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:
youi shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered] [am] El Kana [a jealous God], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;
And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
youi shall not take the name of the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered] in vain; for the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.
Remember the Shabbat [Rest] day, to keep it holy.
Six days shall youi labour, and do all youi work:
But the seventh day [is] the Shabbat [Rest] of the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered]: [in it] youi shall not do any work, youi, nor youi son, nor youi daughter, youi manservant, nor youi maidservant, nor youi cattle, nor youi stranger that [is] within youi gates:
For [in] six days the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) Blessed (Favored by God; happy; prosperous) the Shabbat [Rest] day, and consecrated it.
Honour youi father and youi mother: that youi days may be long upon the land which the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered] gives youi.
youi shall not kill.
youi shall not commit adultery.
youi shall not steal.
youi shall not bear false witness against youi neighbour.
youi shall not covet youi neighbour’s house, youi shall not covet youri neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that [is] youri neighbour’s.
I [am] the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered], which brought youi out of the land of Mitzrayim [Egypt - The Narrow Place], from the house of bondage.
youi shall have none other gods before me.
youi shall not make youi [any] graven image, [or] any likeness [of anything] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the waters beneath the earth:
youi shall not bow down yourself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered] [am] a jealous God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me,
And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
youi shall not take the name of the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered] in vain: for the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) will not hold [him] guiltless that takes his name in vain.
Keep the Shabbat [Rest] day to sanctify (make holy; set apart for God’s use) it, as the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered] has commanded youi.
Six days youi shall labour, and do all youi work:
But the seventh day [is] the Shabbat [Rest] of the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered]: [in it] youi shall not do any work, youi, nor youi son, nor youi daughter, nor youi manservant, nor youi maidservant, nor youi ox, nor youi ass, nor any of youi cattle, nor youi stranger that [is] within youi gates; that youi manservant and youi maidservant may rest as well as youi.
And remember that youi were a servant in the land of Mitzrayim [Egypt - The Narrow Place], and [that] the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered] brought youi out there through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered] commanded youi to keep the Shabbat [Rest] day.
Honour youi father and youi mother, as the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered] has commanded youi; that youi days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with youi, in the land which the LORD-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) youi God-Elōhīm (The Living Word) [The Many Powered] gives youi.
youi shall not kill.
Neither shall youi commit adultery.
Neither shall youi steal.
Neither shall youi bear false witness against youi neighbour.
Neither shall youi desire youi neighbour’s wife, neither shall youi covet youi neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any [thing] that [is] youi neighbour’s.
How the commandments are numbered
The text holds more than ten precepts, and there is more than one way to divide it into ten commandments. The table shows which commandment each passage counts as in each tradition; a dash means the passage is not counted among the commandments, and “pre.” marks the preamble: it has no number of its own but is held to be part of the Ten Commandments.
| Text | Exodus | Deuteronomy | Septuagint | Talmud | Augustine | Philo | Catholic | Lutheran | Reformed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “I am the LORD thy God…” | 20:2 | 5:6 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | pre. |
| “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” | 20:3 | 5:7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…” | 20:4–6 | 5:8–10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 |
| “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain…” | 20:7 | 5:11 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| “Remember (keep) the sabbath day…” | 20:8–11 | 5:12–15 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| “Honour thy father and thy mother…” | 20:12 | 5:16 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| “Thou shalt not kill” | 20:13 | 5:17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| “Thou shalt not commit adultery” | 20:14 | 5:18 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| “Thou shalt not steal” | 20:15 | 5:19 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| “Thou shalt not bear false witness…” | 20:16 | 5:20 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house” | 20:17 | 5:21 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
| “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife” | 20:17 | 5:21 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| “…nor his manservant, nor his maidservant… nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s” | 20:17 | 5:21 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
- Septuagint — the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Its division is followed today by the Orthodox Church and by most Protestant churches, except the Lutherans.
- Talmud — in the Jewish tradition the first commandment is the preamble, “I am the LORD thy God…”.
- Saint Augustine follows the Jewish tradition but does not count the preamble as a commandment, and splits the last commandment, “Thou shalt not covet”, in two, following the word order of Deuteronomy.
- Philo of Alexandria divides the text as the Septuagint does, but has “Thou shalt not kill” and “Thou shalt not commit adultery” the other way round.
- The Catholic Church follows Augustine’s division but counts the preamble as part of the first commandment.
- Lutherans follow Augustine’s division without the prohibition of images and take the text of Exodus as the basis.
- Reformed churches follow the Septuagint’s division; the preamble is held to be a necessary part of the Ten Commandments and is always said together with them.