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 thy God, who have brought thee out of the land of Mizraim, out of the house of servitude.
Thou shalt have no other God beside Me.
Thou shalt not make to thee image nor likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, nor in the earth beneath, nor in the waters under the earth: Thou shalt not worship them nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God; visiting the sins of the fathers upon the rebellious children, unto the third generation and to the fourth generation of those who hate Me; while the children continue (or complete) to sin after their fathers; But doing good to thousands of generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Thou shalt not swear in the name of the Lord thy God vainly; for the Lord will not acquit him who sweareth in His Name with falsity.
Remember the day of Shabbatha to sanctify it. Six days shalt thou do service and do all thy work; but the seventh day is Shabbath before the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not do every work; thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy servant nor thy handmaid, nor thy cattle, nor thy sojourner who is in thy city. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the seas and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the day of Shabbath, and sanctified it.
Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth to thee.
Thou shalt not kill life. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not testify against thy neighbour a testimony of falsehood.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.
And all the people saw the thunders, and the flames, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and the people saw, and trembled, and stood afar off.
And they said to Mosheh, Speak thou with us, and we will hearken; but let it not be spoken to us from before the Lord, lest we die.
And Mosheh said to the people, Fear not; for that He may prove you He hath revealed to you the glory of the Lord, and that His fear may be before your face, that you may not sin.
I am the Lord thy God, who hath brought thee out of the land of Mizraim, from the house of bondage.
There shall not be with thee another god beside Me.
Thou shalt not make to thee an image or any likeness of that which is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth; Thou shalt not worship them or serve them: for I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the guilt of fathers upon rebellious children, upon the third generation and upon the fourth of them that hate Me, when the children complete the sins of their fathers; But doing good unto (thousands of) generations of those who love Me, and keep My commandments.
Thou shalt not swear by the Name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not acquit him who shall swear by His Name falsely.
Keep the day of Shabbatha to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt work, and do all thy labour; But the seventh day is the Sabbath before the Lord thy God: thou shalt not perform any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy servant, thy handmaid, thy ox, thy ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy sojourner who is in thy gates; that thy servant and handmaid may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Mizraim, and that the Lord brought thee out from thence with a mighty hand and uplifted arm; therefore the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to observe the Sabbath day.
Honour thy father and mother, as the Lord hath commanded, that thou mayest prolong thy days, and it may be well with thee in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee.
Thou shalt not kill life, nor commit adultery, nor steal, nor bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Nor shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, nor covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his servant, or his handmaid, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbour’s.
These words spake the Lord with all your congregation at the mount, from the midst of the fire, the clouds and the darkness, with a great voice, and hath not ceased. And He wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them to me.
But it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the fire and darkness, the mount burning with fire, all the chiefs of your tribes and your elders drew near to me.
And you said, Behold, the Lord our God hath showed to us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard the voice of His Word out of the midst of the fire; this day have we seen that the Lord speaketh with a man, and he liveth.
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.