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
- “我是你的上帝耶和华，曾把你从受奴役之地埃及领出来。
- “除我以外，你不可有别的神明。
- 不可为自己雕刻神像，不可仿照天上、地上和地底下水中的任何形象造神像， 不可跪拜它们，也不可供奉它们，因为我——你的上帝耶和华痛恨不贞，我必追讨背弃我之人的罪，从父到子直到三四代。 但那些爱我、遵守我诫命的人，我必以慈爱待他们，直到千代。
- 不可妄用你上帝耶和华的名，违者必被耶和华定罪。
- 要谨记安息日，守为圣日。 你一周可劳碌工作六天， 但第七天是你的上帝耶和华的安息日，这一天你和儿女、仆婢、牲畜及你那里的外族人不可做任何工。 因为耶和华用六天创造了天地、海洋和其中的万物，第七天便休息了，所以耶和华赐福安息日，把它定为圣日。
- 要孝敬父母，以便在你的上帝耶和华要赐给你的土地上享长寿。
- 不可杀人。
- 不可通奸。
- 不可偷盗。
- 不可作伪证陷害人。
- 不可贪恋别人的房屋，不可贪恋别人的妻子、仆婢、牛驴或其他任何物品。”
“‘我是你的上帝耶和华，曾把你从受奴役之地埃及领出来。
- 除我以外，你不可有别的神明。
- 不可为自己雕刻神像，不可仿照天上、地上和地底下水中的任何形象造神像， 不可跪拜它们，也不可供奉它们，因为我——你的上帝耶和华痛恨不贞，我必追讨背弃我之人的罪，从父到子直到三四代。 但那些爱我、遵守我诫命的人，我必以慈爱待他们，直到千代。
- 不可妄用你上帝耶和华的名，违者必被耶和华定罪。
- 要遵照你的上帝耶和华的吩咐守安息日为圣日。 你一周可劳碌工作六天， 但第七天是你的上帝耶和华的安息日，这一天你和儿女、仆婢、牛驴等牲畜及你那里的外族人不可做任何工，好让仆婢和你一样得到休息。 要记住，你曾在埃及做奴隶，你的上帝耶和华伸出臂膀，用大能的手把你从那里领出来。因此，你的上帝耶和华吩咐你守安息日。
- 要遵照你的上帝耶和华的吩咐孝敬父母，以便在你的上帝耶和华要赐给你的土地上享长寿，蒙祝福。
- 不可杀人。
- 不可通奸。
- 不可偷盗。
- 不可作伪证陷害人。
- 不可贪恋别人的妻子，不可贪图别人的房屋、田地、仆婢、牛驴，或其他任何物品。’
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.