The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, are a set of divine laws given by God to the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai. These commandments are foundational to both Jewish and Christian ethical teachings and are recorded in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament.

Biblical Account

The Ten Commandments are first introduced in Exodus 20:1-17. The context is the Israelites' journey through the wilderness after their liberation from Egyptian bondage. God calls Moses to Mount Sinai, where He delivers these commandments amidst thunder, lightning, and the sound of a trumpet, signifying the gravity and divine origin of these laws.

The commandments are reiterated in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 as part of Moses' farewell address to the Israelites, emphasizing their importance as they prepare to enter the Promised Land.

The Commandments

1. No Other Gods: "You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20:3) This commandment establishes the exclusivity of worship owed to Yahweh, rejecting polytheism and idolatry.

2. No Idols: "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath." (Exodus 20:4) This prohibits the creation and worship of physical representations of deities.

3. God's Name in Vain: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain." (Exodus 20:7) This commandment underscores the sanctity of God's name and the importance of reverence in speech.

4. Sabbath Day: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (Exodus 20:8) The Sabbath is a day of rest and worship, commemorating God's rest after creation.

5. Honor Parents: "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land the LORD your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12) This commandment emphasizes the importance of family structure and respect for parental authority.

6. No Murder: "You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13) This commandment upholds the sanctity of human life, prohibiting unlawful killing.

7. No Adultery: "You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14) This commandment protects the sanctity of marriage and family.

8. No Stealing: "You shall not steal." (Exodus 20:15) This commandment upholds the right to personal property and condemns theft.

9. No False Witness: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16) This commandment emphasizes truthfulness and integrity in relationships.

10. No Coveting: "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (Exodus 20:17) This commandment addresses the inner desires and attitudes that can lead to sinful actions.

Theological Significance

The Ten Commandments are seen as a summary of God's moral law, reflecting His holy and righteous character. They serve as a guide for righteous living and are foundational to the covenant relationship between God and His people. In the New Testament, Jesus affirms the enduring relevance of these commandments, summarizing them in the two greatest commandments: love for God and love for neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40).

Historical and Cultural Impact

Throughout history, the Ten Commandments have significantly influenced Western legal systems and ethical standards. They are often displayed in public spaces and have been the subject of legal and cultural debates regarding their role in secular societies.

Interpretation and Application

Different Christian traditions may vary in their numbering and emphasis of the commandments, but the core principles remain universally acknowledged. The Ten Commandments continue to be a vital part of Christian catechesis and moral instruction, serving as a timeless standard for personal and communal conduct.Exodus 34:28
And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote on the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
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Deuteronomy 4:13
And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them on two tables of stone.
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Deuteronomy 4:40
You shall keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command you this day, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days on the earth, which the LORD your God gives you, for ever.
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Exodus 24:12
And the LORD said to Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give you tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that you may teach them.
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Exodus 16:28
And the LORD said to Moses, How long refuse you to keep my commandments and my laws?
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Matthew 22:36-38
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
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Matthew 5:17-22
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
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Ten Commandments

The popular name in this, as in so many instances,is not that of Scripture. There we have the "TEN WORDS," (Exodus 34:28; 4:13; 10:4) the "COVENANT," Ex., Deut. 11. cc.; (1 Kings 8:21; 2 Chronicles 6:11) etc., or, very often as the solemn attestation of the divine will, the "TESTIMONY." (Exodus 25:16,21; 31:18) etc. The circumstances in which the Ten great Words were first given to the people surrounded them with an awe which attached to no other precept. In the midst of the cloud and the darkness and the flashing lightning and the fiery smoke and the thunder like the voice of a trumpet, Moses was called to Mount Sinai to receive the law without which the people would cease to be a holy nation. (Exodus 19:20) Here, as elsewhere, Scripture unites two facts which men separate. God, and not man was speaking to the Israelites in those terrors, and yet, in the language of later inspired teachers, other instrumentality was not excluded. No other words were proclaimed in like manner. And the record was as exceptional as the original revelation. Of no other words could it be said that they were written as these were written, engraved on the Tables of Stone, not as originating in man's contrivance or sagacity, but by the power of the Eternal Spirit, by the "finger of God." (Exodus 31:18; 32:16) The number Ten was, we can hardly doubt, itself significant to Moses and the Israelites. The received symbol, then and at all times, of completeness, it taught the people that the law of Jehovah was perfect. (Psalms 19:7) The term "Commandments" had come into use in the time of Christ. (Luke 18:20) Their division into two tables is not only expressly mentioned but the stress is upon the two leaves no doubt that the distinction was important, and that answered to that summary of the law which was made both by Moses and by Christ into two precepts; so that the first table contained Duties to God , and the second, Duties to our Neighbor . There are three principal divisions of the two tables:

1. That of the Roman Catholic Church, making the first table contain three commandments and the second the other seven.
2. The familiar division, referring the first four to our duty toward God and the six remaining to our duty toward man.
3. The division recognized by the old Jewish writers, Josephus and Philo, which places five commandments in each table. It has been maintained that the law of filial duty, being a close consequence of God's fatherly relation to us, maybe referred to the first table. But this is to place human parents on a level with God, and, by purity of reasoning the Sixth Commandment might be added to the first table, as murder is the destruction of God's image in man. Far more reasonable is the view which regards the authority of parents as heading the second table, as the earthly reflex of that authority of the Father of his people and of all men which heads the first, and as the first principle of the whole law of love to our neighbor; because we are all brethren and the family is, for good and ill the model of the state. "The Decalogue differs from all the other legislation of Moses: (1) It was proclaimed by God himself in a most public and solemn manner. (2) It was given under circumstances of most appalling majesty and sublimity. (3) It was written by the finger of God on two tables of stone. (5:22) (4) It differed from any and all other laws given to Israel in that it was comprehensive and general rather than specific and particular. (6) It was complete, being one finished whole to which nothing was to be added, from which nothing was ever taken away. (6) The law of the Ten Commandments was honored by Jesus Christ as embodying the substance of the law of God enjoined upon man. (7) It can scarcely be doubted that Jesus had his eye specially if not exclusively on this law, (5:18) as one never to be repealed from which not one jot or tittle should ever pass away. (8) It is marked by wonderful simplicity and brevity such a contrast to our human legislation, our British statute-book for instance, which it would need an elephant to carry and an OEdipus to interpret."

The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments. <. The Ten Commandments Thomas Watson. Table of Contents.
Title Page. 1. INTRODUCTION. 1.1 Obedience. 1.2 Love. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/

The Ten Commandments.
... THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. The Israelites ... trembled. Then God spake from the midst
of the fire, and gave the people the Ten Commandments. These ...
/.../anonymous/mother stories from the old testament/the ten commandments.htm

The Ten Commandments.
... THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 1 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 2 Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness ...
/.../various/indian methodist hymn-book/the ten commandments.htm

The Ten Commandments
... Divine Songs The Ten Commandments. 8,8. 1. Thou shalt have no more Gods but me.
2. Before no idol bow thy knee. 3. Take not the Name of God in vain: ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watts/divine and moral songs/the ten commandments.htm

The Ten Commandments in Chinook.
... The Ten Commandments in Chinook. 1 Kopet ikt, nika Saghalie-Tyee. 2 Wake
mika iskum ikta spose mamook Saghalie-Tyee yaka. 3 Wake ...
/.../various/indian methodist hymn-book/the ten commandments in chinook.htm

The Ten Commandments in Alkomaylum.
... The Ten Commandments in Alkomaylum. Awpul skwells kwa Tchee-tchilth-See-am.
1-Oolawl-tcha kwa TS khakha-stokh-okh. 2-Owa-tchuh ee-ise-okh kwa stem staa kwa ...
/.../various/indian methodist hymn-book/the ten commandments in alkomaylum.htm

The Ten Commandments Out of the Old Testament Put into Short Rhime ...
... Divine Songs For Children. The TEN COMMANDMENTS out of the Old Testament put into
short Rhime for Children. Exod.20. 1. Thou shalt have no more Gods but me. ...
/.../watts/divine songs for children/the ten commandments out of.htm

Ten Commandments Corresponding to the Plagues of Egypt.
... Book III. Chapter LV."Ten Commandments Corresponding to the Plagues of
Egypt. "On account of those, therefore, who by neglect ...
/.../recognitions of clement /chapter lv ten commandments corresponding to.htm

The Ten Commandments
... I. The Ten Commandments. The Simple Way a Father Should Present Them to His Household
The First Commandment. You must not have other gods. (Exodus 20:3). ...
/.../luther/the small catechism of martin luther/i the ten commandments.htm

The Ten Commandments.
... THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. EXODUS 20: 3-17. I. Thou shalt have no other gods
before me. II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/weighed and wanting/the ten commandments.htm

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