The 10 Commandments

The 10 commandments were a set of rules given to the people of Israel by God through Moses. Their purpose was to provide guidance for the moral and spiritual lives of God's people. The 10 commandments are found in two places in the Bible, in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

The historical context of the 10 commandments dates back to the time of the Exodus, when the Israelites were liberated from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with God. The people of Israel were learning to live as a free nation, under God's rule. As such, the 10 commandments provided a set of spiritual and moral guidelines for their life as a community.

The commandments established the laws that were to be followed, and reminded the Israelites of the importance of being obedient to their creator. They provided guidance for the Israelites to live in harmony with one another, and to recognize the unique place of God in their lives.

The 10 commandments are still beneficial for us today, as they remind us of the importance of having a moral compass and following the will of God. They also serve as a reminder of God's love and mercy, and provide a standard of right and wrong that can help guide our lives.

1. Don’t worship other gods.

Exodus 30:3

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

Deuteronomy 5:6-7

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”

2. Don’t make or worship idols.

Exodus 30:4-6

“You shall not make for yourself a carved 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. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Deuteronomy 5:8-10

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

3. Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.

Exodus 30:7

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Deuteronomy 5:11

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

4. Rest on the Sabbath and keep it holy.

Exodus 30:8-11

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

Deuteronomy 5:12-15

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”

5. Honor your father and mother.

Exodus 30:12

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Deuteronomy 5:16

“Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

6. Don’t murder.

Exodus 30:13

“You shall not murder.”

Deuteronomy 5:17

“You shall not murder.”

7. Don’t commit adultery.

Exodus 30:14

“You shall not commit adultery”

Deuteronomy 5:18

“And you shall not commit adultery.”

8. Don’t steal.

Exodus 30:15

“You shall not steal.”

Deuteronomy 5:19

“And you shall not steal.”

9. Don’t lie.

Exodus 30:16

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Deuteronomy 5:20

“And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

10. Don’t covet.

Exodus 30:17

“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”

Deuteronomy 5:21

“And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”