The Ten Commandments
- Exo 20:1-2 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Heavenly Laws;
- Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
- Exo 20:4-6 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
- Exo 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
- Exo 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Earthly Laws - Exo 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
- Exo 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
- Exo 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
- Exo 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
- Exo 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
- Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.Exo 20:18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
Exo 20:19-21 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
The Ten Commandments |
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LXX | P | S | T | A | C | L | R | Exodus 20:1-17 | Deuteronomy 5:4-21 | |
— | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | (1) | I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. | 2 | 6 |
1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Thou shalt have no other gods before me | 3 | 7 |
2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image | 4–6 | 8–10 |
3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain | 7 | 11 |
4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy | 8–11 | 12–15 |
5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | Honour thy father and thy mother | 12 | 16 |
6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | Thou shalt not kill | 13 | 17 |
7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | Thou shalt not commit adultery | 14 | 18 |
8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | Thou shalt not steal | 15 | 19 |
9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour | 16 | 20 |
10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | Thou shalt not covet (neighbor’s house) | 17a | 21b |
10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | Thou shalt not covet (neighbor’s wife) | 17b | 21a |
10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Thou shalt not covet (neighbor’s servants, animals, or anything else) | 17c | 21c |
— | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | Ye shall erect these stones which I command thee upon Mount Gerizim | 17d(Samaritan) | 21d (Samaritan) |
- All scripture quotes above are from the King James Version. Click on verses at top of columns for other versions.
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Traditions:
- LXX: Septuagint, generally followed by Orthodox Christians.
- P: Philo, same as the Septuagint, but with the prohibitions on killing and adultery reversed.
- S: Samaritan Pentateuch, Additional commandment about Mt. Gerizim as 10th.
- T: Jewish Talmud, makes the “prologue” the first “saying” or “matter” and combines the prohibition on worshiping deities other than Yahweh with the prohibition on idolatry.
- A: Augustine follows the Talmud in combining verses 3–6, but omits the prologue as a commandment and divides the prohibition on coveting in two and following the word order of Deuteronomy 5:21 rather than Exodus 20:17.
Deu 5:21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
- C: Catechism of the Catholic Church, largely follows Augustine.
- L: Lutheransfollow Luther’s Large Catechism, which follows Augustine but omits the prohibition of images and uses the word order of Exodus 20:17 rather than Deuteronomy 5:21 for the ninth and tenth commandments.
R: Reformed Christians follow John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, which follows the Septuagint.
Division of the Ten Commandments by religion/denomination. Commandment, Jewish (Talmudic)*, Anglican, Reformed, and other Christian, Orthodox Christian