Understanding the Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (Hebrew: עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, Aseret ha-Dibrot — "Ten Words") are God's fundamental moral law given to Israel at Mount Sinai. They reveal God's holy character and His requirements for mankind, forming the foundation of biblical ethics and the heart of the Mosaic Covenant.
The Two Tables of the Law
Click any commandment to explore its full meaning, Old Testament context, and New Testament application.
First Table
Love for God — Vertical Relationship
- I You shall not have any other gods before Me.
- II You shall not make a graven image.
- III You shall not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain.
- IV Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Second Table
Love for Neighbor — Horizontal Relationship
- V Honor your father and your mother.
- VI You shall not murder.
- VII You shall not commit adultery.
- VIII You shall not steal.
- IX You shall not testify a witness of falsehood.
- X You shall not covet.
Deep Study of Each Commandment
Explore each commandment with its Old Testament foundation and New Testament application.
No Other Gods
First Table"You shall not have any other gods before Me."
— Exodus 20:3
No Graven Images
First Table"You shall not make a graven image for yourself..."
— Exodus 20:4-6
God's Name
First Table"You shall not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain..."
— Exodus 20:7
The Sabbath
First Table"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy..."
— Exodus 20:8-11
Honor Parents
Second Table"Honor your father and your mother..."
— Exodus 20:12
No Murder
Second Table"You shall not murder."
— Exodus 20:13
No Adultery
Second Table"You shall not commit adultery."
— Exodus 20:14
No Stealing
Second Table"You shall not steal."
— Exodus 20:15
No False Witness
Second Table"You shall not testify a witness of falsehood..."
— Exodus 20:16
No Coveting
Second Table"You shall not covet your neighbor's house..."
— Exodus 20:17
I. No Other Gods
Old Testament Foundation — Exodus 20:2-3
God begins by establishing His identity and His redemptive act. The phrase "before Me" (עַל־פָּנָיַ, al-panay) literally means "before My face" — in My presence, in opposition to Me. Since God is omnipresent, this prohibition is absolute and universal.
Old Testament Context
Israel had just come from Egypt where polytheism reigned — Ra (sun), Osiris (underworld), Isis, Horus, and countless others. The surrounding Canaanite nations worshipped Baal, Asherah, Molech, and Dagon. This commandment establishes monotheism — there is only one true God, and He alone is to be worshipped.
New Testament Application
✝️ Christ's Teaching
Jesus affirmed this as the greatest commandment (Mark 12:29-30). He taught that we cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). Paul warned that covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5), and John closed his first epistle with "Little children, guard yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21).
Modern Application
Today's "gods" may include: materialism (wealth, possessions), pleasure (entertainment, comfort), self (pride, autonomy), power (status, control), or relationships (when they take God's place). Anything that receives the devotion, trust, or priority that belongs to God alone becomes an idol.
II. No Graven Images
Old Testament Foundation — Exodus 20:4-6
While the first commandment tells us whom to worship, the second tells us how to worship. A "graven image" (פֶסֶל, pesel) is a carved idol. God is spirit and cannot be represented by any created thing.
Old Testament Context
The golden calf incident (Ex. 32) occurred while Moses was receiving these very commands. Aaron made a molten calf and the people said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" They attempted to worship Jehovah through an image — this is the essence of what this commandment forbids.
New Testament Application
✝️ Worship in Spirit and Truth
Jesus taught that God is Spirit and must be worshipped "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). The invisible God has been made known through Christ, who is "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15) — the only authorized representation of God.
III. God's Name in Vain
Old Testament Foundation — Exodus 20:7
The word "vain" (שָׁוְא, shav) means emptiness, worthlessness, falsehood. To "take" (נָשָׂא, nasa) God's Name means to lift it up, to carry it, to bear it. We bear His Name as His covenant people — and must not bear it worthlessly or falsely.
Old Testament Context
This command covers more than profanity. It includes: false oaths (swearing by God's Name falsely), empty worship (honoring Him with lips but not heart), hypocrisy (claiming His Name while living contrary to His character), and blasphemy (treating His Name with contempt).
New Testament Application
✝️ Hallowed Be Your Name
Jesus taught us to pray "Hallowed be Your Name" (Matt. 6:9) — may Your Name be treated as holy. He also warned against casual oath-taking, teaching "let your word be Yes, yes; No, no" (Matt. 5:37).
IV. Remember the Sabbath
Old Testament Foundation — Exodus 20:8-11
The Sabbath (שַׁבָּת, shabbat) means "cessation" or "rest." It is grounded in Creation (God rested on the seventh day) and is the only commandment beginning with "Remember" — pointing back to something already established.
Deuteronomy's Additional Reason
Deuteronomy adds a redemptive reason: remember your slavery and deliverance. The Sabbath is both a creation ordinance and a redemption memorial.
New Testament Application
✝️ Christ Our Sabbath Rest
Jesus declared Himself "Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28) and said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Hebrews 4 teaches that the Sabbath pointed forward to the rest we have in Christ. Believers enter God's rest through faith in Christ's finished work.
V. Honor Your Parents
Old Testament Foundation — Exodus 20:12
The word "honor" (כָּבֵד, kabed) comes from a root meaning "heavy, weighty." To honor parents is to treat them as significant, weighty, worthy of respect. This is the bridge commandment — connecting our duty to God (parents are His representatives) with our duty to others.
New Testament Application
✝️ The First Commandment with Promise
Paul quotes this commandment in Ephesians 6, applying it to the New Covenant church. He notes it is "the first commandment with a promise" — blessing follows obedience in the family structure God designed.
VI. You Shall Not Murder
Old Testament Foundation — Exodus 20:13
The Hebrew רָצַח (ratsach) specifically refers to unlawful, unauthorized killing — murder. It does not prohibit capital punishment (which God Himself instituted in Gen. 9:6), judicial execution, or warfare under proper authority. Human life is sacred because humans bear God's image (Gen. 9:6).
New Testament Application
✝️ Murder Begins in the Heart
Jesus expanded this commandment to its heart-level meaning: anger and contempt toward a brother violate the spirit of this law. John writes that "everyone hating the brother is a murderer" (1 John 3:15).
VII. You Shall Not Commit Adultery
Old Testament Foundation — Exodus 20:14
Adultery (נָאַף, na'aph) is sexual unfaithfulness to the marriage covenant. Marriage was instituted by God at Creation (Gen. 2:24) and is used throughout Scripture as an image of God's covenant relationship with His people. Adultery violates trust, breaks covenant, and destroys families.
New Testament Application
✝️ Adultery Begins with Lust
Jesus taught that adultery is not merely a physical act but begins in the heart with lustful desire. Looking at a woman with lustful intent is already adultery in the heart. The standard is internal purity, not merely external behavior.
VIII. You Shall Not Steal
Old Testament Foundation — Exodus 20:15
Stealing (גָּנַב, ganab) is taking what belongs to another without permission or proper compensation. This includes not only overt theft but also dishonest business practices, unpaid wages, and failing to return borrowed items. Private property is affirmed as a biblical concept.
New Testament Application
✝️ From Taking to Giving
Paul transforms this command positively: stop stealing, work with your hands doing what is good, so you can share with those in need. The opposite of theft is not just refraining but actively giving.
IX. No False Witness
Old Testament Foundation — Exodus 20:16
The primary context is legal testimony — in Israel, two or three witnesses were required to establish guilt (Deut. 19:15). False testimony could result in the death of an innocent person. But the principle extends to all dishonest speech: lies, slander, gossip, and deception.
New Testament Application
✝️ Truth-Telling in Community
Paul calls believers to put away falsehood and speak truth with one another, for we are members of one body. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44); God's people are to be people of truth.
X. You Shall Not Covet
Old Testament Foundation — Exodus 20:17
To covet (חָמַד, chamad) is to desire, crave, or lust after. This commandment alone explicitly addresses the internal world — the heart's desires. All the previous sins begin here: murder begins with anger, adultery with lust, theft with coveting. This commandment strikes at the root.
Paul's Testimony
Paul testified that this commandment awakened him to his sinfulness. He could keep the external commands, but the prohibition against coveting revealed the sin within his heart.
New Testament Application
✝️ Covetousness is Idolatry
Paul explicitly identifies covetousness as idolatry — it places created things above the Creator. The cure is contentment, finding our satisfaction in Christ who is enough.
Commandment Divisions
Different traditions number the Ten Commandments differently. All agree on the content, but divide them in various ways.
Reformed & Eastern Orthodox Numbering
This tradition (followed in this study) treats the prohibition against other gods and the prohibition against graven images as two separate commandments, and combines the two statements about coveting into one.
| # | Commandment | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No other gods before Me | Ex. 20:3 |
| 2 | No graven images | Ex. 20:4-6 |
| 3 | Name not in vain | Ex. 20:7 |
| 4 | Remember the Sabbath | Ex. 20:8-11 |
| 5 | Honor parents | Ex. 20:12 |
| 6 | No murder | Ex. 20:13 |
| 7 | No adultery | Ex. 20:14 |
| 8 | No stealing | Ex. 20:15 |
| 9 | No false witness | Ex. 20:16 |
| 10 | No coveting | Ex. 20:17 |
Catholic & Lutheran Numbering
This tradition combines the prohibition against other gods with the prohibition against images as one commandment, and divides the coveting commandment into two: coveting neighbor's wife and coveting neighbor's goods.
| # | Commandment | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No other gods / No graven images | Ex. 20:3-6 |
| 2 | Name not in vain | Ex. 20:7 |
| 3 | Remember the Sabbath | Ex. 20:8-11 |
| 4 | Honor parents | Ex. 20:12 |
| 5 | No murder | Ex. 20:13 |
| 6 | No adultery | Ex. 20:14 |
| 7 | No stealing | Ex. 20:15 |
| 8 | No false witness | Ex. 20:16 |
| 9 | No coveting neighbor's wife | Ex. 20:17a |
| 10 | No coveting neighbor's goods | Ex. 20:17b |
Comparison of Traditions
See how the same biblical text is numbered differently across traditions.
| Content | Reformed | Catholic | Lutheran |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preface: "I am Jehovah..." | — | — | — |
| No other gods | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| No graven images | 2 | (1) | (1) |
| Name not in vain | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Remember Sabbath | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Honor parents | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| No murder | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| No adultery | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| No stealing | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| No false witness | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| No coveting wife | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| No coveting goods | 10 | 10 |
Exodus 20 vs. Deuteronomy 5
The Ten Commandments appear twice in Scripture. Compare the differences between the two accounts.
| Aspect | Exodus 20 | Deuteronomy 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | At Mount Sinai, receiving the Law | On the plains of Moab, 40 years later |
| Sabbath Command | "Remember" (זָכוֹר) | "Keep/Observe" (שָׁמוֹר) |
| Sabbath Reason | Creation: God rested on 7th day | Redemption: Remember you were slaves in Egypt |
| Honor Parents | "...that your days may be long" | "...that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you" |
| Coveting Order | House... wife... servants... animals | Wife... house... field... servants... animals |
Interactive Exercises
Practice memorizing and understanding the Ten Commandments with these exercises.
📝 Match the Commandment
Click a number on the left, then click its matching commandment on the right.
✍️ Complete the Verse
Fill in the missing words from Exodus 20.
📊 First or Second Table?
Drag each commandment to the correct table. First Table = Love for God. Second Table = Love for Neighbor.
Knowledge Quiz
Test your understanding of the Ten Commandments.
The Law and the Gospel
How do the Ten Commandments relate to Christians today?
✝️ Christ Our Righteousness
Christ perfectly kept the Law we could not keep. His righteousness is credited to all who believe. We are saved not by keeping the Law but by grace through faith in Christ. Yet the Law remains God's moral standard, written on believers' hearts by the Spirit (Jer. 31:33, Heb. 8:10). We obey not to earn salvation but because we have been saved — out of love for our Redeemer.