What are the Ten Commandments in the Bible?

The Ten Commandments (also called the Decalogue, from the Greek for 'ten words') are found in Exodus 20:1-17 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. They were given to Moses on Mount Sinai and form the covenant foundation between God and Israel. Scholars divide them into two 'tables': the first four concern love of God (how to relate to God), and the last six concern love of neighbor (how to treat other people).

Are the Ten Commandments still relevant for Christians today?

Yes, but their role has shifted. Jesus said he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). In Romans 13:8-10, Paul says that love fulfills the entire law. The ceremonial and civic laws of ancient Israel have been fulfilled in Christ, but the moral law — summarized in the Ten Commandments — still reveals God's character and human responsibility. Christians are not under the law as a means of justification but are called to live in the spirit of it out of love.

What does the commandment 'You shall not kill' actually mean?

The Hebrew word is ratsach — which specifically refers to unlawful killing, murder. It does not prohibit all killing (the same law makes provision for capital punishment and warfare). Jesus deepened this in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-22): the commandment addresses not only the act of murder but the anger and contempt that precede it. The root issue is the devaluing of a person made in God's image.

What does 'You shall not take the Lord's name in vain' mean?

The Hebrew sheav can mean 'empty,' 'worthless,' or 'false.' This commandment prohibits using God's name for false oaths, magic, manipulation, or empty religious performance. It is not primarily about profanity — it is about using God's name in a way that misrepresents who he is or abuses his authority. This includes swearing falsely 'in God's name' and performing religious activity while not actually relating to God.

Why are the Ten Commandments numbered differently in Catholic and Protestant traditions?

Catholic and Lutheran traditions combine what Protestants consider commandments 1 and 2 (no other gods + no idols) into one commandment, and split what Protestants consider commandment 10 (do not covet) into two. The total is still ten, but the numbering is different. Both numbering systems are based on different ways of dividing the same Hebrew text of Exodus 20.

The Ten Commandments: All 10 Listed and Explained (Exodus 20)

By BibleNow Team | Last Updated: April 2026 | 14-minute read

The Most Famous Laws in History

No legal or moral code in Western civilization has had more influence than the Ten Commandments. They have shaped Jewish law for three millennia, been foundational to Christian ethics, influenced secular legal systems across the world, and been debated, displayed, and argued about in courtrooms and classrooms alike.

But most people who know of the Ten Commandments cannot name more than half of them — and even fewer understand the original Hebrew nuances, the historical context in which they were given, or what Jesus said about them.

This guide gives you all ten — fully explained.

The Context: Sinai and the Covenant

The Ten Commandments were given at Mount Sinai approximately 40 days after the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 19-20). God had just delivered Israel from 400 years of slavery. This is critical: the commandments were not given as a means of earning salvation. They were given to a people already rescued, as the terms of their ongoing relationship with the God who had rescued them.

Exodus 20:2 opens with a preamble: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." The commandments flow from this identity: because I am your God and because I have saved you, here is how you live in that relationship.

This is the order every Christian should understand: deliverance first, law second. The law is the response to grace, not the means of earning it.

The Two Tables

Jewish and Christian tradition has long recognized that the Ten Commandments fall into two groups:

Table 1 (Commandments 1-4): How to love God Table 2 (Commandments 5-10): How to love your neighbor

This matches exactly what Jesus said when asked for the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... and love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37-40).

All Ten Commandments Explained

Commandment 1: "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)

In the ancient Near East, every nation had its gods — gods of rain, fertility, war, death. The first commandment does not argue for monotheism theoretically; it demands exclusive loyalty. "Before me" (Hebrew al panai) literally means "before my face" — in my presence, in my sight.

In ancient Israel: Israel was surrounded by nations worshipping Baal, Asherah, Molech, and others. This command was constantly being violated — the entire book of Judges is a cycle of Israel following other gods and suffering the consequences.

Jesus' deepening: "You cannot serve both God and money" (Matthew 6:24). Jesus identified money, status, pleasure, and security as the functional gods of his day — and ours.

Today: A "god" is whatever you most fundamentally trust, love, and organize your life around. The first commandment asks: what is that for you?

Commandment 2: "You shall not make for yourself an idol." (Exodus 20:4-6)

This command prohibits making physical representations of God (or other gods) for worship. The Hebrew concept is clear: God cannot be reduced to an image. Any image of God is an incomplete, false representation.

Original context: In Egypt, every deity had an image, a statue, a physical form. The command was a complete rejection of the Egyptian worship paradigm. When Israel made the golden calf (Exodus 32), they were reverting to what they had known in Egypt.

Jesus' deepening: The heart's tendency to reduce the living God to something manageable and controllable is the idolatry of every era.

Today: Modern idols are rarely physical. They are the mental images we construct of a God who always agrees with us, always gives us what we want, never challenges us.

Commandment 3: "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God." (Exodus 20:7)

The Hebrew sheav means empty, vain, or false. The commandment prohibits using God's name for false oaths, manipulation, magic, or empty religious performance.

Original context: In the ancient world, invoking a deity's name in an oath was the highest form of guarantee. To swear falsely by God's name was both perjury and blasphemy.

Jesus' deepening: "Do not swear an oath at all... let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No'" (Matthew 5:34-37). Jesus elevates the principle: your word itself should be trustworthy — no special invocation of God needed.

Today: This includes religious performance that doesn't come from genuine relationship, using God's name to authorize your own agenda, and Christian talk without Christian walk.

Commandment 4: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." (Exodus 20:8-11)

The Sabbath (Hebrew shabbat, rest) is the only commandment that begins with "Remember" — suggesting it was already known from creation (Genesis 2:2-3). Israel was to rest on the seventh day as God rested on the seventh day of creation.

Original context: In Egypt, slaves never rested. There was no Sabbath in slavery. This commandment was partly a declaration of freedom: you are not slaves anymore. You can rest.

Jesus' deepening: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Jesus violated the Pharisees' Sabbath rules regularly to demonstrate that the Sabbath's purpose was human flourishing, not religious performance.

Today: The principle of rhythmic rest is woven into human biology and confirmed by neuroscience. Christians disagree about whether Sunday is the "Christian Sabbath," but few dispute that regular, intentional rest is a spiritual discipline.

Commandment 5: "Honor your father and your mother." (Exodus 20:12)

The first commandment of the second table turns to human relationships, and it begins with the most fundamental: the family. This is the only commandment with an explicit promise attached: "so that you may live long in the land."

Original context: Honoring parents in the ancient world meant supporting them materially in old age, not just having sentimental feelings. Paul references this commandment in Ephesians 6:2-3 and notes the attached promise.

Jesus' deepening: Jesus criticized the Pharisees for using religious donations (corban) as a way to avoid supporting aging parents (Mark 7:9-13) — a technical religious workaround for violating this commandment.

Commandment 6: "You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13)

The Hebrew ratsach refers to unlawful killing — murder — not all killing. The same law permitted capital punishment (Exodus 21:12) and regulated warfare.

Jesus' deepening: The most radical extension of this commandment in history is Matthew 5:21-22: "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder'... But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment." Jesus traces murder to its root: contempt for a person made in God's image.

Today: Every person bears the imago Dei — the image of God. To dehumanize, dismiss, or degrade another person is a violation of this principle.

Commandment 7: "You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14)

Adultery in the ancient world was a specific violation: sexual relations with another man's wife. The breadth of the commandment's application has been a matter of ongoing discussion.

Jesus' deepening: "Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). Jesus again traces the act to the internal disposition that generates it.

Today: The commandment protects the covenant of marriage as a foundational social structure and a picture of God's covenant faithfulness to his people (Ephesians 5:25-32).

Commandment 8: "You shall not steal." (Exodus 20:15)

Straightforward in surface meaning, but the prohibition covers more than petty theft.

Jesus' deepening: The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) depicts the stewardship of what God has given. Zacchaeus' response to Jesus was fourfold restitution — beyond the legal requirement — as an expression of genuine transformation (Luke 19:8).

Today: This includes wage theft, fraud, intellectual dishonesty, and every form of taking what belongs to another.

Commandment 9: "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16)

Originally a legal commandment — do not lie in court proceedings, where false testimony could cost someone their property, freedom, or life.

Jesus' deepening: "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No'" (Matthew 5:37). The commandment points toward a comprehensive commitment to truthfulness.

Today: This covers slander, gossip, deception in any relationship, and the weaponization of partial truths.

Commandment 10: "You shall not covet." (Exodus 20:17)

The final commandment is unique: it is the only one that addresses the inner life directly, not behavior. You cannot legislate thoughts. This commandment shows that the law always pointed toward something beyond external compliance.

The Hebrew chamad (covet) means to intensely desire what belongs to another.

Paul's insight: "I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet'" (Romans 7:7). The tenth commandment revealed to Paul the depth of human inner corruption — and pointed him toward the need for the gospel.

Jesus' deepening: "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15).

How Jesus Fulfilled the Law

Jesus did not abolish the Ten Commandments. He fulfilled them — both by living them perfectly (he was the only human who fully kept every commandment in heart, mind, and action) and by revealing their deepest intent.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus consistently followed the pattern: "You have heard it said... but I tell you..." — not contradicting the law, but diving below the surface to the heart from which law-keeping or law-breaking always flows.

Paul's summary: "Love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10).

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