What are the Ten Commandments and where are they found?
The Ten Commandments are ten foundational commands given, in the biblical narrative, to the people of Israel through Moses; they appear as a full list in two places: Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5. According to the account, they were given at Mount Sinai after the…
The Ten Commandments are ten foundational commands given, in the biblical narrative, to the people of Israel through Moses; they appear as a full list in two places: Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5. According to the account, they were given at Mount Sinai after the people's departure from slavery in Egypt. The content falls along two main lines: the first commandments concern the relationship with God — no other gods, no idols, not misusing God's name, keeping the Sabbath day; the later ones order relationships between people — honoring parents, not murdering, not committing adultery, not stealing, not bearing false witness, and not coveting what belongs to another. Church traditions number the ten items with slight differences, but the content is the same. Within the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments stand as the summary and gateway of a wider body of law. In the New Testament, when Jesus is asked which commandment is greatest, he gathers the answer into two sentences: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself — "The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." Read this way, the Ten Commandments unfold what love looks like in practice: the first table frames love of God, the second love of neighbor. The full text can be read on this site on the chapter pages of Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5; the reference chips below go straight to the verses.