THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD

God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai to serve as

principles of moral behavior for the human race. The Ten
Commandments of God are the foundation of the moral code and legal
system of justice for Western Christian civilization.

The architecture of the U. S. Supreme Court building reflects this

biblical foundation. At the center of the sculpture over the east portico of
the Supreme Court Building, there is the image of Moses holding the
two tablets of the Ten Commandments; these are also engraved over the
chair of the Chief Justice and on the bronze doors of the Supreme Court.

God first refers to his Commandments in Genesis 26:5, the first of five
Books of the Law of Moses, also known as the Torah, the Law, or
Pentateuch. The Ten Commandments of God are called
the Decalogue and are recorded in both the Books of Exodus 20:1-17
and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on
two tablets of stone on Mount Sinai in Exodus 24:12 to confirm the
moral precepts of the Sinai Covenant between God and his people the
Israelites. Moses recounted the Ten Commandments of God to the
Israelites in the Book of Deuteronomy.

This page first presents the Ten Commandments in the English

translation of the Hebrew text of Exodus 20:1-17. A difference between
the Hebrew text and the Greek Septuagint Old Testament is noted in
Exodus 20:17. Exodus 20:17 in Hebrew reads "thou shall not covet thy
neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife," whereas
Exodus 20:17 in Greek places "thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife"
first. Of interest, the Hebrew and Greek translation of Deuteronomy 5:21
also places "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife" first.

There are twelve phrases in red. In order to provide instruction to the

faithful, major religions adopted different phrases of the first paragraph,
accounting for the variation in numbering of the Ten Commandments
for Judaism, Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants.

A Comparative Table follows. The first column lists the Ten

Commandments in Judaism, which are given in Hebrew in the image
that follows. The second column records the Ten Commandments in the
order given by the Biblical scholar Origen of Alexandria circa 220 AD.
The third column presents the Ten Commandments given by Augustine
of Hippo circa 400 AD, who reasoned that "graven images" were an
equivalent of "other gods" and considered Exodus 20:4 as part of the
First Commandment; he then followed the order of Exodus 20:17 in the
Greek Septuagint and Deuteronomy 5:21 for the Ninth and Tenth
Commandments. While there is considerable variation, Eastern
Christians, Orthodox, and the majority of Protestants follow the order
given by Origen, whereas Catholics and Lutherans follow the order
given by St. Augustine.

We know God gave Ten Commandments, because the Bible tells us so

in Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 10:4, and the following passage:
"He proclaimed to you his covenant, which he commanded you to
keep:
the Ten Commandments, which he wrote on two tablets of stone."
Deuteronomy 4:13

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD

1 And God spoke 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.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 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.

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.

8 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.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother:

that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy
God giveth thee.

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

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.
Exodus 20:1-17

21 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's (goods)
house or fields, nor his male or female slaves, nor his ox or
ass, or anything that belongs to him.
Deuteronomy 5:21
 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
JUDAISM ORIGEN AUGUSTINE
I am the Lord
I am the Lord thy thy God and
I am the Lord thy God and thou shalt thou shalt not
1
God. not have other have strange
gods before me. gods before
me.
Thou shalt not
Thou shalt have no Thou shalt not
take the name
2 other gods before make for thyself
of the Lord thy
me. any graven image.
God in vain.
Thou shalt not take
Thou shalt not take Remember to
the name of the
3 the name of the Lord keep holy the
Lord thy God in
thy God in vain. Lord's Day.
vain.
Remember the Remember the Honor thy
4 Sabbath Day to keep Lord's Day to keep Father and
it holy. it holy. Mother.
Honor thy Father and Honor thy Father Thou shalt not
5
Mother. and Mother. kill.
Thou shalt not
Thou shalt not
6 Thou shalt not kill. commit
murder.
adultery.
Thou shalt not Thou shalt not Thou shalt not
7
commit adultery. commit adultery. steal.
Thou shalt not
Thou shalt not bear false
8 Thou shalt not steal.
steal. witness against
thy neighbor.
Thou shalt not bear
Thou shalt not bear Thou shalt not
false witness
9 false witness against covet thy
against thy
thy neighbor. neighbor's wife.
neighbor.
Thou shalt not
Thou shalt not covet thy
10 Thou shalt not covet.
covet. neighbor's
goods.