At first glance, the Ten Commandments are exactly what they sound like — a list of ten basic rules God gives his people for how to live morally upright lives. The Ten Commandments have been a bedrock of western morality, law, and culture for millennia.
Under the surface, however, the Ten Commandments are a lot less simple than they first appear.
There are a lot of factors that complicate the Ten Commandments:
- First, they appear twice in the Bible — first in Exodus 20:1-17 and then in Deuteronomy 5:4-21 — in slightly different language and format.
- Though all Christian and Jewish readers agree there are ten commandments in those passages, they sometimes disagree on exactly how to divide them up.
- Believers of different denominations have often disagreed quite radically on how to interpret some of the commandments, such as what constitutes idolatry and even the distinction between “murder” and “kill.”
- Since there are a lot more than ten commandments in the Old Testament alone (613 is the traditional number for Orthodox Jews) — and since Jesus summarizes all of them in just two commandments — there is dispute about how best to contextualize and prioritize them.
Oh, and sometimes people make mistakes, and get the commandments very wrong.
To help you understand the hubbub, this post will explore the different versions, orders, and interpretations of the Ten Commandments as they are found in the Bible.
The Ten Commandments in the Book of Exodus
The Ten Commandments first appear in the book of Exodus, when Moses receives them from God on Mount Sinai and subsequently delivers them in a speech to the Israelites.
Here are the Ten Commandments as they appear in Exodus 20, in the KJV and NIV. (You can review other versions at Bible Gateway.)
| Verse | KJV | NIV |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. | I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. |
| 3 | Thou shalt have no other gods before me. | You shall 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. | You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. |
| 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; | You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, |
| 6 | And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. | but showing love to a thousand generations of those who 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. | You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. |
| 8 | Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. | Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. |
| 9 | Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: | Six days you shall labor and do all your 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: | but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. |
| 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. | For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. |
| 12 | Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. | Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. |
| 13 | Thou shalt not kill. | You shall not murder. |
| 14 | Thou shalt not commit adultery. | You shall not commit adultery. |
| 15 | Thou shalt not steal. | You shall not steal. |
| 16 | Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. | You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. |
| 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. | You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. |
Differences in Deuteronomy
And here, in the NIV, are the verses where Deuteronomy is different from Exodus:
| Exodus 20:8-11 | Deuteronomy 5:12-15 |
|---|---|
| Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. | Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. |
| Exodus 20:12 | Deuteronomy 5:16 |
|---|---|
| Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. | Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you. |
| Exodus 20:17 | Deuteronomy 5:21 |
|---|---|
| You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. | You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. |
Ordering the Ten Commandments in Different Traditions
Now, here is a table showing how different denominations have divided and ordered the Ten Commandments:
| Ex. 20 | Deut. 5 | Commandment | Reformed | Lutheran | Catholic | Jewish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 6 | I am the Lord | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 7 | No other gods | 2 | |||
| 4-6 | 8-10 | No graven image | 2 | |||
| 7 | 11 | No name in vain | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 8-11 | 12-15 | Remember/ observe the Sabbath | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 12 | 16 | Honor parents | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| 13 | 17 | No killing | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 14 | 18 | No adultery | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| 15 | 19 | No stealing | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| 16 | 20 | No false witness | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| 17a | 21b | No coveting neighbor’s house… | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| 17b | 21a | …wife… | 10 | 9 | ||
| 17c | 21c | …or property | 10 |
Interpreting the Ten Commandments: Historical and Denominational Disputes
As you can see from the previous tables, everyone basically agrees on the content of the Ten Commandments, even if they disagree on exactly how to phrase or divide them.
However, even very minor changes in phrasing or positioning can have far-reaching consequences for how believers understand some of these commandments — especially when it comes to whether they should be interpreted literally.
Here are a few examples of different ways some of them are interpreted.
No Graven Images
What does it mean when the Bible says not to make any “graven” (an old-fashioned way of saying “engraved”) images, and then says not to bow down to or worship them?
For some Christians, and especially for some Jews, this has meant not to make any art at all representing either God or people or animals.
Others have interpreted it much more loosely, saying that it’s okay to make art and images, as long as you don’t worship them (that is, turn them into “idols”). Today, this is by far the most popular approach — just consider how often you see pictures of Jesus or of doves representing the Holy Spirit — but many Christians are still reluctant to make images of God the Father and risk constraining him to a “bearded man in the sky” archetype.
No Other Gods
Similarly, the obvious meaning of “I am the Lord” and “have no other gods before me” is that Yahweh, the God of the Bible, is the one true God, and pagan gods like Baal or Asherah who are mentioned throughout the Old Testament are false gods.
However, many Christians (and Jews) have also understood this commandment to prohibit turning other things — such as money, power, or political allegiances — into “gods” or “idols” by giving them an equal or higher status than God in our lives.
Remember/Observe the Sabbath
This one comes down to the distinction between “remembering” the Sabbath (in Exodus) and “observing” it (in Deuteronomy) — as well as what it means to “keep it holy.”
For most believers, this day is set aside for worship and perhaps also to rest and spend time with family. In general, most Christians tend to lean on the importance of “remembering” the Sabbath (typically on Sundays) as a holy day to celebrate God and his work in creation. Orthodox Jews take a hard line of “observing” the Sabbath (on Saturdays), setting the day apart by doing absolutely nothing that could be construed as work — including cooking or cleaning.
Murder or Kill
This one should be pretty simple, right? In fact, the distinction between “killing” and “murdering” — and, again, how seriously the prohibition should be taken — can make a huge difference.
A blanket injunction against all killing has led many Christians to oppose the death penalty and even embrace a strict pacifism. But if it’s only against murder, some argue that capital punishment and war are appropriate or even morally necessary in certain instances.
The Greatest Commandments
As I mentioned above, there are believed to be 613 commandments given by God throughout the Torah/Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). Even if (as is often the case) the Ten Commandments are given primacy over the rest, how do we know how to prioritize their importance, or how stridently to apply them?
This is essentially the question the Pharisees ask Jesus in Matthew 22, Mark 12, and Luke 10.
The answer Jesus gives is: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ [Deut. 6:5]. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ [Lev. 19:18]. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37-40 NIV)
In other words, the Ten Commandments are about love: loving God and loving others. (And, as Savannah Guthrie has pointed out, a “bonus commandment” to love yourself.)
For most Christians, interpreting the Ten Commandments (and the other 603 in the OT) therefore comes down to filtering them through Jesus’ words: that is, the commandments are always in service to loving God and neighbor, and not the other way around.
The ‘Wicked Bible’ — or, Why Editors Matter
The “Wicked Bible” was a version of the King James Bible published in 1631 (20 years after the original) that featured a typographical error in the Ten Commandments. It omitted the “not” in Exodus 20:14, so that it read “Thou shalt commit adultery.”
Oops!
In the aftermath, most versions of the Wicked Bible were destroyed (though over a dozen remain even today) and the printers responsible received a hefty fine and lost their printing license.
But beyond an amusing historical anecdote, this episode provides a couple of important lessons:
First is the simple challenge of rendering the Bible accurately in print — even in its original languages, but especially in translation!
There are more than 23,000 verses in the Bible, totaling (depending on the version) somewhere between 725,000 and 800,000 words, and a human being has to carefully check every single one. One minor distraction — maybe someone missed their morning coffee — and you might be responsible for a mistake that people remember for hundreds of years.
And second: While God’s Word is perfect, printed copies of it sometimes aren’t.
Conclusion: The Importance of Understanding the Ten Commandments
Regardless of exactly how one interprets or positions them, the Ten Commandments are among the most profoundly influential statements defining Western morality and help define our legal systems, governments, and culture.
Still, it’s important to understand the nuances that have led to disagreements between groups of believers — such as what constitutes idolatry and how far the prohibition against killing goes — and how those differences continue to challenge and divide us.
For thorough commentaries on the Ten Commandments and every other part of the Bible, try Bible Gateway Plus free for 14 days. You’ll find dozens of resources to help you navigate difficult passages and all your other questions about the Bible.
Jacob is Editorial Director of Bible Gateway. He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Early Christian Thought from Harvard Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious History from Memorial University of Newfoundland, though with most of his coursework from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. His work has appeared in Ekstasis and in Geez Magazine's "Embracing Darkness" Advent devotional.
