Exodus 20.1-21

The Ten Commandments: Exodus 20.1-21

Chapter 20 is largely comprised of the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments.

Note that there are no penalties listed for each commandment. Commandment two speaks of the punishment that may be inflicted by God, but is not necessarily linked with the command itself. Commandment three tells who the Lord will not acquit, but what any person will be acquitted from is not specified. Commandment five gives the effect of proper action, but this effect of continuance in the land is only loosely based on the commandment itself. The HarperCollins Study Bible indicates that this may be a metaphor for the peoples' relationship with God. As you honor your mother and father, so to should you honor God.

Commandments 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 are prohibitions (thou shall not).
Commandments 4, 5 are [positive] commands (thou shall).

Below are the Ten Commandments:

One: No other gods

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.

[This advocates monolatry, the worship of a single god without denying the existence of other gods. Having the Lord before all other gods does not necessarily preclude the existence of the other gods. Rather, YHWH, the Lord, is to be the only god that Israel will follow.]

Two: No idols

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Three: Don't misuse the Lord's name

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

Four: Remember the sabbath

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

Five: Honor your mother and father

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Six: Don't kill

You shall not murder.

Seven: Don't commit adultery

You shall not commit adultery.

Eight: Don't steal

You shall not steal.

Nine: Don't lie

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

Ten: Don't covet

You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

The Rest
The people, witnessing the thunder and lightning and the trumpet sound and the mountain shaking, are afraid. They tell Moses that they will listen to him when he speaks - but don't let God speak with them; they will surely die.

Moses tells the people not to be afraid - God has come to test them and instill the fear of God in them so they do not sin.