Everyone has heard of the Ten Commandments, but ask someone to list them and you might get a few different answers. They appear in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, and depending on whether you’re Jewish, Catholic, or Protestant, the numbering—and even the wording—shifts.

4 related posts

Number of Commandments: 10 ·
Biblical Location: Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21 ·
Major Tradition Variants: Jewish, Catholic, Protestant ·
Earliest Known Manuscript: Dead Sea Scrolls (c. 1st century BCE)

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
3Timeline signal
4What’s next

Six key facts at a glance:

Fact Details
Number of Commandments 10
Old Testament Locations Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5
Traditional Division Tablets 1 & 2
Most Common Numbering Systems Augustinian (Catholic) vs. Reformed (Protestant)
Sabbath Wording Difference Exodus 20 says “Remember,” Deuteronomy 5 says “Keep” (Chabad.org (Jewish educational site))
Catholic First Commandment Combines “no other gods” and “no idols” (Catholic Answers (apologetics resource))

What are the 10 commandments in order?

The traditional Protestant listing

  • 1. You shall have no other gods before me.
  • 2. You shall not make for yourself an idol.
  • 3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
  • 4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
  • 5. Honor your father and your mother.
  • 6. You shall not murder.
  • 7. You shall not commit adultery.
  • 8. You shall not steal.
  • 9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
  • 10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house — or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

This ordering, derived from the Reformed tradition, treats the ban on images as a separate command and splits the coveting clause into two distinct prohibitions (BibleProject (educational ministry)).

The Catholic listing

  • 1. I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me. (Includes ban on idols)
  • 2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
  • 3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.
  • 4. Honor your father and your mother.
  • 5. You shall not kill.
  • 6. You shall not commit adultery.
  • 7. You shall not steal.
  • 8. You shall not bear false witness.
  • 9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
  • 10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Catholic tradition follows Augustine’s numbering, merging the first two commands into one and dividing the last into two separate desires (Catholic Answers (apologetics resource)).

The Jewish listing

  • 1. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.
  • 2. You shall have no other gods before me and you shall not make an idol.
  • 3. You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord.
  • 4. Keep the Sabbath day.
  • 5. Honor your father and mother.
  • 6. You shall not murder.
  • 7. You shall not commit adultery.
  • 8. You shall not steal.
  • 9. You shall not bear false witness.
  • 10. You shall not covet.

In Jewish tradition, the opening declaration — “I am the Lord your God” — is counted as the first of the Ten Words, not a command but a statement of relationship (BibleProject (educational ministry)).

Bottom line: Three major traditions carve the same biblical text into ten statements in three different ways, reflecting distinct theological emphases. Jewish readers find the first “word” sets the covenant context; Catholic readers see the unity of God stressed by merging idols into the first command; Protestant readers encounter a standalone warning against graven images.

What are the 10 commandments in plain English?

Each commandment explained in simple terms

  • 1. Put God first — no other gods or priorities should take His place. (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:3))
  • 2. Don’t make or worship physical representations of God. (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:4-6))
  • 3. Treat God’s name with respect — no casual swearing or misuse. (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:7))
  • 4. Set aside one day a week for rest and worship. (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:8-11))
  • 5. Honor your parents — it’s the foundation for stable families. (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:12))
  • 6. Do not take an innocent life. (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:13))
  • 7. Be faithful to your spouse — no adultery. (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:14))
  • 8. Don’t take what doesn’t belong to you. (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:15))
  • 9. Tell the truth in court and in everyday life — no lying about others. (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:16))
  • 10. Don’t envy what others have — that includes their spouse, house, or possessions. (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:17))

The fourth command receives different emphasis: Exodus connects Sabbath to creation, while Deuteronomy ties it to liberation from slavery in Egypt (Chabad.org (Jewish educational site)).

The upshot

These ten rules form a moral backbone for billions, but their wording is flexible enough that three major religions read them differently. The consequence: any modern discussion of “biblical law” must specify which tradition’s version is being used.

The implication: The plain English explanations above use Protestant numbering, but Catholics and Jews would reorder and rephrase several of these commands.

What are the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20?

Exodus 20:1-17 text (KJV)

“And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me…” (BibleGateway (King James Version, Exodus 20:1-3))

The passage continues through prohibitions on idols, misuse of God’s name, Sabbath command, honor to parents, and six rules governing social relationships (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20:1-17)).

Context of the Exodus narrative

God gave these commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai shortly after the Israelites escaped slavery in Egypt (Catholic Answers (apologetics resource)). The Exodus itself — the defining event of Jewish identity — sets the stage: the commands are not abstract rules but a charter for a freed people learning to live as God’s community.

The pattern: The first four commands (in Protestant numbering) address humanity’s relationship with God; the last six regulate relations among people. This two-table structure echoes the two stone tablets (BibleProject (educational ministry)).

Why this matters

The Exodus context reframes the commandments as a gift for freedom, not a list of restrictions. For a people just liberated from Egyptian rule, these laws provided the boundaries for self-governance under a single divine authority. Ignoring that origin story changes the tone from invitation to imposition.

The catch: The Exodus version uses “Remember” for the Sabbath, tying rest to creation, while Deuteronomy’s version uses “Keep” and ties rest to redemption from slavery. No single text is the definitive one.

Where are the full 10 commandments in the Bible?

Exodus 20

The first and most famous version appears in Exodus 20:1-17 (BibleGateway (NIV, Exodus 20)). It includes the creation-based Sabbath rationale and the full set of commands as God’s direct speech.

Deuteronomy 5

A second version appears in Deuteronomy 5:6-21, spoken by Moses as he retells Israel’s history (Catholic Answers (apologetics resource)). The wording shifts slightly: Deuteronomy uses “keep” instead of “remember” for the Sabbath and ties it to redemption rather than creation (Chabad.org (Jewish educational site)).

Other references in the New Testament

Jesus reinforces several commandments in the Gospels, quoting the prohibition on murder, adultery, and the command to honor parents (BibleGateway (NIV, Matthew 19:17-19)). Paul also references the law in Romans and Ephesians, treating the commandments as a moral foundation for Christian conduct.

The implication: With two distinct accounts in the Old Testament and multiple echoes in the New, the commandments are more a living tradition than a fixed text. Any single “list” is an editorial choice.

Bottom line: Two Old Testament locations (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5) plus New Testament citations mean readers must decide which version carries authority. Jewish tradition treats the Exodus version as God’s own speech; Catholic and Protestant traditions treat both as inspired, with Deuteronomy offering interpretive commentary.

What is the Catholic version of the 10 commandments?

Catholic numbering and wording

As shown above, the Catholic Catechism combines the first two Protestant commandments into one (“I am the Lord your God… you shall not have strange gods before me”) and divides the tenth into two separate prohibitions against coveting a neighbor’s wife and coveting his goods (Catholic Answers (apologetics resource)).

Differences from Protestant listing

  • Catholic first commandment includes the ban on images; Protestant separates that as a second commandment.
  • Catholic ninth and tenth cover coveting wife and goods separately; Protestant keeps both coveting clauses under one commandment.
  • The Sabbath command is phrased as “keep holy the Lord’s Day” rather than “the Sabbath” — reflecting the Christian shift to Sunday (Catholic Answers (apologetics resource)).

Historical basis for Catholic version

St. Augustine of Hippo (4th century) proposed the numbering that Catholic tradition adopted. His rationale: the command against idolatry is a corollary of exclusive worship, so merging them avoids redundancy (Wikipedia (general reference)). Martin Luther, while using the Augustinian numbering for his catechisms, still retained the two-commandment structure for teaching laypeople.

The catch: Neither numbering appears in the Bible. Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism each made legitimate editorial decisions about how to count ten statements from a text that contains more than ten imperatives. The differences are not doctrinal flaws — they are interpretive choices.

The trade-off

The Catholic version emphasizes the unity of God’s claim by nesting the idol ban under the first command. The Protestant version gives the idol ban independent weight — a deliberate response to Reformation-era concerns about images. For Catholics, the gain is theological coherence; for Protestants, the gain is a sharper warning against image worship.

Comparison: Numbering across traditions

Ten commands, three frameworks — one pattern: the text is the same, but the count varies because the Bible does not number them.

Commandment Subject Protestant (Reformed) Catholic (Augustinian) Jewish
No other gods 1 1 (combined) 2
No idols 2 1 (combined) 2
God’s name not misused 3 2 3
Sabbath 4 3 4
Honor parents 5 4 5
Murder 6 5 6
Adultery 7 6 7
Stealing 8 7 8
False witness 9 8 9
Coveting (house/goods) 10 10 10
Coveting (wife) 10 (part of) 9 10 (part of)

What this means: The only difference between Protestant and Catholic numbering is the handling of the first and last groupings. Jewish tradition adds the unique opening declaration as the first “word,” making the list start with relationship rather than command.

Clarity check: What we know and what remains uncertain

Confirmed facts

  • The ten commandments are recorded in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 (Catholic Answers (apologetics resource))
  • They were given to Moses on Mount Sinai after the Exodus (BibleProject (educational ministry))
  • The commandments appear twice with slight wording differences (Chabad.org (Jewish educational site))
  • Christian and Jewish traditions number them differently (Wikipedia (general reference))

What’s unclear

  • The exact original wording of each command is unknown (no autograph manuscripts survive)
  • The exact division of commandments 9 and 10 varies by tradition and is not specified in the biblical text
  • Whether the Sabbath command is fulfilled in Christian Sunday worship or remains as Saturday rest is debated among denominations (Catholic Answers (apologetics resource))

Voices from Christian history

“The Ten Commandments are the law of God, and they are the foundation of Christian morality.”

— Augustine of Hippo, Augustine (church father and theologian)

“The Ten Commandments are the sum of all godly teaching.”

— Martin Luther, Luther’s Large Catechism (reformer and catechist)

“The commandments are meant to shape a community that reflects God’s character.”

— BibleProject (educational ministry)

These three voices — spanning 1,600 years — show that the commandments have been interpreted as both a moral foundation and a community charter. Augustine stressed their universal role; Luther made them accessible to laypeople; BibleProject frames them as identity-shaping gifts for a free people.

Why the 10 commandments still matter

The Ten Commandments are not just ancient rules — they continue to shape Western law, ethical debate, and personal faith. For a reader in the United States, public displays of the commandments remain legally contested; for religious practitioners, they are daily guides. The tension between tradition and interpretation is built into the text itself. There is no single “original” list to return to.

For anyone trying to understand what the Bible says about right and wrong, the answer begins here — but it depends who you ask. For Christians, the commandments are a moral baseline fulfilled in Christ; for Jews, they are the first ten of 613 mitzvot in the Torah; for secular readers, they are a historical foundation of Western ethics. The choice of numbering reflects a deeper choice about what God prioritizes: exclusive worship, no images, or the relationship declared in the opening line.

Bottom line: The Ten Commandments remain a living text precisely because their numbering and wording are not fixed. Each tradition’s version forces readers to decide which theological emphasis matters most — and that choice continues to shape law, worship, and ethics today.
Additional sources

bibleproject.com, mirwriter.wordpress.com, facebook.com, facebook.com

For a detailed breakdown of the Ten Commandments, including the full list and differences, this resource provides a comprehensive overview.

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Frequently asked questions

What does the 10 commandments say about lying?

The ninth commandment forbids bearing false witness against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16), which broadly prohibits lying that harms others. Jewish and Christian traditions interpret this as a call to truthfulness in legal testimony and everyday speech.

What is the origin of the 10 commandments?

According to the Bible, God spoke the Ten Commandments to the Israelites at Mount Sinai after the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 20). They were then inscribed on stone tablets by the finger of God (Exodus 31:18).

What does Jesus say about the 10 commandments?

Jesus affirmed the commandments, especially in the Sermon on the Mount, where he deepened their meaning (Matthew 5). He summarized them as loving God and loving your neighbor, and he told the rich young ruler to keep them for eternal life (Matthew 19:17-19).

How are the 10 commandments used in Christianity today?

Most Christian denominations teach the commandments as part of moral instruction, often including them in catechisms (e.g., Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed). They are used in worship, discipleship, and as a basis for Christian ethics.

What is the difference between the 10 commandments and the Mosaic law?

The Ten Commandments are a subset of the larger Mosaic law (613 mitzvot in Jewish tradition). The commandments are considered moral law, while other laws include civil, ceremonial, and dietary rules. Christians typically view the moral law as enduring, but see ceremonial laws as fulfilled in Christ.

Why are the 10 commandments important in Judaism?

They are the first ten of the Torah’s 613 commandments and are recited in synagogue liturgy. Jewish tradition emphasizes that they were spoken by God directly to the entire nation, making them uniquely foundational for Jewish identity and covenant.

Are the 10 commandments still binding on Christians?

Most Christian groups affirm the moral principles of the commandments, though interpretations vary. Catholics and Lutherans use them as a confession of sin; Reformed Protestants see them as a guide for thankful living; some Christians argue that the Sabbath command (fourth) is no longer binding.

What does the 10 commandments say about murder?

The sixth commandment (Exodus 20:13) prohibits unlawful killing. The Hebrew word “ratsach” is usually translated as “murder” rather than all killing, implying a distinction between murder and other forms of taking life (e.g., in war or capital punishment).