Question
What are the Ten Commandments? Where are they in the Bible, and why do different churches number them differently?
Analysis
Where they are, and what "Decalogue" means
- Primary text: Exodus 20:1-17, given at Sinai.
- Restatement: Deuteronomy 5:6-21, Moses repeats them to the next generation (the Sabbath rationale differs: Exodus grounds it in creation, Exodus 20:11; Deuteronomy grounds it in the Exodus from Egypt, Deuteronomy 5:15).
- The Bible calls them the "ten words" (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 10:4), hence Decalogue (Greek deka logoi). [Nave's, TEN COMMANDMENTS] redirects to its COMMANDMENTS entry; [Nave's, COMMANDMENTS] lists Exodus 20:3-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21 as the core texts.
The text of the ten (WEB, Exodus 20)
Listed here by the content units of Exodus 20:2-17, before any tradition's numbering is applied:
| Verse | Content |
|---|---|
| Exodus 20:2 | Prologue: "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." |
| Exodus 20:3 | No other gods before me. |
| Exodus 20:4-6 | No carved image / idol; do not bow to or serve them. |
| Exodus 20:7 | Do not misuse the name of the LORD. |
| Exodus 20:8-11 | Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. |
| Exodus 20:12 | Honor your father and mother. |
| Exodus 20:13 | You shall not murder. |
| Exodus 20:14 | You shall not commit adultery. |
| Exodus 20:15 | You shall not steal. |
| Exodus 20:16 | You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. |
| Exodus 20:17 | You shall not covet (house, wife, servant, animals, "anything that is your neighbor's"). |
Why the numbering differs
All traditions agree there are ten and that the text is identical. They divide it differently at two seams:
- The top: Is the prologue + "no other gods" + "no images" one commandment or two? Jewish tradition treats the prologue (Exodus 20:2) as the first "word." Catholic and Lutheran tradition merge "no other gods" and "no images" into one. Reformed/Anglican/Orthodox tradition splits them into two separate commands.
- The bottom: To keep the total at ten, the side that merged at the top must split coveting (Exodus 20:17) into two, coveting the neighbor's house vs. coveting the neighbor's wife.
The numbering by tradition
| Commandment (content) | Jewish | Roman Catholic / Lutheran | Reformed / Anglican / Orthodox |
|---|---|---|---|
| "I am the LORD your God…" (prologue, Exodus 20:2) | 1 | (preface to 1) | (preface to 1) |
| No other gods before me (Exodus 20:3) | 2 (with images) | 1 (with images) | 1 |
| No carved images / idols (Exodus 20:4-6) | 2 (with above) | (part of 1) | 2 |
| Do not misuse God's name (Exodus 20:7) | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Remember the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11) | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Honor father and mother (Exodus 20:12) | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Do not murder (Exodus 20:13) | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Do not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14) | 7 | 6 | 7 |
| Do not steal (Exodus 20:15) | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Do not give false testimony (Exodus 20:16) | 9 | 8 | 9 |
Do not covet (neighbor's house) (Exo.20.17a) | 10 (all coveting) | 9 | 10 (all coveting) |
Do not covet (neighbor's wife / others) (Exo.20.17b) | 10 (with above) | 10 | 10 (with above) |
Reading the table:
| Tradition | First word | Images | Coveting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish (Talmudic) | The prologue "I am the LORD" is commandment 1 | Bundled with "no other gods" (cmd 2) | Single command (cmd 10) |
| Roman Catholic & Lutheran (Augustine's division) | "No other gods" (prologue is preface) | Bundled into cmd 1 | Split into two (cmds 9 & 10) |
| Reformed, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox (Philonic / "Reformed" division) | "No other gods" (cmd 1) | Separate command (cmd 2) | Single command (cmd 10) |
Notes for fairness:
- The Catholic/Lutheran scheme follows Augustine; the Reformed/Orthodox scheme follows the older Philo / Josephus division. Both are ancient and principled, not arbitrary.
- The Orthodox and Reformed/Anglican counts agree on the structure (separate image command; single coveting command), even though these traditions differ widely on other matters.
- No tradition adds or removes any words of Exodus 20:2-17; only the grouping changes.
The two "tables" of the Law
Across traditions the ten are commonly grouped into two tables:
| Table | Commands | Summary | Jesus' summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| First table | Duties toward God (no other gods, no idols, name, Sabbath) | Love for God | "Love the Lord your God" (Matthew 22:37, quoting Deuteronomy 6:5) |
| Second table | Duties toward neighbor (honor parents, murder, adultery, theft, false witness, coveting) | Love for neighbor | "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39, quoting Leviticus 19:18) |
This is why Jesus' two great commandments (Matthew 22:37-40) are read as the summary of the whole Decalogue, and why Paul says love "fulfills the law" (Romans 13:8-10, which cites several second-table commands directly).
A note on the Sabbath command
The Sabbath command (Exodus 20:8-11) is the one most debated in application among Christians (which day, and whether it binds Christians under the new covenant, Romans 14:5-6, Colossians 2:16). This reference notes this is a live multi-view question (Saturday-Sabbatarian, Sunday-as-Lord's-Day, and "fulfilled-in-Christ" positions all exist) but it does not bear on the numbering and is outside this entry's scope.