A series of commands from God to the chosen people, mediated by Moses. The text of the Decalogue (Gk., “ten words”), or Ten Commandments, is given in its entirety twice in the OT with only slight variations. In (Exod 20:1-17) the setting is Mt. Sinai; Moses brings down to the people the two tablets of the law written by the very hand of God (Exod 24:12). In (Deut 5:6-21) the text is part of Moses’s recitation of the history of salvation with which he prefaces his last will and testament. The commandments are not numbered in the Bible, and different systems for numbering them are employed.
Exod 20:1-17
The Ten Commandments
1Then God spoke all these words:2I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;3you shall h ... View more
Exod 24:12
12The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I ha ... View more
Deut 5:6-21
6I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;7you shall have no other gods before me.8You shall not make for y ... View more