Ten Commandments

 

or Decalogue [Gr.,=ten words], in the Bible, the summary of divine law given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They have a paramount place in the ethical system in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Listed in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy, the commandments are divided into duties toward God, one's neighbors, and society. Their normative status is indicated by their prescriptive and unconditional language. They function as general stipulations decreed by God as part of God's covenant with the people of Israel. In both Exodus and Deuteronomy, the case law following the listing of the commandments is based on them and deduced from the principles contained in them. In Islamic tradition, Moses brings new revelation in the form of the commandments.

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The Ten Commandments, or Decalog(ue), are a list of religious and moral imperatives which, according to Biblical tradition, were written by God and given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of two stone tablets. They feature prominently in Judaism and Christianity. The phrase "Ten Commandments" generally refers to the very similar passages in Exodus 20:2–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21. Some distinguish between this "Ethical Decalogue" and a series of ten commandments in Exodus 34 that are labelled the "Ritual Decalogue". This article mainly deals with the former.

Text of the Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments are given in passages in two books of the Bible: Exodus 20:2–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21. These passages are provided in English below, using the New Revised Standard Version translation and formatting. Various religions and denominations group the commandments differently; see the Division of the commandments section for a detailed accounting.

The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:2–17

Deuteronomy 5:6–21

2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me. 4 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. 5 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, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 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. 8 Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 For six days you shall labour and do all your work. 10 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. 11 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. 12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 13 You shall not murder. 14 You shall not commit adultery. 15 You shall not steal. 16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. 17 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.

6 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 7 you shall have no other gods before me. 8 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. 9 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 fourth generation of those who reject me, 10 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. 11 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. 12 Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 For six days you shall labour and do all your work. 14 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day. 16 Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 17 You shall not murder. 18 Neither shall you commit adultery. 19 Neither shall you steal. 20 Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbour. 21 Neither shall you covet your neighbour’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbour’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

Division of the commandments

The commandments passage in Exodus contains more than ten imperative statements, totalling 14 or 15 in all. However, the Bible itself assigns the count of "10", using the Hebrew phrase ʻaseret had'varim—translated as the 10 words, statements or things.^[2] Various religions divide the commandments differently. The table below highlights those differences.

Division of the Ten Commandments by religion/denomination

Commandment	Jewish	Orthodox	Roman Catholic*, Lutheran**	Anglican, Reformed, and Other Protestant
I am the Lord thy God	1	1	1	preface
Thou shalt have no other gods before me	2			1
Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol		2		2
Thou shalt not make wrongful use of the name of thy God	3	3	2	3
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy	4	4	3	4
Honor thy Father and Mother	5	5	4	5
Thou shalt not murder	6	6	5	6
Thou shalt not commit adultery	7	7	6	7
Thou shalt not steal	8	8	7	8
Thou shalt not bear false witness	9	9	8	9
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.	10	10	9	10
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife			10

Notes: *Roman Catholic use 'You shall not Kill' instead 'You shall not murder"^[3] ** Some Lutheran churches use a slightly different division of the ninth and tenth commandments: 9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; 10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his workers, or his cattle, or anything that is your neighbor’s.^[4]

Biblical Origins

In Biblical Hebrew language, the commandments are termed עשרת הדברים (translit. Aseret ha-Dvarîm) and in Rabbinical Hebrew עשרת הדברות (translit. Aseret ha-Dibrot), both translatable as "the ten statements." The name "Decalogue" is derived from the Greek name δεκάλογος or "dekalogos" ("ten statements") found in the Septuagint (Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 10:4), which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name.

According to Biblical text, the commandments represent the utterances of God on Mount Sinai. There are biblical passages that also refer to ten commandments being written by God on stone, and it is widely held that these were the ten commandments of this article (but not without controversy, see "Ritual Decalogue"). These are called "tablets of stone"^[5], also referred to as "tablets of testimony"^[6] or "tablets of the covenant"^[7], which he gave to Moses. Moses then gave them to the people of Israel in the third month after their Exodus from Egypt. Israel's receipt of the commandments occurred on the third day of preparations at the foot of the mount.^[8]

The arrangement of the commandments on the two tablets is interpreted in different ways. Rabbi Hanina ben Gamaliel says that each tablet contained five commandments, "but the Sages say ten on one tablet and ten on the other".^[9] Because the commandments establish a covenant, it is likely that they were duplicated on both tablets. This can be compared to diplomatic treaties of Ancient Egypt, in which a copy was made for each party.^[10]

The tablets "were written on both their sides,"^[11]. According to the Talmud, the carving went through the full thickness of the tablets. The stones in the center part of letters were not connected to the rest of the tablet, but they did not fall out. The writing was also legible from both sides; it was not a mirror image on the back. While these two miracles are explained in the Talmud.^[12], they are not mentioned in the Bible.

After receiving the commandments and returning to Mount Sinai, Moses saw that the Israelites had "defiled themselves", and that his brother, Aaron, had made a Golden Calf and an altar in front of it. Moses, in terrible anger, broke the tablets.^[13] God later offered Moses to carve two other tablets, to replace the ones he smashed.^[14] God himself appears as the writer.^[15] This second set, brought down from Mount Sinai by Moses,^[16] was placed in the Ark of the Covenant,^[17] hence designated as the "Ark of the Testimony."^[18]

The Bible also makes other references to the commandments. References to them and the consequences for not following them are found throughout the book of Deuteronomy. Jesus refers to the commandments in several verses,^[19] and condenses them into two general commands:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the great general commandment that Jesus took from the book of Deuteronomy (6: 5). And a second is like unto it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.^[20]

These words quoted by Jesus appear in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 respectively.

Variations between Exodus and Deuteronomy

As was seen above, there are differences between the two Biblical expressions of the ten commandments, that found in Exodus and that found in Deuteronomy 5:1–22. One difference is the commandment of Sabbath. In Exodus it says to "Remember (Hebrew: zachor) the Sabbath day", and in Deuteronomy it says to "Safeguard (Hebrew: shamor) the Sabbath day". Other differences include the last word in the third commandment, and the ninth commandments. The Talmud observes that the words zachor and shamor were spoken simultaneously; the fact that both could be heard was a miracle.^[21] The Maharal of Prague observes that the Talmud is silent on all other textual differences, and concludes that the added words in Deuteronomy are elaborations and explanations, in keeping with the character of Deuteronomy (Mishneh Torah, "a repetition of the Torah").^[22]

Jewish understanding

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Significance of the Decalogue

The Torah includes hundreds of commandments (traditionally 613), including the ten from the Decalogue. Therefore, when compared to the whole canon of Jewish law, the Ten Commandments are not given any greater significance in observance or special status. When undue emphasis was being placed on them, their daily communal recitation was discontinued.^[23] Jewish tradition does, however, recognize them as the ideological basis for the rest of the commandments; a number of works (starting with Rabbi Saadia Gaon) have made groupings of the commandments according to their links with the Ten Commandments.

Traditional Rabbinical Jewish belief is that these commandments, among the 613, apply solely to the Jewish people, and that the laws incumbent on the rest of humanity are outlined in the seven Noahide Laws (several of which overlap with the Ten Commandments). In the era of the Sanhedrin, transgressing 6 of the 10 commandments (exceptions being the first commandment, Honoring your father and mother, saying God's name in vain, and coveting) in a specific fashion theoretically carried the death penalty; though this was rarely enforced due to a large number of stringent evidentiary requirements imposed by the oral law.

Traditional division and interpretation

According to the Medieval Sefer ha-Chinuch, the first four statements concern the relationship between God and humans, while the next six statements concern the relationships between people. Rabbinic literature holds that the Ten Statements in fact contain 14 or 15 distinct instructions.

1. "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me..."

   This commandment is to believe in the existence of God and His influence on events in the world, and that the goal of the redemption from Egypt was to become His servants (Rashi). It prohibits belief in or worship of any additional deities.

2. "Do not make an image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above..."

   This prohibits the construction or fashioning of "idols" in the likeness of created things (beasts, fish, birds, people) and worshipping them.

3. "Do not swear falsely by the name of the LORD..."

   This commandment is to never take the name of God in a vain, pointless or insincere oath.^[24]

4. "Remember [zachor] the Sabbath day and keep it holy" (the version in Deuteronomy reads shamor, "observe")

   The seventh day of the week is termed Shabbat and is holy, just as God ceased creative activity during Creation. The aspect of zachor is performed by declaring the greatness of the day (kiddush), by having three festive meals, and by engaging in Torah study and pleasurable activities. The aspect of shamor is performed by abstaining from productive activity (39 melachot) on the Shabbat.

5. "Honor your father and your mother..."

   The obligation to honor one's parents is an obligation that one owes to God and fulfills this obligation through one's actions towards one's parents.

6. "Do not murder"

   Murdering a human being is a capital sin.^[25]

7. "Do not commit adultery."

   Adultery is defined as sexual intercourse between a man and a married woman who is not his wife.^[24]

8. "Do not steal."

   This is not understood as stealing in the conventional sense, since theft of property is forbidden elsewhere and is not a capital offense. In this context it is to be taken as "do not kidnap."^[24]

9. "Do not bear false witness against your neighbor"

   One must not bear false witness in a court of law or other proceeding.

10. "Do not covet your neighbor's wife"

    One is forbidden to desire and plan how one may obtain that which God has given to another. Maimonides makes a distinction in codifying the laws between the instruction given here in Exodus (You shall not covet) and that given in Deuteronomy (You shall not desire), according to which one does not violate the Exodus commandment unless there is a physical action associated with the desire, even if this is legally purchasing an envied object.

Samaritan understandings

The Samaritan Pentateuch varies in the ten commandments passages, both in that their Deuteronomical version of the passage is much closer to that in Exodus, and in the addition of a commandment on the sanctity of Mount Gerizim.

The text of the commandment follows:

And it shall come to pass when the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land of the Canaanites whither thou goest to take possession of it, thou shalt erect unto thee large stones, and thou shalt cover them with lime, and thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this Law, and it shall come to pass when ye cross the Jordan, ye shall erect these stones which I command thee upon Mount Gerizim, and thou shalt build there an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones, and thou shalt not lift upon them iron, of perfect stones shalt thou build thine altar, and thou shalt bring upon it burnt offerings to the Lord thy God, and thou shalt sacrifice peace offerings, and thou shalt eat there and rejoice before the Lord thy God. That mountain is on the other side of the Jordan at the end of the road towards the going down of the sun in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the Arabah facing Gilgal close by Elon Moreh facing Shechem.^[26]

Christian understanding

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Christianity Portal

Roman Catholic and Lutheran Christianity

The Lutheran and Roman Catholic division of the commandments both follow the one established by St. Augustine, following the then current synagogue scribal division. The first three commandments govern the relationship between God and humans, the fourth through eighth govern public relationships between people, and the last two govern private thoughts. For additional information on the Catholic understanding of the Ten Commandments, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994), sections 2052–2557. References to the Catechism are provided below for each commandment as well as the interpretation used by Lutherans and Catholics. The following text is from Deuteronomy 5:6–5:21 NRSV:

1. "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. 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 fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments."

   Catholic teaching distinguishes between dulia—paying honor to God through contemplation of objects such as paintings and statues—and latria—adoration directed to God alone. (See Catechism 2084–2141.)

2. "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."

   This commandment prohibits not just swearing but the misappropriation of religious language in order to commit a crime, participating in occult practices, and blaspheming against places or people that are holy to God. (See Catechism 2142–2167.)

3. "Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day."
4. "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you."

   This commandment emphasizes the family as part of God's design, as well as an extended metaphor that God uses for his relationship with his creation. (See Catechism 2197–2257.)

5. "(Roman Catholic) You shall not kill / (Lutheran) You shall not murder"

   The right of states to execute criminals is not absolutely forbidden by this commandment. However, other methods of protecting society (incarceration, rehabilitation) are increasingly available and more in keeping with other Christian moral teaching. Catholics (along with many Protestants) also consider abortion sinful and a violation of this commandment. War, if rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy are met (that is, the "use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated"), is not a violation because "governments cannot be denied the right of lawful self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed." (See Catechism 2258–2330.)

6. "Neither shall you commit adultery."

   Adultery is the breaking of the holy bond between husband and wife, and is thus a sacrilege. This commandment includes not just the act of adultery, but lust as well. (See Catechism 2331–2400.)

7. "Neither shall you steal."

   (See Catechism 2401–2463.)

8. "Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor."

   This commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in relations with others. This also forbids lying. (See Catechism 2464–2513.)

9. "Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife."

   (See Catechism 2514–2533.)

10. "Neither shall you desire your neighbor's house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

    (See Catechism 2534–2557.)

The Commandments are seen as general "subject headings" for moral theology, in addition to being specific commandments in themselves. Thus, the commandment to honor father and mother is seen as a heading for a general rule to respect legitimate authority, including the authority of the state. The commandment not to commit adultery is traditionally taken to be a heading for a general rule to be sexually pure, the specific content of the purity depending, of course, on whether one is married or not. In this way, the Ten Commandments can be seen as dividing up all of morality.

Protestant Christianity

There are many different denominations of Protestantism, and it is impossible to generalize in a way that covers them all. However, this diversity arose historically from fewer sources, the various teachings of which can be summarized, in general terms.

Lutherans, Reformed and Anglicans, and Anabaptists all taught, and their descendants still predominantly teach, that the Ten Commandments have both an explicitly negative content, and an implied positive content. Besides those things that ought not to be done, there are things which ought not to be left undone. So that, besides not transgressing the prohibitions, a faithful abiding by the commands of God includes keeping the obligations of love. The ethic contained in the Ten Commandments and indeed in all of Scripture is, "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and mind, and soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself", and, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Lutherans theorize that there is an antithesis between these two sides of the word of God, the positive and the negative. Love and gratitude is a guide to those under the Gospel, and the prohibitions are for unbelievers and profane people. This antithesis between Law and Gospel runs through every ethical command, according to Lutheran understanding.

The Anabaptists have held that the commandments of God are the content of the covenant established through Christ: faith is faithfulness, and thus, belief is essentially the same thing as obedience.

Reformed and Anglicans have taught the abiding validity of the commandments, and call it a summation of the "moral law", binding on all people. However, they emphasize the union of the believer with Christ - so that the will and power to perform the commandments does not arise from the commandment itself, but from the gift of the Holy Spirit. Apart from this grace, the commandment is only productive of condemnation, according to this family of doctrine.

Modern Evangelicalism, under the influence of dispensationalism, commonly denies that the commandments have any abiding validity as a requirement binding upon Christians; however, they contain principles which are beneficial to the believer. Dispensationalism is particularly emphatic about the dangers of legalism, and thus, in a distinctive way de-emphasizes the teaching of the law (see also antinomianism). Somewhat analogously, Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement typically emphasizes the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the freedom of the Christian from outward commandments, sometimes in antithesis to the letter of the Law. Quakers and Pietists have historically set themselves against the Law as a form of commandment binding on Christians, and have emphasized the inner guidance and liberty of the believer, so that the law is fulfilled not merely by avoiding what the Law prohibits, but by carrying out what the Spirit of God urges upon their conscience.

Typical Protestant view

For those Christians who believe that the Ten Commandments continue to be binding for Christians (see also Old Testament—Christian view of the Law and Cafeteria Christianity), their negative and positive content can be summarized as follows.

Exodus 20:

Preface: vs 1–2
Implies the obligation to keep all of the commandments of God, in gratitude because of the abundance of his mercy.
Forbids ingratitude to God and denial that he is our God.

1. vs 3
   Enjoins that God must be known and acknowledged to be the only true God, and our God; and, to worship him and to make him known as he has been made known to us.
   Forbids not worshiping and glorifying the true God as God, and as our God; and forbids giving worship and glory to any other, which is due to him alone.
2. vs 4–6
   Requires receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God has appointed; and zeal in resisting those who would corrupt worship; because of God's ownership of us, and interest in our salvation.
   Prohibits the worshiping of God by images, or by confusion of any creature with God, or any other way not appointed in his Word.
3. vs 7
   Enjoins a holy and a reverent use of God’s names, titles, attributes, ordinances, Word, and works.
   Forbids all abuse of anything by which God makes Himself known. Some Protestants, especially in the tradition of pacifism, read this Commandment as forbidding any and all oaths, including judicial oaths and oaths of allegiance to a government, noting that human weakness cannot foretell whether such oaths will in fact be vain.
4. vs 8–11
   Requires setting apart to God such set times as are appointed in his Word. Many Protestants are increasingly concerned that the values of the marketplace do not dominate entirely, and deprive people of leisure and energy needed for worship, for the creation of civilized culture. The setting of time apart from and free from the demands of commerce is one of the foundations of a decent human society. See Sabbath.
   Forbids the omission, or careless performance, of the religious duties, using the day for idleness, or for doing that which is in itself sinful; and prohibits requiring of others any such omission, or transgression, on the designated day.
5. vs 12
   The only commandment with explicitly positive content, rather than a prohibition; it connects all of the temporal blessings of God, with reverence for and obedience to authority, and especially for father and mother.
   Forbids doing anything against, or failing to give, the honor and duty which belongs to anyone, whether because they possess authority or because they are subject to authority.
6. vs 13
   Requires all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life, and the life of others.
   Forbids taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor, unjustly (Just taking of life includes self-defense and times of War.); and, anything that tends toward depriving life.
7. vs 14
   Enjoins protection of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behavior.
   Forbids all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions.
8. vs 15
   Requires a defense of all lawful things that further the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others.
   Prohibits whatever deprives our neighbor, or ourselves, of lawfully gained wealth or outward estate.
9. vs 16
   Requires the maintaining and promoting of truth between people, and of our neighbor’s good name and our own, especially in witness-bearing.
   Forbids whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own, or our neighbor’s, good name.
10. vs 17
    Enjoins contentment with our own condition, and a charitable attitude toward our neighbor and all that is his, being thankful for his sake that he has whatever is beneficial to him, as we are for those things that benefit us.
    Forbids discontent or envy, prohibits any grief over the betterment of our neighbor's estate, and all inordinate desires to obtain for ourselves, or scheming to wrest for our benefit, anything that is his.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches the continued practice of keeping the Ten Commandments as listed in KJV Exodus 20:2–17, (also please consider the following connotations):

1. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
We should do “all things with an eye single to the glory of God”. We should love and serve the Lord with all our heart, might, mind, and strength.

• (All mankind are the children of God and rightful beneficiaries of God's blessings through freely chosen obedience to the commandments).

2. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” (Exodus 20:4).
In this commandment, the Lord condemns the worship of idols or other gods. Idolatry may take many forms. God should come first in our lives as the center of our daily living, worship, trust and gratitude.

• (Some people do not bow before graven images, statues or other gods nonetheless they replace the living God with other idols, such as money, material possessions, ideas, or prestige. In their lives, “their treasure is their god”—a god that “shall perish with them”).

3. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7).

4. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

• (Work is a blessing. The commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy brings many attendant blessings of the fruitfulness of the earth. A whole nation or community can be blessed with fruitfulness as its people choose to keep these commandments, as promised in many passages in Deuteronomy. Work allows for growth, joy and progress through trials of faith. (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:11) Closely related blessings are available to communities that practice the law of the fast (see Isaiah 58:6–14) through using donated monies or commodities to help the poor and needy).

5. “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12).
This commandment remains binding throughout our lives and can be understood in several ways: We should honor our fathers and our mothers and our ancestors; we should be grateful to our father and mother. Above all, we should honor our Heavenly Father. The way we honor all these is by keeping the commandments.

• (Parents have a primary, divinely given obligation to teach their children the Ten Commandments in a loving way (Deuteronomy 6:5–7). Children should continue to honor their aging family members throughout their lives).
• (An important proclamation teaching God-given roles of parents and families relating to the Ten Commandments was announced publicly by LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley in September 1995, entitled The Family: A Proclamation to the World).

6. “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).

• (Human life is a sacred gift from God. Among other violations of this law which could be noted is the fostering or consent to practices that prevent this gift to the most innocent of all, the unborn, through elective abortion for personal or social convenience).

7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

• In a latter-day revelation, the Lord condemned not only adultery, but also “anything like unto it”. Fornication, and other sexual sins are violations of the seventh commandment.

8. “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15).
Stealing is a form of dishonesty.

• (Personal, business/contractual and governmental integrity are vital to the strength of communities and nations, as implied in the eighth and ninth commandments).

9. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16).
Bearing false witness is another form of dishonesty.

10. “Thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17).
Coveting, or envying something that belongs to another, is damaging to the soul. It can consume our thoughts and plague us with constant unhappiness and dissatisfaction. It often leads to other sins and to financial indebtedness.

Although most of the Ten Commandments list things we should not do, they also represent things we should do. The Savior summarized the Ten Commandments in two principles—love for the Lord and love for our fellow men:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

“This is the first and great commandment.

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37–39).

—See True to the Faith (2004), 176–78

• (The LDS Church teaches that the blessings of freedom promised in Deuteronomy are available to whole nations as their people choose to follow the teachings of the Ten Commandments. While the separation of church and state is an important protection of the United States Constitution, "governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; ... for the good and safety of society..., such laws...framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life." (Doctrine and Covenants 134:1,2)

Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses hold that the commandments were given together with the Mosaic Law and the old covenant. While they understand the Bible as saying Christians are not bound by the Ten Commandments, (Colossians 2:13–14) they recognize the importance the Bible places on these principles for living a Christian life. (Galatians 6:2; Matthew 22:35–40) They believe that the Sabbatarian law is obsolete. (Colossians 2:16–17)

The first four commandments define the correct relationship between God and man.

• First - Jehovah exacts exclusive devotion; He tolerates no rivalry with other gods. (Ex. 20:3)
• Second - Images are never to be used in worship. All forms of idolatry are an open affront to Jehovah. (v.4–6)
• Third - The use of God’s name is to be dignified, never used disrespectfully.

When the Israelites became unfaithful they, as representatives of Jehovah by bearing his name, "took it up" or "carried" it "in vain." (v.7)

• Fourth - The Sabbath day was reserved for reflection on spiritual things, a day of rest from work so that the Israelites could meditate on Jehovah's Laws without distraction. (v.8–10)They believe that Christians are to apply this principle to each day of the week.^[28]

• Fifth- This commandment can be seen as the linking together of the first four (defining man's proper relationship with God) and the final six, (showing the proper relationships between humans) It is the obedience children owe their parents. This is a relationship which extends beyond childhood. To respect one’s parents is to show respect for the ultimate parent, Jehovah God.(v.12)

• Sixth through Ninth - Murder, adultery, stealing and lying are very pointed thus leaving no room for interpretation. These things are not to be practiced. (v.13–16)
• Tenth – This makes it clear that not only were the Israelites not to practice the things mentioned in the previous nine commands, but that they were also not to allow a desire for these things to take root in their hearts and minds. (v.17) This law is unique in that it is only enforcible by God himself and the individual.^[29] It therefore made each individual accountable directly to God. ^[30]

Muslim understanding

Part of a series on Islam
Beliefs
Allah · Oneness of God Muhammad · Prophets of Islam
Practices
Profession of Faith · Prayer Fasting · Charity · Pilgrimage
History & Leaders
Timeline of Muslim history Ahl al-Bayt · Sahaba Rashidun Caliphs · Shi'a Imams
Texts & Laws
Qur'an · Sunnah · Hadith Fiqh · Sharia Kalam ·