Exodus 20: The Ten Commandments
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
God speaks the Ten Commandments to Israel at Mount Sinai: no other gods, no idols, the name of Yahweh, the Sabbath, honoring father and mother, and no murder, adultery, stealing, false testimony, or coveting. The people tremble at the thunder, lightning, and smoke, and ask Moses to speak with them instead of God. Moses goes near to the thick darkness where God is, and Yahweh gives him more words for Israel about gods of silver and gold and about altars.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. God's own words are in 21 of the 26 verses: the Ten Commandments in verses 2 to 17, which verse 1 introduces with "God spoke all these words", and what he tells Moses to say to Israel in verses 22 to 26. The people speak to Moses in verse 19, and Moses speaks to the people in verse 20. God's speech that begins in verse 22 carries on into chapter 21. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1God spoke all these words, saying,
In plain English: God spoke all these words, saying,
The Hebrew word: "Words" is dabar. The dictionary gives it as "a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing".
Good to know: Later passages call these the "ten commandments": , and . The Hebrew in those three verses says "ten words". Exodus 20 does not number them.
Church tradition: Jewish readers and the churches count the ten in different ways. Jewish readers count verse 2 as the first, and verses 3 to 6 as the second. The Catholic and Lutheran churches count verses 3 to 6 as the first, and split verse 17 into two. The Orthodox and Reformed churches count verse 3 as the first, and verses 4 to 6 as the second.
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2“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.God speaks
In plain English: "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (literally: the house of slaves).
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3“You shall have no other gods before me.God speaks
In plain English: You must have no other gods before me (literally: on my face).
The Hebrew words: "Before me" is literally "on my face". Some readers take it to mean ahead of me, some in my presence, and some besides me.
What changes: Read as "besides me", the verse says there is to be no other god next to Yahweh.
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4“You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:God speaks
In plain English: You must not make for yourselves an idol (or: a carved image), or any image (or: form) of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
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5you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me,God speaks
In plain English: You must not bow down to them or serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, who visits (or: punishes) the wrongdoing of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
The Hebrew word: "Visiting" is paqad. The dictionary gives it as "to visit (with friendly or hostile intent)".
How it is translated: In Exodus this Bible says "visit" in 5 of the 12 verses that use the word: , , , this verse and . In it says "punish".
Good to know: In , and the visiting is Yahweh coming to help his people. says nearly the same about the fathers' wrongdoing and the children.
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6and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.God speaks
In plain English: and who shows loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
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7“You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who misuses his name.God speaks
In plain English: You must not misuse the name of Yahweh your God (literally: lift up the name of Yahweh your God for emptiness), for Yahweh will not hold guiltless the one who misuses his name.
The Hebrew words: "Misuse" is two Hebrew words: nasa, to lift or take up, and shav, emptiness. The Hebrew says literally "lift up the name of Yahweh your God for emptiness".
How it is translated: This Bible says "misuse" for these words in only 2 verses: here and . For shav in its 48 verses it says a form of "false" in 23 and "vain" in 13. In Exodus the word is also in : "a false report".
What changes: Some Bibles, like the King James, say "take the name in vain". Read as "falsely", the commandment is against using his name to say what is false.
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8“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.God speaks
In plain English: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Church tradition: Jewish readers and some churches keep the Sabbath on the seventh day, Saturday. Many churches worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, and churches differ on how this commandment applies today. Exodus 20 names only "the seventh day".
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9You shall labor six days, and do all your work,God speaks
In plain English: For six days you are to labor and do all your work,
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10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates;God speaks
In plain English: but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. On it you must not do any work: not you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your livestock, or the foreigner (literally: stranger) who is inside your gates.
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11for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.God speaks
In plain English: For in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them, and he rested on the seventh day. That is why Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Good to know: This verse looks back to creation: and say God rested on the seventh day and made it holy. gives this commandment with another reason: Israel had been a servant in the land of Egypt.
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12“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.God speaks
In plain English: Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.
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13“You shall not murder.God speaks
In plain English: You must not murder (or: kill).
The Hebrew word: "Murder" is ratsach. The dictionary gives it as "properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murder".
How it is translated: Of its 40 verses this Bible says a form of "murder" in 17, of "kill" in 11 and "man slayer" in 19 (some verses use more than one). This is the only verse in Exodus that uses the word.
What changes: Read as "kill", the commandment covers the killing of a person more widely. The same verb is used for a man who kills his neighbor without meaning to in and .
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14“You shall not commit adultery.God speaks
In plain English: You must not commit adultery.
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15“You shall not steal.God speaks
In plain English: You must not steal.
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16“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.God speaks
In plain English: You must not give false testimony against your neighbor.
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17“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”God speaks
In plain English: You must not covet (strongly want) your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
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18All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance.
In plain English: All the people saw the thunderings (the same Hebrew word as voice), the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled and stood far away.
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19They said to Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.”
In plain English: They said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will listen. But do not let God speak with us, or we will die."
Good to know: says Yahweh spoke with the people "face to face on the mountain out of the middle of the fire". says Moses stood between Yahweh and the people to show them Yahweh's word, because they were afraid of the fire.
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20Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won’t sin.”
In plain English: Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that fear of him (or: reverence for him) may be before you (literally: on your faces) and you will not sin."
The Hebrew words: "Don't be afraid" and "his fear" come from the same Hebrew root: the verb yare, to fear, and the noun yirah, fear. The dictionary gives yirah as "fear", and also as "reverence" when the meaning is moral.
What changes: Read as "reverence", Moses says that reverence for God may be before the people, so that they will not sin.
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21The people stayed at a distance, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.
In plain English: The people stayed far away, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.
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22Yahweh said to Moses, “This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to Moses, "This is what you are to tell the Israelites: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken with you from heaven.
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23You shall most certainly not make gods of silver or gods of gold for yourselves to be alongside me.God speaks
In plain English: You must not make gods of silver or gods of gold to be alongside me (literally: with me). You must not make them for yourselves.
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24You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you.God speaks
In plain English: You are to make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered (or: record my name), I will come to you and bless you.
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25If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it.God speaks
In plain English: If you make me an altar of stone, you must not build it of cut stones, because if you use your tool on it, you have made it unholy (profaned it).
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26You shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.’God speaks
In plain English: You must not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness is not uncovered on it.'
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