The 10 Commandments: List, Meaning & Kids Version

The 10 Commandments are the foundational moral laws God gave to Moses at Mount Sinai, recorded in Exodus 20:1-17 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5:6-21, covering a person’s duty to God and to other people.

Despite the name, the text itself never uses the phrase “ten commandments” within Exodus 20. That label comes from Exodus 34:28, which calls them “the ten words,” a detail that helps explain why different traditions count and divide them slightly differently.

Aspect	10 Commandments
Bible Reference	Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21
Given To	Moses, at Mount Sinai
Original Format	Written on two stone tablets
Also Called	The Decalogue (“ten words”)
Structure	Two tables: duty to God, duty to neighbor

What Are the 10 Commandments?

What are the 10 Commandments? They are ten moral laws God gave Israel at Sinai, covering worship of God alone, honoring His name and rest day, and treating other people with honesty, respect, and restraint.

The 10 Commandments List (Exodus 20)

Commandment	Reference
You shall have no other gods before Me	Exodus 20:3
You shall not make or worship idols	Exodus 20:4-6
You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain	Exodus 20:7
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy	Exodus 20:8-11
Honor your father and mother	Exodus 20:12
You shall not murder	Exodus 20:13
You shall not commit adultery	Exodus 20:14
You shall not steal	Exodus 20:15
You shall not bear false witness	Exodus 20:16
You shall not covet	Exodus 20:17

Why Different Traditions Number Them Differently?

The Bible text never numbers these commandments individually, which is why Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, and Protestant traditions divide the same words into ten slightly differently.

Commandment	Jewish	Catholic / Lutheran	Protestant / Orthodox
“I am the LORD your God”	1st	Part of intro	Part of intro
No other gods / no idols	2nd	1st (combined)	1st and 2nd (separate)
Name in vain	3rd	2nd	3rd
Sabbath	4th	3rd	4th
Honor parents	5th	4th	5th
Coveting	10th (combined)	9th and 10th (split)	10th (combined)

• Key Takeaway: No tradition adds or removes content from the text; they simply draw the dividing lines between commandments in different places, which is why the same passage can be labeled “ten” in multiple, slightly different ways.

The Two Tables of the Law

Jewish and Christian tradition both describe the commandments as originally written on two stone tablets, and most teachers connect this structure to two distinct categories of duty.

Table 1: Duty to God (1-4)	Table 2: Duty to Neighbor (5-10)
No other gods	Honor parents
No idols	No murder
No taking God’s name in vain	No adultery, stealing, false witness
Keep the Sabbath	No coveting

Jesus later summarized this same two-part structure in Matthew 22:37-40, describing all the law as resting on loving God fully and loving one’s neighbor as oneself.

Meaning of Each Commandment

1. No Other Gods

This commandment establishes exclusive worship of the one true God, rejecting any rival object of ultimate devotion, whether another deity or something functioning like one in daily life.

2. No Idols

This forbids creating physical images to represent or worship God, since no crafted object can accurately capture His nature, and worshiping the image risks replacing worship of God Himself.

3. The Lord’s Name in Vain

This commandment protects God’s name from careless, false, or manipulative use, whether in false oaths, casual disrespect, or invoking His name to justify wrongdoing.

4. Remember the Sabbath

This establishes a weekly rhythm of rest and worship, modeled on God’s own rest after creation, extending even to servants and animals within a household.

5. Honor Your Parents

This is the first commandment addressing human relationships, establishing respect for parental authority as foundational to a functioning family and society.

6. No Murder

This protects human life as sacred, rooted in humanity being made in God’s image, distinguishing unlawful killing from other categories like accidental death or civil justice.

7. No Adultery

This protects the marriage covenant, guarding sexual faithfulness as central to trust between spouses and stability within the wider community.

8. No Stealing

This protects rightfully owned property, acknowledging that what a person has honestly gained deserves respect and legal protection from others.

9. No False Witness

This forbids lying, particularly under oath or in ways that damage another person’s reputation or legal standing, protecting truth as essential to justice.

10. No Coveting

This commandment uniquely addresses internal desire rather than an outward action, showing that the law addresses the heart’s motives, not just visible behavior.

The 10 Commandments for Kids (Simple Version)

This simplified wording keeps the same ten commandments in language young children can understand and discuss.

• 1. Love God the most.
• 2. Don’t worship anything else instead of God.
• 3. Use God’s name with respect.
• 4. Rest and worship one day each week.
• 5. Obey and honor your parents.
• 6. Don’t hurt or kill anyone.
• 7. Stay faithful in marriage.
• 8. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
• 9. Don’t tell lies about people.
• 10. Be happy with what you have.

Are the 10 Commandments Still Relevant Today?

Christian teaching generally holds that the moral principles behind the commandments remain relevant, even though believers are not saved by keeping them. Most teachers describe the law as a mirror, revealing a need for grace rather than a checklist for earning righteousness.

Jesus affirmed the heart of the commandments in the New Testament, particularly in His summary of loving God and neighbor, while also deepening several of them, such as connecting anger to the command against murder in Matthew 5:21-22.

FAQs

What are the 10 Commandments?

The 10 Commandments are ten moral laws God gave to Moses at Mount Sinai, recorded in Exodus 20:1-17, covering exclusive worship of God and honest, respectful treatment of other people.

Where are the 10 Commandments found in the Bible?

The 10 Commandments are found in Exodus 20:1-17 and repeated with minor wording differences in Deuteronomy 5:6-21, after Israel’s forty years in the wilderness.

Why do different churches number the 10 Commandments differently?

The biblical text never numbers the commandments individually. Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, and Protestant traditions each divide the same words into ten slightly differently, without changing the underlying text.

What are the two tables of the law?

The two tables refer to the original stone tablets, traditionally understood as dividing the first four commandments (duty to God) from the last six (duty to other people).

How can I teach the 10 Commandments to kids?

Using simplified, short phrases for each commandment, paired with real-life examples children can relate to, makes the concepts easier for young children to understand and remember.

Do Christians still have to keep the 10 Commandments?

Most Christian teaching holds that the moral principles remain relevant as a guide for living, while salvation itself comes through faith in Christ rather than through keeping the law perfectly.

What is the first of the 10 Commandments?

The first commandment is “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3), establishing exclusive worship of God as the foundation for all the commandments that follow.