Chapter Twenty
The Ten Commandments
20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Before instituting the law, beginning with the ten commandments, YHWH identifies Himself as their God, making this a very personal statement. As He is not some form of impersonal entity referred to only in a general sense, such as one might call ‘nature’ (or even “mother nature”). God’s character can be seen as a loving and caring God. He becomes even more intimate when He relates to being the One that brought them out of Egypt and out of the house (or institution) of slavery.
20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
The word translated here as ‘before’, is the Hebrew phrase “ǎl pā·nā,”[1] meaning besides or over against. First, He established the fact that He is their God (see verse two), and now He tells them that they are not to consider the possibility of acknowledging, worshiping, adoring, idolizing, or even contemplating any other entity. Later in the book of Deuteronomy, God reminds Israel, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5, see also Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) In other words, no idols, no distractions, no excuses; God was to be the number one priority in their lives.
If they knew and accepted the fact that they had a God that loved and cared about them, they would not need to seek elsewhere. These commandments begin with the understanding that there is a loving and compassionate God and those that believe in Him have a desire to please only Him, through their obedience and worship.
20:4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
The term “carved image,” is the Hebrew word ‘pě’·sěl’[2] (seen for the first time here in Scripture), derived from the word ‘pesāl’,[3] meaning to cut. Israelites were not allowed to make any image or likeness of any type of anyone or anything, including God. This prohibition targets any form of idol possession and false god worshiping, as well as it prevents people from being distracted by a representation of God, instead of worshiping Him directly.
20:5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
Continuing on the subject of man-made images or any other form of depiction that represents anything in heaven, on earth, or under water, God firmly instructs them not to worship them (see commentary under Genesis 18:1-2 regarding bowing down) nor serve them. He tells them that He is a jealous God, and this is the first use of the Hebrew word ‘qǎn·nā(‘)’,[4] an adjective derived from the verb ‘qānā’,[5] to express something with strong emotion, to be jealous or zealous; in every instance of the word ‘qǎn·nā(’)’ found in the Old Testament, it is used to describe the character of God as being a jealous God who will not tolerate the worship of other gods. The use of this word can cause some readers to be confused, especially if they are applying the concept of jealousy from a human perspective. God is a jealous God, not in the sense of being blinded by emotion to exact revenge or seek retaliation, like a dejected and hate-filled lover might act, but in the sense, He wants to have a close relationship with His people. Here, He claims an exclusive right to their love and obedience.
Even though these instructions may sound only appropriate during a time of significant pagan influence or idol worshiping, it is still valid today. Priorities of the world (careers, education, money); enthusiasm for sports teams; possessions and pleasures are only a few that, on their own, are not necessarily a problem, but that can easily change if they distract you from God.
The last half of this verse is often misunderstood, it is not a pronouncement of some form of generational curse, especially since Moses later in Deuteronomy clearly states that each person will die for their own sin (see Deuteronomy 24:16). It is a warning about continued disobedient behavior.
This oft-repeated theme speaks of God’s determination to punish successive generations for committing the same sins they learned from their parents. In other words, God will not say, “I won’t punish this generation for what they are doing to break my covenant because, after all, they merely learned it from their parents who did it too.” Instead, God will indeed punish generation after generation (“to the third and fourth generation”) if they keep doing the same sorts of sins that prior generations did. If the children continue to do the sins their parents did, they will receive the same punishments as their parents.[6]
20:6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Instead of responding to disobedient behavior (see verse five), God would prefer to show and demonstrate His steadfast love to those who love Him and desire to obey and keep His commandments. Here again is the Hebrew word ‘ě’·lěp’ (plural ‘ǎlā·pîm’), translated as ‘thousands’,[7] and found in some versions of the Bible (CSB, GW, NIV, NLT, etc.), translated as “a thousand generations” (or similar), due to the comparison with parallel verses (see Exodus 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 7:9). A thousand years would represent ‘forever’ or for all time (see also Deuteronomy 5:10; 7:9).
20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
What is in a name? First, it is an identification, something that can be used to call something or someone. Secondly, it represents them, both who and what they are, including reputation and authority.[8]
The Hebrew ‘šāwe(‘)’,[9] translated here as ‘vain’, can carry the meaning of emptiness, vanity, worthlessness, deceitfulness, fraud, or even deceit; thereby making the point that God’s name should always be respected and honored.
The evidence points to the fact that taking the Lord’s name (i.e. his reputation) “in vain” will surely cover profanity, as that term is understood today, or swearing falsely in the Lord’s name. But it will also include using the Lord’s name lightly, unthinkingly, or by rote. Perhaps this is captured by the LXX’s translation of laššāwʾ as epi mataiō “thoughtlessly.”[10]
In the Bible the name of God is always revered and highly honored, for example:
God will not let this offense go without punishment. The Hebrew word translated as ‘guiltless’, is ‘yenǎq·qěh’[11] a verb meaning to be free, clean, or pure, here referring to someone going unpunished. The Christian Standard Version translates this verse as, “Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20:7, CSB)
Through the years many try to avoid any form of swearing to assure compliance. According to Josephus, the Essenes, an ancient Jewish Sect during the time of the Second Temple (2nd century BC to 1st century AD), had a saying, “that he who cannot be believed without [swearing by] God, is already condemned.”[12] The half-brother of Jesus offers this solution, “But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” (James 5:12)
20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
First identified and defined in Exodus chapter sixteen, God now reiterates and amplifies the requirements on how to observe the Sabbath day.[13] He begins with the instruction for the Israelites to remember,[14] God’s annual calendar of festivals and ceremonies were implemented to remind His people of what He had done for them in the past and to help them focus on His promises for their future. The need for reminders did not stop with the end of the Old Testament, as Jesus instituted, what is known today as ‘communion’, where believers are to, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24b).
For the Israelites, God first instituted the annual celebrations of Passover, followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread (see Exodus chapter twelve), and now He is instituting the observation of the weekly Sabbath day. The first concern was for everyone to keep the day holy. One way to define a holy day would be to understand that the whole day was to be dedicated to God, not necessarily a call to worship, but a time to stop working and acknowledge Him.
There are seven days in a week and God instructs the Israelites to be active for six of those seven days, on the seventh day they were to stop working. The Sabbath was to be observed by family members, servants, livestock, and visitors from foreign lands.
This is the only commandment that was not restated in the New Testament. In the book of Colossians, Paul makes a statement that some believe nullifies this commandment. “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” (Colossians 2:16) But Paul is addressing the issue of legalism. Since Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law (see Matthew 5:17-18), the need for believers to follow or adhere to the law is no longer a requirement. Also, Jesus made it clear that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27), it was a gift from God for man’s benefit, not burden.
20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
God had set the example of six days working followed by a day of rest during creation. Did God need to rest after creation? No, it was the ultimate model of behavior for His people to follow. As a result, God blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (translations vary, “hallowed it” KJV, NKJV; “consecrated it” LEB).
The Sabbath is not portrayed as a day of recuperation from those too weak to keep working day after day without rest. It is portrayed rather as a stoppage good for everyone, for the purpose of refocusing on holiness (all concerns that stem from belonging to God, which is what holiness is) in order to enjoy God’s blessings of that day and its potential (“Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy”). The Sabbath, in other words, is designed to help people become spiritually stronger and closer to God; whatever it does by way of helping people recuperate from being physically tired (and it certainly can do this) is an incidental, rather than a primary, benefit.[15]
People who believe in theistic evolution often try to support their beliefs by applying the definition of the Hebrew word ‘yôm’ (translated as ‘day’) to refer to an undetermined period of time (some believe in millions of years or perhaps longer). This verse can be used to validate the interpretation of a standard week as we know it in creation, as it refers to the creation week as being seven literal 24-hour days, not some form of arbitrary period.[16]
20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
The Hebrew word ‘kǎb·bēḏ’[17] (translated here as ‘honor’), is an adjective that describes something as being heavy, great, or grievous. It is an unusual word, as we have so far encountered the word in Genesis 18:20 (translated as ‘grave’); Genesis 34:19 (translated as ‘honored’); Genesis 48:10 (translated as ‘dim’, regarding Jacob’s eyes); Exodus 5:9 (translated as ‘heavier’); and Exodus 8:15, 32; 9:7, 34; 10:1; 14:4, 17, 18 (translated as ‘hardened’, regarding the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart). The concept of being heavy or great is used to convey honor by understanding that a “weighty person,” someone who is honorable that carries a lot of influence, is also worthy of respect. Here God is requiring everyone to honor their parents.
This is the only commandment that has a promise of a reward if obeyed. This blessing has at least two interpretations, one being that a person will live longer if they continue to honor their parents. However, due to the reference to “the land,” a common reference to the Promised Land, many believe that this is a promise that the nation will remain strong in their land as long as the citizens recognize the importance of honoring their parents and respecting the family and home. In either case, God has established marriage and the family, and He wants all people to honor and respect their families.
It is important to note that the Ten Commandments can be divided into two primary sections. The first twelve verses concern God and how people are to relate to Him, while the remaining commandments are directed to how people relate to or affect others, each containing a strong “you shall not…” statement, beginning with verse thirteen.
20:13 “You shall not murder.
Since God created man “in the image of God” (see Genesis 1:26; 5:1; 9:6), He alone retains the right to give or take away human life. The Hebrew word ‘tir·ṣāḥ’[18] (first appearance in Scripture), refers to the act of killing another improperly (such as premeditated murder, accidental killing, act of revenge, or other selfish reason), rather than with authorization (such as capital punishment, war, etc.) The well-known King James Version translation of “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13, KJV) implies any killing, that is not the case with ‘rāṣaḥ’. If God meant absolutely no killing, the Hebrew word ‘hārag’[19] (referring to all forms of killing) would probably have been used instead. The involuntary act of killing someone, known today as manslaughter, will be covered later (see Numbers chapter 35; Deuteronomy 4:41-43; 19:1-13).
This commandment echoes the warning given in Genesis 9:6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image” (see also Exodus 21:12, 14; Leviticus 24:17; Numbers 35:31; Matthew 26:52; Revelation 13:10).
20:14 “You shall not commit adultery.
This is the first appearance of the Hebrew word ‘nā’ap’,[20] in the Bible, referring to the physical act of adultery, having sexual intercourse with the wife (or betrothed) of another man.
Marriage was instituted by God from the beginning with the first man and first woman (see Genesis 2:24). In response to a question from the Pharisees, Jesus clarified the importance of marriage from God’s perspective, “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:6-9) Plus, we see that marriage was the model God chose to demonstrate His love for His church in the New Testament.[21] The idea of being unfaithful is unacceptable in God’s eyes.
This commandment was restated in the New Testament when the apostle Paul, speaking to those that were either continuing to sin or were unrepentant members of the church at Corinth warned, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, see also Hebrews 13:4) Paul wanted those believers to understand that those actions and practices were to remain in the past as he continues to say, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11) Remember Jesus did all the work for salvation, He will indeed forgive all sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
20:15 “You shall not steal.
There are two aspects to the problem of stealing, the first is the lack of respect for other people’s property and possessions, and the second is the lack of faith that God will provide. This verse would apply to robbery, cheating, embezzlement, forgery, or any other removal of other people’s money or other property without consent. Paul wrote, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” (Ephesians 4:28) Understanding that everything ultimately belongs to God, and we are only temporary stewards of His property, stealing should be considered a violation against Him as well.
20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
The remainder of the commandments pertain to relationships with others, to guard against any potential wrongs against them. To break this verse down we need to look at several Hebrew words. The first one is ‘ṯǎ·’ǎně(h)’[22] (bear), based on context can be translated several ways, here it refers to answering, testifying, or speaking. The next word is ‘šā’·qěr’[23] (false), meaning to lie, used of a lying witness. The word ‘ēḏ’[24] (witness), one accepted to give a true testimony, written or oral. The last one is ‘rē’ǎ’[25] (neighbor), meaning another person, no other relationship or criteria implied. This verse is concerned about lying or otherwise wronging someone by word of mouth. No one is to slander, defame, or misrepresent another person, regardless of who they are.
20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
The Hebrew word ‘ṯǎḥ·mōd’[26] (covet), refers to selfish desire, to lust, to desire passionately, something worthy that is wrongly desired, usually without regard to others. These desires are often considered the root of nearly every sin against other people. Coveting also points to lack of faith in God’s provision, it focuses only on oneself, there is no regard for anyone else.
The first part of this verse addresses coveting our neighbor’s house, that includes anyone else’s possessions, health, wealth, family relations, careers, education, status, etc. The second part of the verse adds emphasis to the prohibitions of coveting someone else’s wife, their servants, their animals, or anything else that belongs to them. God wants people to seek Him and be satisfied by His provision, coveting only distracts from a relationship with God (see also Deuteronomy 5:21).
The Augustinian method for dividing the Ten Commandments breaks this verse into two commandments (currently only embraced by the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches, see the Ten Commandments Numbering Schemes listed in the previous chapter).
20:18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off
God was finished presenting the Ten Words (or Ten Commandments), to the Israelites. However, it is not clear as to when the people backed away from the mountain. Did the people back away during this time after God was done presenting the Ten Commandments, or did they stay back due to the lightning flashes, trumpet blasts, and the mountain being surrounded in smoke from the beginning (see Exodus 19:16-20)? In either case, seeing all this activity on Mount Sinai overwhelmed the people, as they trembled in fear.
20:19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”
In response to seeing God present the commandments, and being overwhelmed by the sight, the people told Moses that they would accept him as their intermediary between them and God. They reassured Moses that they would indeed listen to him. They did not want God to talk directly to them, they claimed they were in fear that they would die if God spoke directly to them. Perhaps they were in fear of sinning further or offending God in some other way, as they clearly understood that Moses was in no danger of dying, being in the presence of God.
20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
Seeing how the people were overwhelmed by what was going on, Moses attempts to calm the people down. He explains that God is testing them, that by fearing and obeying God, that would keep them from being disobedient, preventing them from sinning against Him. Moses was showing them that being guided by God is in their best interest.
20:21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
Perhaps in response to God’s request to come back (see Exodus 19:24), Moses walked toward God while the people remained at a distance. God was in the thick darkness, an odd description of God, since darkness is associated with evil and God’s enemies (see also Deuteronomy 4:11; 5:22; 2 Samuel 22:10; 1 Kings 8:12; 2 Chronicles 6:1; Psalm 18:9-11; 97:2). While it is true that God is everywhere, man is prone to doubting, which can lead to fear. God often shows Himself in tangible and visible ways to alleviate that fear, and at times, such as with the plagues in Egypt and now in this narrative, He demonstrates His power in a mighty way.
Considerations
Legalism can be defined as the ‘religion’ of human achievement, focusing on the ‘what’ you do, instead of the motivation of why you are doing it. When Jesus reminded the Pharisees that God does not want ritual or traditional protocols when He said, “And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:7-8, quoting Hosea 6:6; see also Micah 6:6-8), He was warning that God cannot be served through ritualism or anything else that is not from our hearts. Legalism requires people to conform to man-made rules and rituals, not God’s. Christians also need to be careful to avoid ritualism, as there is only a fine line between ritual and true worship. Ritual can be defined as following protocol or procedure without truly seeking God, then as rote becomes comfortable, it can become another form of man-made legalism.
Rules About Idols and Altars
20:22 And the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.
The text now transitions from the “Ten Words,” to rules regarding daily living. Here God once again wants Moses to convey to the people that by witnessing this supernatural act of Him speaking from heaven (and amidst all the other visual signs), that they should know, without any doubt, that what He conveys to them through Moses should be believed and all instruction adhered to.
20:23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.
Repetition is a known method of training and education, especially for vital and important information. Here is another command that they are not to possess, worship or acknowledge any idols. Nothing of silver or gold is to replace Him or be placed next to Him (considered a god among other gods). Idolatry is an insidious enemy of God that corrupts from the inside out.[27]
20:24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
The Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘earth’, is ‘ǎḏā·māh’,[28] which is most often translated as ‘ground’, here it undoubtedly refers to dirt. This doesn’t imply that an altar built from rocks and stones is unacceptable (there are additional rules for them, see next verse), but instead an earth-filled altar is also acceptable. They were to be built at the locations where God causes His name to be remembered, locations where He did something (probably supernatural) for the Israelites. These altars were to be used to sacrifice various offerings or sheep and oxen. God will later instruct Moses on the types and how to process acceptable sacrifices (see Leviticus chapters 1-7). Here He specifically references the “burnt offering” (see Leviticus chapter 1) and the “peace offering” (also known as a “fellowship offering” or “heave offering,” see Leviticus chapter 3). In response to the offerings, God will come to them and bless them.
20:25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it.
If an altar is built out of stone, the rocks must not be cut or shaped by human hands. The use of any tools would defile the rock and make it unacceptable for use in the construction of an altar (see also Daniel 2:34, 45; 1 Peter 2:4-8).
20:26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’
Altars were not to have any steps to walk up to the altar and the altar was never to be approached by a naked person. Many believe that these two requirements present a stark contrast to pagan rituals and altars. The display of human nakedness or “flesh,” would be unacceptable as man’s ‘flesh’ is corrupt (see also Galatians 5:19-21).
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 5921 and 3942.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 6459.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 6458.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 7067.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 7065.
[6] Stuart, D. K. (2006). Exodus (Vol. 2, p. 454). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[7] See commentary under Exodus 12:37 regarding this word.
[8] See “What is in a Name?” in the Considerations under Exodus 3:18-22.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 7723.
[10] Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 2338 שׁוא. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 908). Chicago: Moody Press.
[11] Strong’s Hebrew 5352,
[12] Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 606). Peabody: Hendrickson.
[13] See commentaries under Exodus 16:22-23 and Exodus 16:26-30.
[14] See Considerations under Exodus 12:28.
[15] Stuart, D. K. (2006). Exodus (Vol. 2, p. 460). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[16] See Considerations under Genesis 1:1 and 1:11-13 for discussion on theistic evolution, see also Considerations under Genesis 1:2 for discussion on the word ‘yom’.
[17] Strong’s Hebrew 3513.
[18] Strong’s Hebrew 7523.
[19] Strong’s Hebrew 2026.
[20] Strong’s Hebrew 5003.
[21] See Considerations under Genesis 2:25.
[22] Strong’s Hebrew 6030.
[23] Strong’s Hebrew 8267.
[24] Strong’s Hebrew 5707.
[25] Strong’s Hebrew 7453.
[26] Strong’s Hebrew 2530.
[27] See Considerations under Genesis 31:54-55 for discussion on idols and idol worship.
[28] Strong’s Hebrew 127.