Bible Study Exodus 20
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Exodus 20 · WEB

The Ten Commandments

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

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God spoke all these words, saying,
2"I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3"You shall have no other gods before me.
4"You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
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,
6and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7"You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9You shall labor six days, and do all your work,
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;
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.
12"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.
13"You shall not murder.
14"You shall not commit adultery.
15"You shall not steal.
16"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
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."
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.
19They said to Moses, "Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don't let God speak with us, lest we die."
20Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, so that you won't sin."
21The people stayed at a distance, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.
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.
23You shall most certainly not make gods of silver alongside me, or make gods of gold for yourselves.
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 cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and I will bless you.
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.
26You shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.'"
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Summary

God speaks the Ten Commandments directly to all Israel from Mount Sinai. The commandments begin with God's identification as the one who brought Israel out of Egypt, establishing relationship before law. The first four commandments govern Israel's relationship with God: no other gods, no idols, no misuse of God's name, and keeping the Sabbath. The final six govern human relationships: honoring parents, and prohibiting murder, adultery, theft, false witness, and coveting. The people are terrified by the theophany and ask Moses to mediate. Moses explains that the fear is meant to keep them from sin. God then gives initial altar instructions.

Themes

  • The law as covenant response to grace, not the means of earning grace
  • The two tablets: love of God (commandments 1-4) and love of neighbor (5-10)
  • God's jealousy as the flip side of his faithful love
  • The role of law in restraining sin and revealing character

Key verses

  • Ex 20:12 — “Honor your father and your mother.”
  • Ex 20:2 — “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." (The preamble — grace before law)”
  • Ex 20:3 — “You shall have no other gods before me.”
  • Ex 20:8 — “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Context & background

The Ten Commandments (Hebrew: "aseret hadevarim" — the "ten words") were spoken directly by God to the assembled people at Mount Sinai in the Sinai Peninsula (modern Egypt). They are also recorded in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The commandments are framed by a historical prologue — "I brought you out of Egypt" — which means they are covenant obligations of a redeemed people, not conditions for salvation. Jesus summarized the ten commandments as two: love God and love neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). The Sabbath commandment grounds rest in God's own rest after creation (Genesis 2:2-3). The commandments were written on two stone tablets (Exodus 31:18) and kept in the Ark of the Covenant.

Cross-references

  • Deuteronomy 5:6-21 — The second giving of the Ten Commandments, with slight variations.
  • Hebrews 8:6-13 — The new covenant writes the law on hearts rather than stone tablets.
  • Matthew 22:37-40 — Jesus summarizes the law as love of God and neighbor, the two tablets of the law.
  • Romans 7:7-12 — Paul shows how the law exposes sin — "I would not have known coveting if the law hadn't said 'Don't covet.'"

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    How does God identify himself in the preamble to the Ten Commandments (v. 2)?

  2. Observe

    What was Israel's response to hearing God speak directly (vv. 18-19)?

  3. Interpret

    Why is it theologically significant that the commandments are preceded by "I brought you out of Egypt"?

  4. Interpret

    How did Jesus summarize the Ten Commandments (Matthew 22:37-40)?

  5. Apply

    What does the commandment against coveting (v. 17) reveal about the depth of God's law?

  6. Apply

    How should the Ten Commandments shape a Christian's view of obedience today?

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