Old Testament · event
The Ten Commandments
The covenant at Sinai — ten words for God's people to live by.
The Ten Commandments are the ten core commands Israel received at Mount Sinai as it made a covenant with God after the Exodus — the framework of loving God and loving neighbor.
Timeline at a glance
- ArrivalReaching Mount Sinai (Exodus 19)
- The PresenceThunder and smoke (Exodus 19)
- The CommandmentsThe words of the covenant (Exodus 20)
- Two TabletsCommands inscribed in stone (Exodus 31)
The Meeting at Sinai
The people who had come out of Egypt reached Mount Sinai. God descended amid thunder and smoke and gave the words of the covenant through Moses (Exodus 19–20).
Two Tablets
The Ten Commandments fall into two parts. The first (commands 1–4) concern love for God; the second (commands 5–10) concern love for neighbor. Jesus too summed them up as "loving God and loving your neighbor."
Law that Flows from Salvation
As the preface shows — "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt" — the Law was given not as the condition of salvation but as the way of life for a people already saved.
Related verses
- Exodus 20:2"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt."
- Exodus 20:3"You shall have no other gods before me."
Frequently asked questions
Do we still have to keep the Ten Commandments?
Christians receive the Ten Commandments not as the condition of salvation but as a guide for a life that loves God and neighbor. Jesus did not abolish them but opened them more deeply into their essence: love.
What are the ten commandments?
They are: have no other gods, make no idols, do not misuse God's name, keep the Sabbath, honor your parents, and do not murder, commit adultery, steal, give false testimony, or covet (Exodus 20).
Where are the Ten Commandments recorded twice?
They appear twice — in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. In Deuteronomy they are given as Moses retold the covenant to the wilderness generation just before they entered Canaan.