10 Commandments List

These 10 beneficial laws were given by the Creator God to show us how to live a better life now and please God forever.

God gave the 10 Commandments from Mount Sinai, accompanied by smoke, earthquakes and the blast of a trumpet to emphasize the importance of these laws. Moses recorded God’s words in Exodus 20 and recounted the event again in Deuteronomy 5. There are only slight differences of emphasis in the accounts. Both versions are listed below, along with a list of the commandments in short form.

The numbering of the commandments on the first three lists below reflects the numbering used in much of the Christian world, though Catholics, Jews and others use various numbering systems (as shown below that).

The 10 Commandments List, Short Form*

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make idols.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.

The 10 Commandments List in Exodus 20:2-17

1. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—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; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
3. “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.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
6. “You shall not murder.
7. “You shall not commit adultery.
8. “You shall not steal.
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. “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.”

The 10 Commandments List in Deuteronomy 5:6-21

Moses repeated the 10 Commandments after the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. There are only a few changes in the wording from Exodus 20. These minor differences are found in the Fourth, Fifth and 10th Commandments.

1. “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—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; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
3. “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.
4. “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
5. “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
6. “You shall not murder.
7. “You shall not commit adultery.
8. “You shall not steal.
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

The 10 Commandments List, Jewish Numbering*

1. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.
2. “You shall not recognize the gods of others in My presence. You shall not make yourself a carved image nor any likeness of that which is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the water beneath the earth. You shall not prostrate yourself to them nor worship them, for I am the Lord, your God.
3. “You shall not take the Name of the Lord, your God, in vain, for The Lord will not absolve anyone who takes His Name in vain.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. Six days shall you work and accomplish all your work; but the seventh day is Sabbath to the Lord, your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son, your daughter, your servant, your animal, and the stranger within your gates—for in six days The Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
5. “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days will be lengthened upon the land that the Lord, your God, gives you.
6. “You shall not murder.
7. “You shall not commit adultery.
8. “You shall not steal.
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your fellow.
10. “You shall not covet your fellow’s house: you shall not covet your fellow’s wife, or his man servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your fellow.”

(Source: Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Rabbi Stewart Vogel, The Ten Commandments, 1998.)

The 10 Commandments List, Catholic Numbering, Short Form*

1. “I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
2. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
3. “Remember to keep holy the LORD’s Day.
4. “Honor your father and mother.
5. “You shall not kill.
6. “You shall not commit adultery.
7. “You shall not steal.
8. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”

(Source: “Catechism of the Catholic Church,” A Traditional Catechetical Formula, Vatican.va and Matthew Warner, “Friday Fast Fact: Numbering the Ten Commandments,” National Catholic Register.)

The Lutherans follow a similar numbering, but reverse what the Catholics call the Ninth and 10th Commandments, following the order in Exodus 20.

Learn more about the 10 Commandments by studying each commandment and committing to strive to obey them. For further study, read the articles in this section: “The 10 Commandments and God's Way of Life.”

You’ll also want to see our helpful video series “The 10 Commandments: A Matter of the Heart.”

*See “The 10 Commandments and God’s Way of Life” for a discussion of the different numbering systems and the potential dangers of neglecting commandments by using only short form lists.