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The Ten Commandments KJV
Ten commands given at Sinai and written on two tables of stone — the first four about God, the last six about other people.
All ten, in order
- Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3
- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. Exodus 20:4
- Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain. Exodus 20:7
- Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8
- Honour thy father and thy mother. Exodus 20:12
- Thou shalt not kill. Exodus 20:13
- Thou shalt not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14
- Thou shalt not steal. Exodus 20:15
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Exodus 20:16
- Thou shalt not covet. Exodus 20:17
The numbering above is the one used by most Protestant churches. Catholic and Lutheran tradition joins the first two into one and splits coveting into two, which gets to ten a different way. The text of Exodus 20 is the same either way; it is the dividing that differs.
The Ten Commandments in scripture — 12 verses, quoted in full
Each verse is quoted in full — tap a reference to read it in context, see cross references, and study the original words.
Exodus 20:3 · KJV
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exodus 20:4 · KJV
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exodus 20:7 · KJV
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Exodus 20:8 · KJV
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exodus 20:12 · KJV
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Exodus 20:13 · KJV
Thou shalt not kill.
Exodus 20:14 · KJV
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Exodus 20:15 · KJV
Thou shalt not steal.
Exodus 20:16 · KJV
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Exodus 20:17 · KJV
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
Deuteronomy 5:6 · KJV
I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Matthew 22:37-40 · KJV
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Common questions
What are the Ten Commandments?
They are the ten commands God gave Israel at Mount Sinai, recorded in Exodus 20:3-17 and again in Deuteronomy 5:7-21: have no other gods, make no graven image, do not take the LORD's name in vain, keep the sabbath, honour your father and mother, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, and do not covet.
Where are the Ten Commandments in the Bible?
Twice. Exodus 20:3-17 gives them at Sinai, and Moses repeats them to the next generation in Deuteronomy 5:7-21.
Did Jesus summarise the Ten Commandments?
He summed up the whole law in two commands in Matthew 22:37-40 — love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself. The first four commandments are the first of those; the last six are the second.
Why do some churches number them differently?
The passage never numbers itself. Protestant tradition counts 'no other gods' and 'no graven image' as two; Catholic and Lutheran tradition counts them as one and splits the final command about coveting in two.
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