Commandments

Ten Commandments

The Decalogue combines obligations concerning God, worship, rest, family authority, life, sexuality, property, testimony and desire.

Tradition or school
Christianity , Judaism
Framework type
Commandments
Authority classification
Scriptural
Observance
Mandatory
Research status
Published and reviewed
Origin period
Ancient Israelite period
Origin region
Ancient Near East
Attributed origin
Presented in the Torah as divine commands communicated through Moses
Intended audience
Originally Israel; subsequently interpreted within Jewish and Christian traditions
Published constituent items
10
Last reviewed
28 June 2026

Primary texts and authority

The principal textual forms occur in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

Rules, principles or steps

  2. Do Not Worship Idols

    Do not make or worship images as divine rivals or representations used in prohibited worship.

    Prohibition · Mandatory

  4. Keep the Sabbath

    Set apart a recurring day of rest and religious observance, including rest for dependants, workers and animals.

    Positive duty or instruction · Mandatory

  5. Honour Father and Mother

    Treat parents with honour and recognise responsibilities arising from family relationships.

    Positive duty or instruction · Mandatory

  6. Do Not Murder

    Do not deliberately and wrongfully kill another human being.

    Prohibition · Mandatory

  7. Do Not Commit Adultery

    Do not violate an established marital bond through prohibited sexual relations.

    Prohibition · Mandatory

  8. Do Not Steal

    Do not take another person's property or value without legitimate right or consent.

    Prohibition · Mandatory

  10. Do Not Covet

    Do not cultivate possessive desire for another person's household, relationships, servants, animals or property.

    Prohibition · Mandatory

Historical development

Jewish and Christian communities have treated the Decalogue as foundational while embedding it within different legal, theological and ethical systems.

Variations

Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed and Orthodox traditions divide and number the textual statements differently. The item order used here is a comparative editorial sequence and is not presented as the only authoritative numbering.

Traditional interpretation

Interpretation often extends concise prohibitions into broader duties, such as protecting life, respecting property and speaking truthfully.

Controversies and disputes

Disputes concern numbering, images, Sabbath observance, the distinction between murder and killing, and whether the commands bind modern civil law.

Truth By Reason analysis

Several commands protect identifiable human interests. Others concern exclusive worship and religious authority and therefore require separate assessment from universally applicable interpersonal ethics.

Ethical themes

  • Nonviolence
  • Property
  • Worship
  • Family duties
  • Honesty
  • Non-stealing
  • Sexual conduct
  • Self-control

Explanations, comparisons and discussions

Ethical analysis

War, Defence and Nonviolence

How commitments to non-killing and non-injury confront aggression, defence, war and protection of vulnerable people.

Comparison

Wealth, Charity and Poverty

What ethical codes say about property, generosity, non-possession, honest work, poverty and economic justice.

Explanation

What Is an Ethical Code or Path?

Why commandments, vows, virtues, practices and paths belong in one comparative catalogue without being treated as identical.

Sources