The Ten Commandments in order (KJV)
A short Ten Commandments list to remember, from Exodus 20 in the King James Version:
- 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)
Exodus 20:3-17, KJV, numbered as Orthodox, Reformed and Anglican churches number them. Catholics and Lutherans count the same words differently; see below.
1st: You shall have no other gods before Me
The first commandment sets up everything else. Whatever you trust most, fear most, love most or build your life around is your god. This commandment forbids letting anything take God's central place: career, family, money, sex, comfort, even religion itself. Many spiritual problems are first-commandment problems in disguise.
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
2nd: You shall not make idols
The second commandment is about more than statues. It forbids shrinking God into something we can manage: an image, a system, a slogan, a politics. We remake God in our image when we keep the parts of Him we like and ignore the parts that confront us. Christians apply it in different ways: Catholic and Orthodox Christians use icons and statues in prayer and teach that honoring an image is not worshiping it (Catechism 2132), while many Protestants keep images out of worship. All agree that nothing made by human hands may take God's place.
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath...”
3rd: You shall not misuse the name of the Lord
This is far more than a ban on careless swearing. To misuse God's name is to borrow His authority for our own agenda: claiming He is on our side in every argument, dressing up our preferences as His will, or speaking lightly of the One whose name is holy. God's name is to be honored in our speech, our promises and our public witness.
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God...”
4th: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
The Sabbath commandment is a gift wrapped as a command. One day in seven, you stop. You admit the world keeps turning without you, that your worth is not your work, and that God is the one who sustains all things. Christians have kept this rest in different ways across history, most on Sunday, but the principle stands: rhythmic rest is part of being human.
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”
5th: Honor your father and your mother
This is the first commandment about other people. To honor parents is to value them, listen to them and care for them in old age, even when the relationship is strained. Honor never means accepting abuse: if a parent is harming you, it is right to tell a trusted adult, pastor or counselor and to get safe (findahelpline.com lists helplines by country). But every person came into the world through someone, and this commandment asks us to respect that line of life.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land...”
6th: You shall not murder
The KJV says “kill,” but when Jesus quotes this commandment the same translation reads “Thou shalt do no murder” (Matthew 19:18, KJV). Jesus also took it deeper: murder begins in the heart, in unchecked anger and contempt (Matthew 5:21-22). Keeping it fully means refusing to treat anyone (a political opponent, a family member, a stranger online) as less than human, because every person bears the image of God.
“You shall not murder.”
7th: You shall not commit adultery
God designed sex for the lifelong covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. Adultery breaks that covenant and wounds everyone involved. Jesus took this one deeper too: lust is adultery of the heart (Matthew 5:27-28). At its root the commandment is a call to faithfulness: sexually, emotionally and in every promise we make.
“You shall not commit adultery.”
8th: You shall not steal
Stealing is broader than shoplifting. It includes underpaying workers, price gouging, plagiarism, dishonest business and taking credit for what is not yours. The positive side of this commandment is generosity: a Christian holds possessions with an open hand, not a closed fist.
“You shall not steal.”
9th: You shall not bear false witness
This commandment first addressed testimony in court, but it reaches every kind of dishonesty about other people: gossip, slander, half-truths, and staying silent while someone is wrongly accused. Telling the truth about people, even when it costs us, is at the heart of Christian ethics.
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
10th: You shall not covet
The last commandment goes inside. It is the only one about desire alone, with no outward act. Coveting is the engine behind many other sins: wanting what is not yours leads to stealing, adultery and worse. It is also why the New Testament calls covetousness idolatry (Colossians 3:5): coveting puts created things in God's place.
“You shall not covet your neighbor's house...or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Two tables, one law
God gave the commandments on “two tables of stone” (Deuteronomy 4:13, KJV), and Christians have long divided them into two parts. In the numbering used above, the first four govern our relationship with God: no other gods, no idols, honor His name, keep the Sabbath. The last six govern our relationships with others: honor parents, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, do not covet. Catholic teaching, which numbers them differently, speaks of three about love of God and seven about love of neighbor (Catechism 2067).
Jesus summarized them this way: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” That is the first part. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That is the second. “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV). Every commandment in Scripture is a specific way of living out these two.
Why churches number them differently
The Bible says there are ten (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; 10:4) but never numbers them, so Christians have divided the same verses in different ways. Nothing is added or removed; only the dividing lines move.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that it follows the division established by St. Augustine, which has become traditional in the Catholic Church and is also that of the Lutheran confessions, while the Greek Fathers worked out a slightly different division that is found in the Orthodox Churches and Reformed communities (Catechism 2066). Anglicans, Presbyterians and many other Protestants use that second numbering too. Jewish tradition counts a third way: its first “word” is “I am the LORD thy God” (Exodus 20:2, KJV), and the commands against other gods and graven images together make the second.
In practice the difference comes down to two places. Catholics and Lutherans read the ban on graven images as part of the first commandment, one command to worship God alone, and divide the last verse into two commandments about coveting. Orthodox and Reformed Christians count the ban on images as its own second commandment and keep the coveting verse as one. Catholics name the neighbor's wife as the ninth and his goods as the tenth, the order of Deuteronomy 5:21; Luther's Small Catechism names the house ninth and the wife and the rest tenth, the order of Exodus 20:17.
The Catechism prints the full text of Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 beside its short list, so no church drops a word. The numbers are a teaching aid; the commandments are the same ten.
The numbering side by side
| Commandment | Orthodox, Reformed, Anglican | Catholic and Lutheran |
|---|---|---|
| No other gods (Exodus 20:3) | 1st | 1st |
| No graven image (20:4-6) | 2nd | Part of the 1st |
| The name of the LORD (20:7) | 3rd | 2nd |
| The sabbath day (20:8-11) | 4th | 3rd |
| Honour your parents (20:12) | 5th | 4th |
| Do not kill (20:13) | 6th | 5th |
| No adultery (20:14) | 7th | 6th |
| Do not steal (20:15) | 8th | 7th |
| No false witness (20:16) | 9th | 8th |
| Do not covet (20:17) | 10th | 9th and 10th |
Catholic order: 9th, your neighbor's wife; 10th, your neighbor's goods. Lutheran order (Small Catechism): 9th, your neighbor's house; 10th, his wife, servants, animals and anything else that is his.
Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5
The commandments appear twice. Exodus 20 gives them at Mount Sinai. In Deuteronomy 5, Moses repeats them to the next generation, reminding them that the covenant made at Horeb was made with them too (Deuteronomy 5:2-3). The wording is almost the same, with two differences worth noticing.
Exodus says “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8, KJV) and grounds it in creation, because the LORD “rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11, KJV). Deuteronomy says “Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it” (Deuteronomy 5:12, KJV) and grounds it in rescue: “remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 5:15, KJV). Rest is both a gift of creation and a sign of freedom. And the last commandment names the neighbor's house before his wife in Exodus 20:17, but the wife first in Deuteronomy 5:21.
In Faithero you can read Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 in the King James Version, tap any verse to have it explained in plain words, and listen to the chapter read aloud.
Common misconceptions
A few things people often get wrong on this topic.
MythThe Ten Commandments were only for ancient Israel.
TruthSome details belonged to Israel's covenant, but the moral heart of the commandments reflects the character of God Himself. Jesus and the apostles repeat most of them: see Matthew 19:18-19, Romans 13:9 and Ephesians 6:2.
MythKeeping the commandments earns salvation.
TruthNo one keeps them perfectly. Paul says, “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified” (Romans 3:20, KJV). The law shows us our need for a Savior; it cannot make us righteous.
MythJesus replaced the Ten Commandments with two new ones (love God, love neighbor).
TruthThe two great commandments are not replacements; they are summaries. Jesus said the law hangs on them, not that they replace it. The Ten Commandments show how love of God and neighbor takes specific shape.
MythThe Ten Commandments are mostly about outward behavior.
TruthJesus made clear they reach the heart. You can avoid murder while nursing contempt, and break the commandment's spirit. The Ten Commandments go deeper than they look.
Practical applications
Read them slowly, at heart level
Once in a while, read the Ten Commandments aloud and ask after each one: where am I breaking this, not just outwardly but inwardly? Confess what comes up.
Pray them as requests
Turn each commandment into a prayer: “Lord, give me a heart with no other gods. Make Your name precious to me. Teach me to rest.” Over time this reshapes what you want.
Use them for honest confession
When you have wronged someone, the commandments give words for honest confession. Most sins fall under one of the ten.
Memorize them
Many Christians learn the Ten Commandments as children; they are a moral compass you can carry anywhere. Luther’s Small Catechism, the Westminster Shorter Catechism and the Catechism of the Catholic Church all walk through them one by one.
Frequently asked
What are the Ten Commandments in order?
As Orthodox, Reformed and Anglican churches number them (Exodus 20:3-17): (1) have no other gods, (2) make no idols, (3) do not take the Lord's name in vain, (4) keep the Sabbath holy, (5) honor your father and mother, (6) do not murder, (7) do not commit adultery, (8) do not steal, (9) do not bear false witness, (10) do not covet. Catholics and Lutherans count the first two as one commandment and divide the last into two.
Where are the Ten Commandments in the Bible?
They appear twice: Exodus 20:1-17, given at Mount Sinai, and Deuteronomy 5:6-21, where Moses repeats them to the next generation. The two texts are nearly identical; the main differences are the reason given for the Sabbath and the order of the last commandment.
Why do Catholics and Protestants number the Ten Commandments differently?
The Bible says there are ten but does not number them. Catholics and Lutherans follow the division of St. Augustine, which counts the ban on graven images as part of the first commandment and divides coveting into two. Orthodox and Reformed churches follow the division of the Greek Fathers, which makes images the second commandment and keeps coveting as one (Catechism 2066). Every one of these churches keeps all the words of Exodus 20.
Are Christians required to keep the Ten Commandments?
Christians are saved by grace through faith in Christ, not by keeping the law. But the moral substance of the commandments still shows what a life pleasing to God looks like, and the New Testament repeats most of them (Matthew 19:18-19; Romans 13:9). Christians differ on how the Sabbath command applies today.
Did Jesus abolish the Ten Commandments?
No. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17, KJV). In the Sermon on the Mount He took the commandments deeper: murder begins with anger, adultery with lust. Jesus did not lower the law; He showed its heart.
Why do Christians worship on Sunday instead of Saturday?
Jesus rose on the first day of the week (Mark 16:9), and the first Christians gathered on that day (Acts 20:7). The Church came to call Sunday the Lord’s Day (Catechism 2174; compare Revelation 1:10). Many Christians see the Sabbath fulfilled in Christ, our true rest (Hebrews 4:9-10), and keep Sunday for worship and rest. Some churches keep the seventh day, Saturday, as their Sabbath.
Are some commandments more important than others?
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself, and that the whole law and the prophets hang on these two (Matthew 22:37-40). The Ten Commandments spell out what those two loves look like.
The Law and the Gospel
Christian teachers, especially in the Lutheran and Reformed traditions, speak of three uses of the law. The Lutheran Formula of Concord says the law was given to keep outward discipline, to lead people to the knowledge of their sins, and to give those who are born again a rule for their whole life; John Calvin describes three uses as well. First, the commandments restrain evil: a society is better off when it honors their basic shape. Second, they convict. Read honestly, they show every one of us to be a lawbreaker, and that is meant to drive us to Christ, who kept the law perfectly on our behalf: “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” (Galatians 3:24, KJV). Third, for those who belong to Christ, they guide. They show what a life pleasing to God looks like.
Christianity is not legalism; we are not saved by keeping the Ten Commandments. Nor is it lawlessness; we do not ignore them. A Christian honors the commandments as a grateful response to grace, not as a way to earn it.
The Ten Commandments may be the best-known moral code in history. Carved in stone, hung in courthouses and painted on church walls, they have shaped law and conscience for centuries. But familiarity can turn them into a slogan when they were meant to search us. Read carefully, they are not a checklist for good people. They are God's picture of a flourishing life, and a mirror that shows how far short we fall.
The Bible itself calls them “the ten commandments” (Exodus 34:28, KJV), and the word Decalogue means literally “ten words” (Catechism 2056). Below is each commandment with what it means for Christians today.