Ten Commandments

Question 1

Where can the Ten Commandments be found in Scripture?

Answer 1

Exodus 20

Question 2

Who wrote the Ten Commandments?

Answer 2

G-d

• “And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.”* - Exodus 31:18 NKJV
• “Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.”* - Exodus 32:16 NKJV
• “And the LORD said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.”* - Exodus 34:1 NKJV
• “Then the LORD delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.”* - Deuteronomy 9:10 NKJV

Question 3

1st Commandment

Answer 3

You shall have no other gods before Me.

We need to be faithful to G-d.

Belief in G-d

Exodus 20:2 “I am the L-rd, your G-d…”

Question 4

2nd Commandment

Answer 4

You shall not make anything and worship it.
Don’t put anything in your life before G-d.

Prohibition of Improper Worship
Ex. 20:3-6 “You shall not have other gods…”

It encompasses within it the prohibition against the worship of other gods as well as the prohibition of improper forms of worship of the one true G-d, such as worshiping G-d through an idol.

Question 5

3rd Commandment

Answer 5

You shall not take the L-RDs Name in vain.
Always say the L-RDs Name with love and respect.

Prohibition of Oaths
Ex. 20:7, “You shall not take the name of the L-rd your G-d in vain…”

This includes prohibitions against perjury, breaking or delaying the performance of vows or promises, and speaking G-d’s name or swearing [promiseing] unnecessarily.

Question 6

4th Commandment

Answer 6

Remember the Sabbath day.
A day of rest. On the seventh day G-d rested, therefore we are to rest on the seventh day.

Observance of Sacred Times
Ex. 20:8-11, “Remember the Sabbath day…”

It encompasses all mitzvot related to Shabbat, holidays, or other sacred time.

Question 7

5th Commandment

Answer 7

Honor your mother and your father.
We are to obey our parents

Respect for Parents and Teachers
Ex. 20:12, “Honor your father and mother…”

Question 8

6th Commandment

Answer 8

You shall not murder
We are not to hurt anyone

Prohibition of Physically Harming a Person
Ex. 20:13, “You shall not murder.”

Question 9

7th Commandment

Answer 9

You shall not commit adultery
Always be faithful to the person you marry

Prohibition of Sexual Immorality
Ex. 20:13, “You shall not commit adultery.”

Question 10

8th Commandment

Answer 10

You shall not steal
Don’t take anything that is not yours

Prohibition of Theft
Ex. 20:13, “You shall not steal.”

It includes within it both outright robbery as well as various forms of theft by deception and unethical business practices. It also includes kidnapping, which is essentially “stealing” a person.

Question 11

9th Commandment

Answer 11

You shall not bear false witness
Don’t lie

Prohibition of Harming a Person through Speech
Ex. 20:13, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

It includes all forms of lashon ha-ra (sins relating to speech).

Question 12

10th Commandment

Answer 12

You shall not covet
Be happy [content] with what you have and don’t wish for other peoples things, especially wishing we had it and they didn’t.

Prohibition of Coveting
This category is derived from Ex. 20:14, beginning, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house…”