Exodus 20:8-26

8 "Remember ¹the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 "²Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it ³you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant * or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.

11 "⁴For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore * the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

12 "⁵Honor your father and your mother, that your ⁶days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

13 "⁷You shall not murder.

14 "⁸You shall not commit adultery.

15 "⁹You shall not steal.

16 "¹⁰You shall not bear false witness against your ¹¹neighbor.

17 "¹²You shall not covet your neighbor's house; ¹³you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

18 ¹⁴All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.

19 ¹⁵Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die."

20 Moses said to the people, "¹⁶Do not be afraid; for God has come in order ¹⁷to test you, and in order that ¹⁸the fear of Him may remain * with you, so that you may not sin."

21 So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached ¹⁹the thick cloud where * God was.

22 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'You yourselves have seen that ²⁰I have spoken to you from heaven.

23 '²¹You shall not make other gods besides Me; ²²gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.

24 'You shall make ²³an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your ²⁴burnt offerings and your ²⁵peace offerings, ²⁶your sheep and your oxen; in every place ²⁷where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.

25 'If you make an altar of stone for Me, ²⁸you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it.

26 'And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that ²⁹your nakedness will not be exposed on it.'

Exodus 20:8-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 20

In this chapter we have an account of the giving of the law on Mount Sinai; the preface to it, Ex 20:1,2, the ten commandments it consists of, Ex 20:8-17, the circumstances attending it, which caused the people to remove at some distance, Ex 20:18, when they desired of Moses, that he would speak to them and not God, who bid them not fear, since this was for the trial of them; but still they kept at a distance, while Moses drew nigh to God, Ex 20:19-21 who ordered him to caution the children of Israel against idolatry, and directed what sort of an altar he would have made whereon to offer their sacrifices, promising that where his name was recorded he would grant his presence and blessing, Ex 20:22-26.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 23:12; Exodus 31:13-16; Leviticus 26:2; Deuteronomy 5:12
• 2. Exodus 34:21; Exodus 35:2, 3; Leviticus 23:3; Deuteronomy 5:13; Luke 13:14
• 3. Nehemiah 13:16-19
• 4. Genesis 2:2, 3; Exodus 31:17
• 5. Leviticus 19:3; Deuteronomy 27:16; Matthew 15:4; Matthew 19:19; Mark 7:10; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Ephesians 6:2
• 6. Deuteronomy 5:16, 33; Deuteronomy 6:2; Deuteronomy 11:8, 9; Jeremiah 35:7
• 7. Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:12; Leviticus 24:17; Matthew 5:21; Matthew 19:18; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20; Romans 13:9; James 2:11
• 8. Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:18; Matthew 5:27; Matthew 19:18; Romans 13:9
• 9. Exodus 21:16; Leviticus 19:11, 13; Matthew 19:18; Romans 13:9
• 10. Exodus 23:1, 7; Deuteronomy 5:20; Matthew 19:18
• 11. Leviticus 19:18
• 12. Deuteronomy 5:21; Romans 7:7; Romans 13:9; Ephesians 5:3, 5
• 13. Proverbs 6:29; Matthew 5:28
• 14. Exodus 19:16, 18; Hebrews 12:18, 19
• 15. Deut 5:5, 23-27; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 12:19
• 16. Exodus 14:13; Isaiah 41:10, 13
• 17. Exodus 15:25; Deuteronomy 13:3
• 18. Deuteronomy 4:10; Deuteronomy 6:24; Proverbs 3:7; Proverbs 16:6; Isaiah 8:13
• 19. Exodus 19:16; Deuteronomy 5:22
• 20. Deuteronomy 4:36; Deuteronomy 5:24, 26; Nehemiah 9:13
• 21. Exodus 20:3
• 22. Ex 32:1, 2, 4; Deuteronomy 29:17
• 23. Exodus 20:25; Exodus 27:1-8
• 24. Exodus 10:25; Exodus 18:12
• 25. Exodus 24:5; Leviticus 1:2
• 26. Deuteronomy 12:5; Deuteronomy 16:6, 11; Deuteronomy 26:2; 2 Chronicles 6:6
• 27. Deuteronomy 12:5; Deuteronomy 26:2
• 28. Deuteronomy 27:5, 6; Joshua 8:31
• 29. Exodus 28:42, 43

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "is in your gates"
• [b]. Lit "sounds"
• [c]. Lit "with"
• [d]. Lit "with"
• [e]. Lit "be before"
• [f]. Lit "with"