Exodus 20:4-24

4 Thou shalt make the no grauen ymage, nether any symilitude that is in heauen aboue, ether in the erth beneth, or in the water that ys beneth the erth.

5 Se that thou nether bowe thy sylf vnto them nether serue them: for I the Lorde thy God, am a gelouse God, and viset the synne of the fathers vppon the childern vnto the third and fourth generacion of the that hate me:

6 and yet shewe mercie vnto thousandes amonge them that loue me and kepe my commaundmentes.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lorde thy God in vayne, for the Lord wil not holde him giltlesse that taketh his name in vayne.

8 Remebre the Sabbath daye that thou sanctifie it.

9 Sixe dayes mayst thou laboure ad do al that thou hast to doo:

10 but the seuenth daye is the Sabbath of the Lorde thy God, in it thou shalt do no maner worke: nether thou nor thy sonne, nor thy doughter, nether thy manservaunte nor thy maydeservaunte, nether thy catell nether yet the straunger that is within thi gates

11 For in sixe dayes the Lorde made both heauen and erth and the see and all that in them is and rested the seuenth daye: wherfore the Lorde blessed the Sabbath daye and halowed it.

12 Honoure thy father ad thy mother, that thy dayes may be loge in the lode which the Lorde thy God geueth the.

13 Thou shalt not kyll.

14 Thou shalt not breake wedlocke.

15 Thou shalt not steale.

16 Thou shalt bere no false witnesse agest thy neghboure

17 Thou shalt not couet thy neghbours housse: nether shalt couet thy neghbours wife, his maservaunte, his mayde, his oxe, his asse or oughte that is his.

18 And all the people sawe the thunder ad the lyghteninge and the noyse of the horne, ad howe the mountayne smoked. And whe the people sawe it, they remoued ad stode a ferre of

19 ad saide vnto Moses: talke thou with vs and we wil heare: but let not god talke with vs, lest we dye.

20 And Moses sayde vnto the people feare not, for God is come to proue you, and that his feare maye be amonge you that ye synne not.

21 And the people stode aferre of, ad Moses went in to the thicke clowde where God was

22 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moses: thus thou shalt saye vnto the childern of Israel: Ye haue sene how that I haue talked with you from out of heauen.

23 Ye shal not make therfore with me goddes of syluer nor goddes of golde: in no wyse shall ye do it.

24 An alter of erth thou shalt make vnto me ad there on offer thy burntofferinges ad thy peaceoffringes, and thy shepe ad thine oxen. And in all places where I shall put the remebraunce of my name, thither I will come vnto the and blesse the.

Exodus 20:4-24 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.