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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words:</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/exodus/20-1.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/1/02_Exo_20_01.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Exodus 20:1 - The Ten Commandments" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="And God spoke all these words:" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script 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frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/exodus/19-25.htm" title="Exodus 19:25">◄</a> Exodus 20:1 <a href="/exodus/20-2.htm" title="Exodus 20:2">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/exodus/20.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/exodus/20.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />And God spoke all these words:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/exodus/20.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Then God gave the people all these instructions:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/exodus/20.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />And God spoke all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/exodus/20.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />And God spoke all these words:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/exodus/20.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />And God spake all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/exodus/20.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />And God spoke all these words, saying:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/exodus/20.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/exodus/20.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/exodus/20.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/exodus/20.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/exodus/20.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/exodus/20.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/exodus/20.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/exodus/20.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />And God spake all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/exodus/20.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />God said to the people of Israel: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/exodus/20.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />And God spake all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/exodus/20.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/exodus/20.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />God spoke, and these were his words: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/exodus/20.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/exodus/20.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />And God spoke all these words:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/exodus/20.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />God spoke all these words: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/exodus/20.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />God spoke all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/exodus/20.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />And God spoke all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/exodus/20.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />God spoke all these words, saying, <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/exodus/20.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />And God speaks all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/exodus/20.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> 'And God speaketh all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/exodus/20.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And God will speak all these words, saying,<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/exodus/20.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And the Lord spoke all these words: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/exodus/20.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And the Lord spoke all these words:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/exodus/20.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/exodus/20.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Then God spoke all these words:<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/exodus/20.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />AND God spoke all these words, saying,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/exodus/20.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And God said all these words,<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/exodus/20.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />And God spoke all these words, saying:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/exodus/20.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />And the Lord spoke all these words, saying:<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/exodus/20-1.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kVae3PiKqhs?start=4943" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/exodus/20.htm">The Ten Commandments</a></span><br> <span class="reftext">1</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/430.htm" title="430: ’ĕ·lō·hîm (N-mp) -- Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God">And God</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: ’êṯ (DirObjM) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self."></a> <a href="/hebrew/1696.htm" title="1696: way·ḏab·bêr (Conj-w:: V-Piel-ConsecImperf-3ms) -- To speak. A primitive root; perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively, to speak; rarely to subdue.">spoke</a> <a href="/hebrew/3605.htm" title="3605: kāl- (N-msc) -- The whole, all. Or kowl; from kalal; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every.">all</a> <a href="/hebrew/428.htm" title="428: hā·’êl·leh (Art:: Pro-cp) -- These. Prolonged from 'el; these or those.">these</a> <a href="/hebrew/559.htm" title="559: lê·mōr (Prep-l:: V-Qal-Inf) -- To utter, say. A primitive root; to say."></a> <a href="/hebrew/1697.htm" title="1697: had·də·ḇā·rîm (Art:: N-mp) -- Speech, word. From dabar; a word; by implication, a matter or thing; adverbially, a cause.">words:</a> </span><span class="reftext">2</span>“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/5-6.htm">Deuteronomy 5:6-21</a></span><br />“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. / You shall have no other gods before Me. / You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/22-37.htm">Matthew 22:37-40</a></span><br />Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ / This is the first and greatest commandment. / And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/12-29.htm">Mark 12:29-31</a></span><br />Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. / Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ / The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/13-8.htm">Romans 13:8-10</a></span><br />Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. / The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” / Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/galatians/5-14.htm">Galatians 5:14</a></span><br />The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/james/2-8.htm">James 2:8-12</a></span><br />If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. / But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. / Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/leviticus/19-18.htm">Leviticus 19:18</a></span><br />Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/6-4.htm">Deuteronomy 6:4-5</a></span><br />Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. / And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nehemiah/9-13.htm">Nehemiah 9:13-14</a></span><br />You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them just ordinances, true laws, and good statutes and commandments. / You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath and gave them commandments and statutes and laws through Your servant Moses.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/19-7.htm">Psalm 19:7-11</a></span><br />The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple. / The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. / The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/119-1.htm">Psalm 119:1-2</a></span><br />Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the LORD. / Blessed are those who keep His testimonies and seek Him with all their heart.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/42-21.htm">Isaiah 42:21</a></span><br />The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His righteousness, to magnify His law and make it glorious.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/31-33.htm">Jeremiah 31:33</a></span><br />“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/20-11.htm">Ezekiel 20:11</a></span><br />And I gave them My statutes and made known to them My ordinances—for the man who does these things will live by them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/5-17.htm">Matthew 5:17-19</a></span><br />Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. / For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. / So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">And God spoke all these words, saying,</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/4-33.htm">Deuteronomy 4:33,36</a></b></br> Did <i>ever</i> people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/5-4.htm">Deuteronomy 5:4,22</a></b></br> The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/acts/7-38.htm">Acts 7:38,53</a></b></br> This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and <i>with</i> our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: … </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/exodus/19-19.htm">Speaketh</a> <a href="/exodus/19-9.htm">Words</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/exodus/25-1.htm">Speaketh</a> <a href="/exodus/20-19.htm">Words</a><div class="vheading2">Exodus 20</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/20-1.htm">The ten commandments are spoken by Jehovah</a></span><br><span class="reftext">18. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/20-18.htm">The people are afraid, but Moses comforts them</a></span><br><span class="reftext">21. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/20-21.htm">Idolatry is forbidden</a></span><br><span class="reftext">23. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/20-23.htm">Of what sort the altar should be</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/exodus/20.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/exodus/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/exodus/20.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>And God spoke all these words:</b><br>This phrase introduces the Ten Commandments, a foundational element of biblical law and ethics. The speaker is God Himself, emphasizing the divine authority and origin of these commandments. This direct communication from God to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai underscores the importance and sacredness of the message. In the broader biblical context, God's direct speech is rare and significant, marking pivotal moments in salvation history.<br><br>The setting is Mount Sinai, a location of great significance in the biblical narrative. It is here that God establishes His covenant with the Israelites, who have recently been delivered from slavery in Egypt. This moment is a continuation of God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it sets the stage for Israel's identity as a nation chosen to be a light to the nations.<br><br>The phrase "all these words" indicates the comprehensive nature of what follows. The Ten Commandments are not merely a set of rules but a complete moral and spiritual framework for the community. They reflect God's character and His desire for His people to live in a way that reflects His holiness and justice.<br><br>In the broader biblical narrative, the giving of the law at Sinai is a type of Christ, who fulfills the law (<a href="/matthew/5-17.htm">Matthew 5:17</a>). Jesus, in His teachings, often refers back to the commandments, emphasizing their spirit rather than just their letter. The law given at Sinai points forward to the new covenant established through Christ, where the law is written on the hearts of believers (<a href="/jeremiah/31-33.htm">Jeremiah 31:33</a>).<br><br>The historical and cultural context of this event is crucial. The Israelites, having been delivered from Egypt, are now being formed into a distinct people with a unique identity and mission. The law serves as a guide for how they are to live in relationship with God and with one another, setting them apart from the surrounding nations.<br><br>In summary, this phrase sets the stage for one of the most significant revelations in the Bible, where God Himself communicates His will and establishes a covenant with His people. It is a moment of divine-human encounter that has profound implications for the rest of the biblical narrative and for the life of faith.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God</a></b><br>The supreme being who is the creator and ruler of the universe. In this context, God is the one who speaks directly to the people of Israel, delivering the Ten Commandments.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/m/moses.htm">Moses</a></b><br>Although not mentioned in this specific verse, Moses is the leader of the Israelites and the mediator between God and the people. He receives the commandments on Mount Sinai.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/m/mount_sinai.htm">Mount Sinai</a></b><br>The mountain where God delivers the Ten Commandments to Moses. It is a significant place of divine revelation and covenant.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/i/israelites.htm">Israelites</a></b><br>The chosen people of God who have been delivered from slavery in Egypt. They are the recipients of the commandments and are called to live by them.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_ten_commandments.htm">The Ten Commandments</a></b><br>The set of laws given by God to the Israelites, beginning with this verse. They form the foundation of moral and spiritual conduct.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_authority_of_god's_word.htm">The Authority of God's Word</a></b><br>Recognize that the commandments come directly from God, emphasizing His authority and the importance of His words in our lives.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_foundation_of_moral_living.htm">The Foundation of Moral Living</a></b><br>Understand that the Ten Commandments serve as a foundational guide for moral and ethical behavior, applicable to all believers.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_covenant_relationship.htm">The Covenant Relationship</a></b><br>Acknowledge the commandments as part of the covenant relationship between God and His people, calling us to live in obedience and faithfulness.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_the_law_in_christian_life.htm">The Role of the Law in Christian Life</a></b><br>Reflect on how the law points us to our need for Christ and guides us in living a life that honors God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/l/listening_to_god's_voice.htm">Listening to God's Voice</a></b><br>Cultivate a heart that is attentive to God's voice, seeking to hear and obey His words in our daily lives.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_exodus_20.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Exodus 20</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/are_the_ten_commandments_relevant_now.htm">Are the Ten Commandments still relevant in the New Testament?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/bible_genres_and_literary_forms.htm">What are the genres and literary forms in the Bible?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_to_reconcile_exodus_20_with_21.htm">If the law in Exodus 20 represents a divine moral standard, how do we reconcile it with passages (like Exodus 21) that regulate slavery and allow seemingly oppressive practices?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_to_reconcile_exodus_20_with_no_evidence.htm">How can we reconcile Exodus 20:1-17, declaring divine authorship of the Ten Commandments, with the lack of archaeological or historical evidence supporting a miraculous event on Mount Sinai? </a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/exodus/20.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>XX.<p>THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.</span><p>(1) <span class= "bld">God spake.</span>--It is distinctly stated in Deuteronomy that the Ten Commandments were spoken to "all the assembly of Israel," by God, "out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice" (<a href="/deuteronomy/5-22.htm" title="These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly in the mount out of the middle of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them to me.">Deuteronomy 5:22</a>). It was not till after their delivery that the people entreated to be spared further communications of so awful a character. How the sounds were produced is a mystery unrevealed, and on which it is idle to speculate. Jehovah alone appears as the speaker in the Old Testament; in the New, we hear of the instrumentality of angels (<a href="/acts/7-53.htm" title="Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.">Acts 7:53</a>; <a href="/galatians/3-19.htm" title="Why then serves the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.">Galatians 3:19</a>; <a href="/hebrews/2-2.htm" title="For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;">Hebrews 2:2</a>).<p><span class= "bld">All these words.</span>--In Scripture the phrase used to designate the Ten Commandments is "the <span class= "ital">Ten Words" </span>(<a href="/exodus/34-28.htm" title="And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote on the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.">Exodus 34:28</a>; <a href="/deuteronomy/4-13.htm" title="And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them on two tables of stone.">Deuteronomy 4:13</a>; <a href="/deuteronomy/10-4.htm" title="And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spoke to you in the mount out of the middle of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them to me.">Deuteronomy 10:4</a>). It has been universally recognised, both by the Jewish and Christian Churches, that they occupy an unique position among the utterances which constitute God's revelation to man. Alone uttered publicly by God in the ears of the people, alone inscribed on stone by the finger of God Himself, alone, of all commands, deposited in the <span class= "ital">penetrale </span>of worship--the Ark--they formed the germ and basis, the very pith and kernel of the covenant which God, through Moses, made with man, and which was to continue for above thirteen hundred years the exposition of His will to the human race. They enunciate a morality infinitely above that of all the then existing nations of the earth--nay, above that of the wisest of mankind to whom revelation was unknown. There is no compendium of morality in Confucianism, in Buddhism, in the religion of Zoroaster, or of Egypt, or of Greece or Rome, which can be put in competition with the Decalogue. Broad exceedingly (<a href="/psalms/119-96.htm" title="I have seen an end of all perfection: but your commandment is exceeding broad.">Psalm 119:96</a>), yet searching and minute in its requirements; embracing the whole range of human duty, yet never vague or indeterminate; systematic, yet free from the hardness and narrowness commonly attaching to systems: the Decalogue has maintained and will always maintain itself, if not as an absolutely complete summary of human duty, yet as a summary which has never been superseded. When our Lord was asked what a man must do to inherit eternal life, He replied by a reference to the Decalogue: "Thou knowest the commandments" (<a href="/mark/10-19.htm" title="You know the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor your father and mother.">Mark 10:19</a>). When the Church would impress on her children their complete duty both to God and man, she requires them to be taught the "Ten Words." When adult Christians are to be reminded, before coming to Holy Communion, of the necessity of self-examination and repentance, the same summary is read to them. It is an extraordinary testimony to the excellence of the compendium that, originating in Judaism, it has been maintained unchanged in a religious system so different from Judaism as Christianity. . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/exodus/20.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 1-17.</span> - THE DELIVERY OF THE MORAL LAW. Every necessary preparation had now been made. The priests, as well as the people, had "sanctified themselves." A wholesome dread of "breaking" through the fence, and "touching" the mount, had spread itself among the people Moses had returned from the camp to the summit of the mount; and both he and the people were attent to hear the words of the "covenant," which had been announced to them (<a href="/exodus/19-5.htm">Exodus 19:5</a>). Then, amid the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the smoke, and the earthquake throbs which shook the ground, a voice like that of a man, distinctly articulate, pronounced the words of that "moral law," which has been from that day to this the guide of life to thousands upon thousands, the only guide to some, a very valuable and helpful guide to all who have known of it. It is well said by Kalisch, that the delivery of the Decalogue on Sinai "formed a decisive epoch in the history of the human race," and was even perhaps "the greatest and most important event in haman history," up to the time of its occurrence. Considering the weakness, imperfection, and moral obliquity of man, it was to the last degree important that an authoritative code should be put forth, laying down with unmistakable clearness the chief heads of duty, and denouncing the chief classes of sins. It may be true that the educated moral sense of mankind in civilised communities is sufficient to teach them all, or nearly all, of what the Decalogue forbids and enjoins; but this is the effect produced upon the internal constitution of our nature by long centuries of moral training; and nothing like it existed in primitive times. Then the moral sense was much duller; men's perceptions of right and wrong were confused, uncertain, and not unfrequently perverted and depraved. Even in Egypt, where a priest class, established as the spiritual guides of the nation for a thousand years or more, had elaborated a moral system of considerable merit, such a code as that of the Decalogue would have been a marked improvement upon anything that they had worked out for themselves. And the authoritative sanction by the "voice" and the "finger of God" was an enormous advantage, being imperatively needed to satisfy doubt, and silence that perverse casuistry which is always ready to question the off-hand decisions of the moral consciousness, and to invent a more refined system, wherein "bitter is put for sweet, and sweet for bitter." Altogether the Decalogue stands on a moral eminence, elevated above and beyond all other moral systems - Egyptian, Indian, Chinese, or Greek, unequalled for simplicity, for comprehensiveness, for solemnity. Its precepts were, according to the Jewish tradition, "the pillars of the law and its roots." They formed to the nation to which they were given "tons omnis, publici privatique juris." They constitute for all time a condensed summary of human duty which bears divinity upon its face, which is suited for every form of human society, and which, so long as the world endures, cannot become antiquated. The retention of the Decalogue as the best summary of the moral law by Christian communities is justified on these grounds, and itself furnishes emphatic testimony to the excellency of the compendium. <span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 1.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">God spake all these words</span>. It has been suggested that Moses derived the Decalogue from Egypt, by summarising the chief points of the Egyptian teaching as to the duty of man. But neither the second, nor the fourth, nor the tenth commandment came within the Egyptian ideas of moral duty; nor was any such compendious form as the Decalogue known in Egypt. Moreover, Egyptian morality was minute and complex, rather than grand and simple. <span class="accented">Forty-two</span> kinds of sin were denied by the departed soul before Osiris and his assessors. The noble utterances of Sinai are wholly unlike anything to be found in the entire range of Egyptian literature. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/exodus/20-1.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">And God</span><br /><span class="heb">אֱלֹהִ֔ים</span> <span class="translit">(’ĕ·lō·hîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_430.htm">Strong's 430: </a> </span><span class="str2">gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative</span><br /><br /><span class="word">spoke</span><br /><span class="heb">וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר</span> <span class="translit">(way·ḏab·bêr)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1696.htm">Strong's 1696: </a> </span><span class="str2">To arrange, to speak, to subdue</span><br /><br /><span class="word">all</span><br /><span class="heb">כָּל־</span> <span class="translit">(kāl-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3605.htm">Strong's 3605: </a> </span><span class="str2">The whole, all, any, every</span><br /><br /><span class="word">these</span><br /><span class="heb">הָאֵ֖לֶּה</span> <span class="translit">(hā·’êl·leh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Pronoun - common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_428.htm">Strong's 428: </a> </span><span class="str2">These, those</span><br /><br /><span class="word">words:</span><br /><span class="heb">הַדְּבָרִ֥ים</span> <span class="translit">(had·də·ḇā·rîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1697.htm">Strong's 1697: </a> </span><span class="str2">A word, a matter, thing, a cause</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/exodus/20-1.htm">Exodus 20:1 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/exodus/20-1.htm">Exodus 20:1 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/exodus/20-1.htm">Exodus 20:1 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/exodus/20-1.htm">Exodus 20:1 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/exodus/20-1.htm">Exodus 20:1 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/exodus/20-1.htm">Exodus 20:1 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/exodus/20-1.htm">Exodus 20:1 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/exodus/20-1.htm">Exodus 20:1 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/exodus/20-1.htm">Exodus 20:1 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/exodus/20-1.htm">Exodus 20:1 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/exodus/20-1.htm">OT Law: Exodus 20:1 God spoke all these words saying (Exo. Ex) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/exodus/19-25.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Exodus 19:25"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Exodus 19:25" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/exodus/20-2.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Exodus 20:2"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Exodus 20:2" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>