The Ten Commandments

1. DEUTERONOMY 5 COMMENTARY
Edited by Glenn Pease
PREFACE
This verse by verse commentary quotes the great old commentaries as well as some
contemporary authors. All of this information is available to anyone, but I have brought it
together in one place to save the Bible student time in research. If anyone I quote does not want
their wisdom shared in this way, they can let me know and I will remove it. My e-mail is
glenn_P86@yahoo.com
The Ten Commandments
1 Moses summoned all Israel and said:Hear, Israel, the
decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn
them and be sure to follow them.
1. Clarke, “God’s covenant with the people in Horeb, Deu_5:1-4. Moses the mediator of it,
Deu_5:5. A repetition of the ten commandments, vv. 6-21; which God wrote on two tables of
stone, Deu_5:22. The people are filled with dread at the terrible majesty of God, Deu_5:23-26;
and beseech Moses to be their mediator, Deu_5:27. The Lord admits of their request, Deu_5:28;
and deplores their ungodliness, Deu_5:29. They are exhorted to obedience, that they may be
preserved in the possession of the promised land, Deu_5:30-33.
2. Gill, “And Moses called all Israel,.... The heads of the various tribes, and elders of the people,
as he had on occasion been used to do; unless it can be thought that at different times he repeated
the following laws to separate parties and bodies of them, until they had all heard them: and said
unto them, hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day; the
laws, moral, ceremonial, and judicial, which he was about to repeat, and afresh declare unto
them, being what they had all a concern in, and under obligation to regard.
3. Henry, “Deu 5:1-5 - Here, 1. Moses summons the assembly. He called all Israel; not only the
elders, but, it is likely, as many of the people as could come within hearing, Deu_5:1. The greatest
of them were not above God's command, nor the meanest of them below his cognizance; but they
were all bound to do. 2. He demands attention: “Hear, O Israel; hear and heed, hear and
remember, hear, that you may learn, and keep, and do; else your hearing is to no purpose.” When

2. we hear the word of God we must set ourselves to learn it, that we may have it ready to us upon
all occasions, and what we have learned we must put in practice, for that is the end of hearing
and learning; not to fill our heads with notions, or our mouths with talk, but to rectify and direct
our affections and conversations. 3. He refers them to the covenant made with them in Horeb, as
that which they must govern themselves by. See the wonderful condescension of divine grace in
turning the command into a covenant, that we might be the more strongly bound to obedience by
our own consent and the more encouraged in it by the divine promise, both which are supposed
in the covenant. The promises and threatenings annexed to some of the precepts, as to the second,
third, and fifth, make them amount to a covenant. Observe, (1.) The parties to this covenant. God
made it, not with our fathers, not with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; to them God gave the
covenant of circumcision (Act_7:8), but not that of the ten commandments. The light of divine
revelation shone gradually, and the children were made to know more of God's mind than their
fathers had done. “The covenant was made with us, or our immediate parents that represented
us, before Mount Sinai, and transacted for us.” (2.) The publication of this covenant. God himself
did, as it were, read the articles to them (Deu_5:4): He talked with you face to face; word to word,
so the Chaldee. Not in dark visions, as of old he spoke to the fathers (Job_4:12, Job_4:13), but
openly and clearly, and so that all the thousands of Israel might hear and understand. He spoke
to them, and then received the answer they returned to him: thus was it transacted face to face.
(3.) The mediator of the covenant: Moses stood between God and them, at the foot of the mount
(Deu_5:5), and carried messages between them both for the settling of the preliminaries (Ex. 19)
and for the changing of the ratifications, Ex. 24. Herein Moses was a type of Christ, who stands
between God and man, to show us the word of the Lord, a blessed days-man, that has laid his hand
upon us both, so that we may both hear from God and speak to him without trembling.
4. K&D, “Deu_5:1-5 form the introduction, and point out the importance and great significance
of the exposition which follows. Hence, instead of the simple sentence “And Moses said,” we have
the more formal statement “And Moses called all Israel, and said to them.” The great significance
of the laws and rights about to be set before them, consisted in the fact that they contained the
covenant of Jehovah with Israel.
5. Calvin, “And Moses called all Israel. Since the plan and order of exposition which I have
adopted required that this same preface, as it is repeated word. for word in Deuteronomy, should
here also be read together, I have thought fit also to insert the five verses, which in this place
precede it. In the first verse, Moses exhorts the people to hear the judgments and statutes of God,
which he sets before them. He likewise states the object of this, that they should keep. So in
margin A.V. to do them; as much as to say, that he was not offering them mere empty
speculations, which it was enough to understand with the mind, and to talk about, but that the
rule for the ordering of their lives was also contained in his teaching; and, therefore, that it
demands imperatively their serious meditation.”
6. C. H. Mackintosh, “Let us carefully note these four words, so specially characteristic of the
book of Deuteronomy, and so seasonable for the Lord's people, at all times and in all places —
"Hear'' — "Learn" — "Keep" — "Do." These are words of unspeakable preciousness to every
truly pious soul — to every one who honestly desires to walk in that narrow path of practical
righteousness so pleasing to God, and so safe and so happy for us.
The first of these word's places the soul in the most blessed attitude in which any one can be
found, namely, that of hearing. "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." "I

3. will hear what God the Lord will speak." "Hear; and your soul shall live." The hearing ear lies at
the very foundation of all true, practical Christian life. It places the soul in the only true and
proper attitude for the creature. It is the real secret of all peace and blessedness.
It can scarcely be needful to remind the reader that, when we speak of the soul in the attitude of
hearing, it is assumed that what is heard is simply the word of God. Israel had to hearken to "the
statutes and judgements" of Jehovah, and to nothing else. It was not to the commandments,
traditions, and doctrines of men they were to give ear; but to the very words of the living God
who had redeemed and delivered them from the land of Egypt, the place of bondage, darkness
and death.
It is well to bear this in mind. It will preserve the soul from many a snare, many a difficulty. We
hear a good deal, in certain quarters, about obedience; and about the moral fitness of
surrendering our own will, and submitting ourselves to authority. All this sounds very well; and
has great weight with a large class of very religious and morally excellent people. But when men
speak to us about obedience, we must ask The question, "Obedience to what?" When they speak
to us about surrendering our own will, we must inquire of them, "To whom are we to surrender
it?" When they speak to us about submitting to authority, we must insist upon their telling us the
source or foundation of the authority.”
2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
1. Gill, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Which is Sinai, as Aben Ezra
observes; it being the same mountain, only it had two tops, which bore these different names; for
certain it is that the decalogue after repeated was given at Sinai, and had the nature and form of
a covenant; see Exo_24:7.
2. Calvin, “The Lord our God. In these words he commends the Law; because it must be
accounted a peculiar blessing, and a very high honor to be taken into covenant by God.
Wherefore, that they may anxiously prepare themselves to embrace the Law, he says that what
was above all things to be desired had been freely offered to them, viz., that they should be united
in covenant with God. In the next verse he still further magnifies this advantage by comparison;
because God had given more to them than to their fathers. Thence is all excuse taken from them,
unless, for the sake of manifesting their gratitude, they give themselves up entirely to God, and in
return worship with sincere affection Him whom they have experienced to be so bountiful a
Father. Those who would paraphrase this sentence, “Not only with our fathers, but also with us,”
pervert its proper meaning; the grounds of their mistake being, that God had formerly made a
covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But this may be easily refuted; because the name of
“fathers” does not refer to these, but he means by it such as had died in Egypt during the last 200
years; to whose case he justly prefers that of the surviving people, with whom the ancient
covenant had been renewed. Now, this reference to time was in no slight degree calculated to
stimulate and arouse them to obedience; for it would have been disgraceful in them not to
acknowledge that they were honored more than their fathers by this especial privilege, in order

4. that they should excel them in their earnest zeal for God’s service. Christ uses the same argument
with His disciples, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: and the ears which hear
the things that ye hear, etc.The quotat ion here appears to have been made from memory.
(Matthew 13:16, and Luke 10:23,) “many Prophets and kings have desired,” etc. The sum is, that
the more bountifully God deals with us, the more heinous and intolerable is the crime of
ingratitude, unless we willingly come to Him when He calls us, and submit ourselves to His
instruction.”
3. K&D, “Deu_5:2-3, “Jehovah our God made a covenant with us in Horeb; not with our fathers,
but with ourselves, who are all of us here alive this day.” The “fathers” are neither those who died
in the wilderness, as Augustine supposed, nor the forefathers in Egypt, as Calvin imagined; but
the patriarchs, as in Deu_4:37. Moses refers to the conclusion of the covenant at Sinai, which was
essentially distinct from the covenant at Sinai, which was essentially distinct from the covenant
made with Abraham (Gen_15:18), though the latter laid the foundation for the Sinaitic covenant.
But Moses passed over this, as it was not his intention to trace the historical development of the
covenant relation, but simply to impress upon the hearts of the existing generation the
significance of its entrance into covenant with the Lord. The generation, it is true, with which
God made the covenant at Horeb, had all died out by that time, with the exception of Moses,
Joshua, and Caleb, and only lived in the children, who, though in part born in Egypt, were all
under twenty years of age at the conclusion of the covenant at Sinai, and therefore were not
among the persons with whom the Lord concluded the covenant. But the covenant was made not
with the particular individuals who were then alive, but rather with the nation as an organic
whole. Hence Moses could with perfect justice identify those who constituted the nation at that
time, with those who had entered into covenant with the Lord at Sinai. The separate pronoun
(we) is added to the pronominal suffix for the sake of emphasis, just as in Gen_4:26, etc.; and
again is so connected with , as to include the relative in itself.”
4. Rich Cathers, “The Ten Commandments were part of a legally binding contract that God
made with Israel. The signing of the contract was in the sprinkling of blood –
(Exo 24:3-8 KJV) And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all
the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which
the LORD hath said will we do. {4} And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose
up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according
to the twelve tribes of Israel. {5} And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which
offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. {6} And
Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the
altar. {7} And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people:
and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. {8} And Moses
took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant,
which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.
(Heb 9:18 NKJV) Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood.
As Christians, we don’t fall under this contract, but a newer contract, one that does away with
the old one.
(Mat 26:26-29 KJV) And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake
it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. {27} And he took the
cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; {28} For this is my
blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. {29} But I say

5. unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it
new with you in my Father's kingdom.”
3 It was not with our ancestors[a] that the LORD made
this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here
today.
1. Barnes, “The “fathers” are, as in Deu_4:37, the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. With
them God did indeed make a covenant, but not the particular covenant now in question. The
responsibilites of this later covenant, made at Sinai by the nation as a nation, attached in their
day and generation to those whom Moses was addressing.
2. Gill, “The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers,.... That is, not with them only, as
Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Abendana remark; for certain it is that this covenant was made, or law
was given, to the immediate fathers of this present generation of Israelites, whose carcasses had
fallen in the wilderness; unless this is to be understood of their more remote ancestors, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, with whom the covenant of grace was made, or afresh made manifest, especially
with the former; when the law, the covenant here spoken of, was not delivered until four hundred
and thirty years after, Gal_3:16, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day; many
of them were then present at the giving of the law, and though under twenty years of age, could
remember it, and the circumstances of it; and besides, they were the same people to whom it was
given, though not consisting wholly of the same individuals.
3. Jamison, “The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us — The meaning is,
“not with our fathers” only, “but with us” also, assuming it to be “a covenant” of grace. It may
mean “not with our fathers” at all, if the reference is to the peculiar establishment of the
covenant of Sinai; a law was not given to them as to us, nor was the covenant ratified in the same
public manner and by the same solemn sanctions. Or, finally, the meaning may be “not with our
fathers” who died in the wilderness, in consequence of their rebellion, and to whom God did not
give the rewards promised only to the faithful; but “with us,” who alone, strictly speaking, shall
enjoy the benefits of this covenant by entering on the possession of the promised land.
4 The LORD spoke to you face to face out of the fire on
the mountain.
1. Gill, “The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount,.... Meaning, not in that free, friendly,

6. and familiar manner, in which he sometimes talked with Moses, of whom this phrase is used,
Exo_33:11, but publicly, audibly, clearly, and distinctly, or without the interposition of another;
he did not speak to them by Moses, but to them themselves; he talked to them without a middle
person between them, as Aben Ezra expresses it: without making use of one to relate to them
what he said; but he talked to them directly, personally: out of the midst of the fire; in which he
descended, and with which the mountain was burning all the time he was speaking; which made
it very awful and terrible, and pointed at the terrors of the legal dispensation.
2. Jamison, “The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount — not in a visible and corporeal
form, of which there was no trace (Deu_4:12, Deu_4:15), but freely, familiarly, and in such a
manner that no doubt could be entertained of His presence.
3. Calvin, “Face to face. Again he commends the Law by mentioning their certainty about it; for,
when God openly manifested Himself, there could be no doubt of the author from whom it
proceeded. To speak “face to face,” is equivalent to discoursing openly and familiarly; and in
point of fact God had spoken with them, as mortals and friends communicate with each other in
their mutual dealings. Moreover, lest any doubt should still remain, God set before their eyes a
visible manifestation of His glory, by appearing in the fire; for no other voice but that of God
Himself could proceed out of fire. In the next verse a kind of explanation is added, when he says
that he was the interpreter, who laid before them the commands he received from God. And thus
he reconciles two things which seem at first sight to be contradictory, viz., that God spoke in
person, and yet by a mediator; since they themselves having heard God’s voice petitioned in their
fear that He should not continue to speak in the same way. Hence it follows that they were
convinced, by a sense of the divine glory and majesty, that it was not allowable for them to doubt
the authority of the law. But I only slightly glance at this, because it has been more fully treated
of before.
Deuteronomy 4:20. But the Lord hath taken you. He argues that, from the period of their
deliverance, they have been wholly devoted to God, since He has purchased them for His own
peculiar possession. Hence it follows that they are under His jurisdiction and dominion; because
it would be foul and wicked ingratitude in them to shake off the yoke of their redeemer. And, in
order to strengthen the obligation, he extols the greatness of the favor, because nothing could be
more wretched than they were, when God stretched forth His hand to deliver them. Their
bondage is therefore called metaphorically, a “furnace,” nay, an “iron” one; and, then, their
present far different condition is compared with it; for this was solid and most desirable
happiness, that they should be translated into God’s peculiar inheritance.”
4. KD, “Deu_5:4-5, “Jehovah talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the
fire,” i.e., He came as near to you as one person to another.
is not perfectly synonymous
with ל , which is used in Exo_33:11 with reference to God's speaking to Moses (cf.
Deu_34:10, and Gen_32:31), and expresses the very confidential relation in which the Lord spoke
to Moses as one friend to another; whereas the former simply denotes the directness with which
Jehovah spoke to the people. - Before repeating the ten words which the Lord addressed directly
to the people, Moses introduces the following remark in Deu_5:5 - “I stood between Jehovah and
you at that time, to announce to you the word of Jehovah; because ye were afraid of the fire, and
went not up into the mount” - for the purpose of showing the mediatorial position which he
occupied between the Lord and the people, not so much at the proclamation of the ten words of
the covenant, as in connection with the conclusion of the covenant generally, which alone in fact

7. rendered the conclusion of the covenant possible at all, on account of the alarm of the people at
the awful manifestation of the majesty of the Lord. The word of Jehovah, which Moses as
mediator had to announce to the people, had reference not to the instructions which preceded the
promulgation of the decalogue (Exo_19:11.), but, as is evident from Deu_5:22-31, primarily to the
further communications which the Lord was about to address to the nation in connection with
the conclusion of the covenant, besides the ten words (viz., Exo_20:18; 22:1-23:33), to which in
fact the whole of the Sinaitic legislation really belongs, as being the further development of the
covenant laws. The alarm of the people at the fire is more fully described in Deu_5:25. The word
“saying” at the end of Deu_5:5 is dependent upon the word “talked” in Deu_5:4; Deu_5:5 simply
containing a parenthetical remark.
5. David Guzik, “The Lord talked with you face to face: This demonstrates that the term face to
face does not mean literal face to literal face, but is a Hebraic figure of speech meaning
intimate, free communication.
i. Deuteronomy 4:12 specifically says that Israel saw no form; you only heard a voice. Yet they had
a remarkably transparent communication with God, so the figure of speech face to face applies.
ii. This is why Exodus 33:11 says So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his
friend, and in Exodus 33:20 the Lord says, You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and
live. The use of face to face in Exodus 33:11 is a figure of speech, meaning Moses had free and
unhindered communication with the Lord.
iii. Face to face seems to mean 'in person', that is, in the immediacy of personal contact.
(Thompson)
5 (At that time I stood between the LORD and you to
declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were
afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he
said:
1. Gill, “ I stood between the Lord and you at that time,.... Between the Word of the Lord and
you, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; that is, about that time, not at the exact precise
time the ten commandments were delivered, for these were spoken immediately to the people; but
when the ceremonial law was given, which was ordained by angels, in the hand of a mediator,
Gal_3:19, and which was at the request of the people as follows, terrified by the appearance of
the fire out of which the moral law was delivered: to show you the word of the Lord; not the
decalogue, that they heard with their own ears, but the other laws which were afterwards given,
that were of the ceremonial and judicial kind: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went
not up into the mount; lest they should be consumed by it: and indeed bounds were set about the
mount, and they were charged not to break through: saying; this word is in connection with the
preceding verse, the Lord's talking out of the midst of the fire, when he said what follows.
2. Jamison, “I stood between the Lord and you at that time — as the messenger and interpreter

8. of thy heavenly King, bringing near two objects formerly removed from each other at a vast
distance, namely, God and the people (Gal_3:19). In this character Moses was a type of Christ,
who is the only mediator between God and men (1Ti_2:5), the Mediator of a better covenant
(Heb_8:6; Heb_9:15; Heb_12:24).to show you the word of the Lord — not the ten
commandments - for they were proclaimed directly by the Divine Speaker Himself, but the
statutes and judgments which are repeated in the subsequent portion of this book.
6 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of
Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
1. Barnes, “Moses here adopts the Ten Words as a ground from which he may proceed to reprove,
warn, and exhort; and repeats them, with a certain measure of freedom and adaptation. Our
Lord Mar_10:19 and Paul Eph_6:2-3 deal similarly with the same subject. Speaker and hearers
recognized, however, a statutory and authoritative form of the laws in question, which, because it
was familiar to both parties, needed not to be reproduced with verbal fidelity.
2. Gill, 6 to 11,“ I am the Lord thy God,.... This is the preface to the ten commandments, and is
the same with that in Exo_20:2; see Gill on Exo_20:2, and those commands are here delivered in
the same order, and pretty near in the same words, with a little variation, and a few additions;
which I shall only observe, and refer to Exo_20:1 for the sense of the various laws.
3. Jamison, “Deu 5:6-20 - I am the Lord thy God — The word “Lord” is expressive of authority
or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to
exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their
government. [See on Exo_20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal
alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Exo_20:1-17), and in some of them there is a distinct
reference to that promulgation.
4. KD, “Deu 5:6-23 - In vv. 6-21, the ten covenant words are repeated from Ex 20, with only a
few variations, which have already been discussed in connection with the exposition of the
decalogue at Exo_20:1-14. - In Deu_5:22-33, Moses expounds still further the short account in
Exo_20:18-21, viz., that after the people had heard the ten covenant words, in their alarm at the
awful phenomena in which the Lord revealed His glory, they entreated him to stand between as
mediator, that God Himself might not speak to them any further, and that they might not die, and
then promised that they would hearken to all that the Lord should speak to him (Exo_20:23 -31).
His purpose in doing so was to link on the exhortation in vv. 32, 33, to keep all the
commandments of the Lord and do them, which paves the way for passing to the exposition of the
law which follows. “A great voice” (Exo_20:22) is an adverbial accusative, signifying “with a
great voice” (cf. Ges. §118, 3). “And He added no more:” as in Num_11:25. God spoken the ten
words directly to the people, and then no more; i.e., everything further He addressed to Moses
alone, and through his mediation to the people. As mediator He gave him the two tables of stone,

9. upon which He had written the decalogue (cf. Exo_31:18). This statement somewhat forestalls the
historical course; and in Deu_9:10-11, it is repeated again in its proper historical connection.
5. Explore The Bible, “This verse is commonly referred to as the preamble to the Decalogue.
Taking the familiar form of suzerainty treaties with which the people of Israel would have been
acquainted, Yahweh declares His identity and His saving power, and then His demands for
exclusive and loyal worship. He is the Lord your God, that is, the God who has acted
powerfully and graciously on behalf of the nation of Israel. He is further identified as the God
who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. With this statement we see that the
Law of God is firmly set in the context of grace, from its very origins (Alan Cole, Exodus,
TOTC. 153). Here the Lord appeals to His mercy and grace and calls forth an obedience that is
motivated by love, not fear. Christopher Wright observes that these commandments were given
to the people of Israel, not so they could perhaps gain salvation by keeping them, but because
God had already redeemed them and this was how they were to live in the light of that fact
(Deuteronomy, 63). In summary, we might say that these verses provide for us the identity of the
God who is to be worshiped, as well as the motive for obedience and service.”
6. Henry, “Deu 5:6-22 - Here is the repetition of the ten commandments, in which observe, 1.
Though they had been spoken before, and written, yet they are again rehearsed; for precept must
be upon precept, and line upon line, and all little enough to keep the word of God in our minds
and to preserve and renew the impressions of it. We have need to have the same things often
inculcated upon us. See Phi_3:1. 2. There is some variation here from that record (Ex. 20), as
there is between the Lord's prayer as it is in Mt. 6 and as it is Lu. 11. In both it is more necessary
that we tie ourselves to the things than to the words unalterably. 3. The most considerable
variation is in the fourth commandment. In Ex. 20 the reason annexed is taken from the creation
of the world; here it is taken from their deliverance out of Egypt, because that was typical of our
redemption by Jesus Christ, in remembrance of which the Christian sabbath was to be observed:
Remember that thou wast a servant, and God brought thee out, Deu_5:15. And Therefore, (1.) “It is
fit that thy servants should be favoured by the sabbath-rest; for thou knowest the heart of a
servant, and how welcome one day's ease will be after six days' labour.” (2.) “It is fit that thy God
should be honoured by the sabbath-work, and the religious services of the day, in consideration
of the great things he has done for thee.” In the resurrection of Christ we were brought into the
glorious liberty of the children of God, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore, by
the gospel-edition of the law, we are directed to observe the first day of the week, in remembrance
of that glorious work of power and grace. 4. It is added in the fifth commandment, That it may go
well with thee, which addition the apostle quotes, and puts first (Eph_6:3), that it may be well with
thee, and that thou mayest live long. If there be instances of some that have been very dutiful to
their parents, and yet have not lived long upon earth, we may reconcile it to the promise by this
explication of it, Whether they live long or no, it shall go well with them, either in this world or in
a better. See Ecc_8:12. 5. The last five commandments are connected or coupled together, which
they are not in Exodus: Neither shalt thou commit adultery, neither shalt thou steal, etc., which
intimate that God's commands are all of a piece: the same authority that obliges us to one obliges
us to another; and we must not be partial in the law, but have respect to all God's
commandments, for he that offends in one point is guilty of all, Jam_2:10, Jam_2:11. 6. That these
commandments were given with a great deal of awful solemnity, Deu_5:22. (1.) They were spoken
with a great voice out of the fire, and thick darkness. That was a dispensation of terror, designed to
make the gospel of grace the more welcome, and to be a specimen of the terrors of the judgment-

10. day, Psa_50:3, Psa_50:4. (2.) He added no more. What other laws he gave them were sent by
Moses, but no more were spoken in the same manner that the ten commandments were. He added
no more, therefore we must not add: the law of the Lord is perfect. (3.) He wrote them in two
tables of stone, that they might be preserved from corruption, and might be transmitted pure and
entire to posterity, for whose use they were intended, as well as for the present generation. These
being the heads of the covenant, the chest in which the written tables were deposited was called
the ark of the covenant. See Rev_11:19.
7 “You shall have no other gods before[b] me.
1. Ron Daniel, “Not other gods before Me, the Lord said. The word before is paw-NEEM,
which means, In the face of. God is saying, Don't have other gods in My face, in My presence,
in My sight. Since God is all-seeing, it is not simply a matter of not having gods in our lives that
are more important than Him, but no other gods at all. Jesus said,
Luke 4:8 ...It is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM
ONLY.'
2. Explore The Bible, “This commandment requires the exclusive worship of the one true God
—You shall have no other gods before me. This was especially significant in the light of the
polytheistic world in which the people of Israel dwelt. Literally, the command is to have no other
gods before the face of the one true God. Its ultimate purpose is to assert and protect the
exclusive covenantal sovereignty of Yahweh as God (Wright, 68). In this prohibition, the Lord
declares that He will not share His worship with another. Thus, true worship has God and Him
alone at its center.
• Positive Application: This commandment teaches us that we are to worship God as our
God and no other. Furthermore, we are to love, adore, trust, obey, and honor Him before
all things.
• Negative Application: This command teaches us that we are not to place our trust or love in
any other thing, or to seek ultimate satisfaction in anyone but Him. God is to have no
rivals in our lives. Ultimately, the believer is to recognize and worship no other God than
that One defined in Jesus Christ (Wright, 69).
3.David Guzik, “In the days of ancient Israel, great was the temptation to worship the gods of
materialism (Baal, the god of weather and financial success) and sex (Ashtoreth, the goddess of
sex, romance, and reproduction), or any number of other local deities. We are tempted to worship
the same gods, but without the old fashioned names and images.” “Failure to obey this
commandment is called idolatry. We are to flee idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14); those whose life is
marked by habitual idolatry will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10,
Ephesians 5:5, Revelation 21:8, 22:15); idolatry is a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-20), which
marks our old life instead of the new (1 Peter 4:3), and we are not to associate with those who call
themselves Christians who are idolaters (1 Corinthians 5:11).”
4. Ron Ritchie, “The first commandment is still relevant today for all of us. Brian Morgan wrote

11. in Discovery Paper 3817: Your god is whatever your heart craves for, what you are obsessed
with. Your god is whatever you spend your money on, what you sacrifice your time for. Your god
is anything you think will impart life to your soul. It could be a relationship or an ambition. The
first commandment says to us, 'Do not say you love God and then allow your heart to go after
other gods.'
5. G. Campbell Morgan, “Upon all these commandments the New Testament throws a flood of
light, and so far from abrogating them, it emphasizes, reiterates and invests them with new force.
There is a sense in which Christians are not free from the law. It is only when grace enables
men to keep the law, that they are free from it ; just as a moral man who lives according to the
laws of the country is free from arrest. God has not set aside law, but He has found a way by
which man can fulfill law, and so be free from it. Has God, in this Christian era, given up His
claim to worship, and said that men may have another god? Far from it. New Testament light
upon the point may be found in the words of Jesus, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (Matt. xxii. 37) ; and again,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve (iv. 10)
8 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of
anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the
waters below.
1. Ron Daniel, “God purposely did not show Himself, lest the people make statues and pictures of
Him. God does not want to be represented by a statue or picture. They cannot represent His
glory, His majesty, or His size. Remember, 2Chr. 2:6 ...the heavens and the highest heavens
cannot contain Him... Jesus rebuked Thomas for having a sight-based faith:John
20:29 ...Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet
believed. So, any representation we would make of God would rob Him of His glory. Some
people have difficulty imagining God when they are talking to Him. I don't even try to imagine
God, because if the heavens cannot contain Him, then my imagination can't either. John told
us...1John 3:20 ...God is greater than our heart and knows all things. God is all-knowing, all-seeing,
and present everywhere. I simply know that when I pray, He hears. I don't need an idol.”
2. Explore The Bible, “Whereas the first commandment identified the God who alone is worthy
of worship, this command instructs us as to how the one true God is to be worshipped. Here we
see that God forbids the use of an idol in the form of anything in worship. Thus, true worship
is by definition aniconic. The words above—idol and form— refer to objects carved out of
wood or crafted out of metal that men might attempt to use in the worship of God. It has direct
reference to any attempt to represent God by means of any material object. As George Rawlinson
notes, this command is given to disallow the worship of God under material forms (Exodus,
Vol. 2. TPC. 131). Thus, it is God alone who determines how His subjects are to worship Him.
The reason such representations of God are forbidden might be that it is utterly impossible for
such likenesses to properly represent His divine nature and being. Any such attempt would fall
far short of His glory and would, in fact, profane His holiness. Alan Cole comments that the
localization and materialization of God was another danger inherent in idolatry. Even Israel in

12. later days tended to believe that God’s presence was localized and contained in ark or temple;
how much more so, if there had been an image? (155-156). It must also be noted that a material
representation of God would lend itself to the desire to exert control over Him, placing Him
under the power of men. Furthermore, Christopher Wright adds that since Yahweh is
represented as the God who speaks, idol worship would betray a desire to escape from the living
voice and commands of the living God (71).
3. David Guzik, “In that day as well as in our own, worship was tied closely with images -
idealized images, or even images in our minds. God will not allow us to depict Him with any such
image, nor replace Him with another image. The second commandment doesn't forbid making an
image of something for artistic purposes; God Himself commanded Israel make images of
cherubim (Exodus 25:18, 26:31). It forbids the making of images as an aid to worship.
John 4:24 explains the rationale behind the second commandment: God is Spirit, and those who
worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. The use of images and other material things as a
focus or help to worship denies who God is (Spirit) and how we must worship Him (in spirit
and truth) Paul reminds us of the futility of trying to make God into our own image: Professing to
be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like
corruptible man; and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:22-23)
4. Ron Ritchie, “Moses had already warned this people in Deuteronomy 4:15-19, You saw no
form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch
yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an
image of any shape.... The issue was, and remains in every generation, that the Creator-God of
the universe, who stands above and beyond everything he has created, cannot be reduced to an
image conceived of by man and crafted by his hands. God is Spirit and is not willing to allow
anyone to try to place him into some distorted visible form. Don't make them, don't worship
them, and don't serve them. God is also opposed to mankind's worshiping anything that God
himself has created. (However, there was a difference between worshiping a handmade idol and
making a piece of art to be used in the tabernacle or the temple of Solomon.)”
5. Our Daily Bread, “The Encyclopedia Britannica describes Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27
BC) as Rome's greatest scholar. He wrote more than 600 books on many subjects. Among his
writings is this statement: They who first introduced images of the gods removed fear and
added error.
This profound statement helps us understand why Moses reminded Israel at Sinai, You saw no
form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire (Dt. 4:15). It also
underscores the reason behind God's command prohibiting any physical representations of Him.
We cannot love and serve the Lord in an acceptable manner unless we have an accurate
understanding of His character. Any physical portrayal, however, whether with pictures, icons,
or statues, distorts our perception of His true character and lessens a healthy respect for His
awesome holiness and power.
If Rome's greatest secular scholar, guided only by the light of nature and reason, could see the
dangers of misrepresenting deity, how much more should we who have special revelation
carefully attend to every word God has spoken. Let's ask the Lord to instill in us a healthy
respect of Him and help us grow in our knowledge of His character. - D J De Haan
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

13. In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious -- Thy great name we praise. - Smith
God made us in His image; don't try to make Him in yours.
6. G. Campbell Morgan, “There are who think that the Puritan fathers imagined that what was
forbidden was the making of the likeness of anything in the heavens above or the earth beneath,
and so they came to look upon every form of art as idolatrous. I have known Christian folk who,
because of this commandment, would not have their photographs taken, and who refused to have
a picture in their houses! This, however, could not have been the Divine intention ; for,
immediately after the giving of this commandment, among the pattern of things pertaining to
the Tabernacle, in the very holiest of all, two images of the cherubim overshadowed the mercy-seat.
On the borders of the garment of the High Priest, also, as he went into the Holy Place to
minister, there were bells and pomegranates. Man was not forbidden to make a representation of
anything: he is forbidden to use the representation as an aid to worship.
In Westminster Abbey, to-day, there may be seen a great many vacant niches where images once
stood. They were removed not because they were statues, but because lamps were burned in front
of them, and wor- shippers knelt before them. That was essentially a violation of this
commandment. Man is not to make to himself a graven image, nor the likeness of any form that
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth : thou
shalt not bow down thyself unto them...”
Look at the matter from another point of view. In the instant that man sets up a representation of
any description to help him to realize God, he denies that which is essential in God. Suppose that
it is an image, a picture, or some system of worship, concerning which he says, This is intended
as an aid to my worship of the one God. See what he has done ! The image, the picture, or the
system of worship is limited. The essential fact of God is that He islimitless, that He is eternal,
that He is self-existent, there being no end to His being, and no limit to His power. Limitlessness
lies at the heart and center of the thought of God, and the moment a man makes animage, he
denies the essence of God. For that reason God forbade that there should be the making of any
images; for, not only is the image false, it is misleading.
9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I,
the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the
children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate me,
1. Ron Daniel, “When God forbade idols, He said, Don't worship or serve them, because I'm
jealous, and I visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth
generations. Because of this statement, there has arisen in the church a doctrine called,
generational curses.The basic idea of generational curses is that when you're sick or terrible

14. things are happening to you, it's probably because your parents or grandparents had sin in the
past that they never repented of. But if you read the passage in context, you see that God visits
iniquity upon people that reject and hate Him, but those that love Him are shown mercy.
Now, it is true that the sins of fathers tend to become the sins of the sons. Some examples are:
- Isaac fell into the sin of his father Abraham.
- King Akh-az-YAW sinned in the way of his father King Ahab (1Kings 22:52).
- King Ab-ee-YAWM sinned in the way of his father King Rehoboam (1Kings 15:3).And research
frequently shows that people tend to have the same addictions and behaviors that their parents
had. The psalmist wrote: Psa. 106:6 We have sinned like our fathers, we have committed iniquity,
we have behaved wickedly. Often, the son sins in the same manner as his father. But regardless,
each person is responsible for their own sins. The Law says, Deut. 24:16 Fathers shall not be put
to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to
death for his own sin.
Ezekiel 18 is really the definitive chapter for understanding the truth about this idea of
generational curses. In it, God says: Ezek. 18:14 Now behold, he has a son who has observed
all his father’s sins which he committed, and observing does not do likewise. This tells us that
regardless of whether the sins of the father became the sins of the son, this is not a generational
curse - the son does not have to follow - he has a choice, and can choose to not sin in the manner
of his father. If you've struggled with this issue, or have been accused of having a generational
curse, I encourage you to read through all of Ezekiel 18. This chapter makes it crystal clear that
the Lord absolutely does not punish the children for the parents' sins.”
2. Explore The Bible, “In verse 9 we read that God is a jealous God. That is, He is jealous of
His own honor and glory and will not share it with another, especially a man-made material
object. In addition, He is jealous for His unique relationship with the nation of Israel. His holy
jealousy is related to His exclusive covenant made with the nation. Thus, no husband who truly
loved his wife could endure to share her with another man: no more will God share Israel with a
rival (Cole. Pg. 156). Verse 9 also includes a solemn warning that the iniquity of the fathers
will be visited upon the children throughout the third and fourth generations. . . . This should
be understood as meaning that breeches of God’s law by one generation do indeed affect those
of future generations to come (Cole, 156). Thus, the children and grandchildren of idolaters will
suffer for their parent’s sins and failures. However, verse 10 in glorious contrast declares God’s
intention to display lovingkindness to thousands who both love Him and keep His
commandments.
• Positive Application: This commandment teaches us that we are to worship God in the way
He has prescribed in Scripture, and that we are to demonstrate our love for Him by
keeping His commandments.
• Negative Application: This command teaches us that we are never to attempt to make any
representation of God’s likeness, nor are we to make images of any created thing for the
purpose of worship. In short, we are forbidden from worshipping the true God in a false
manner.
3. David Guzik, “ David Guzik, “How can it be said that God is a jealous God? God's jealousy is
love in action. He refuses to share the human heart with any rival, not because He is selfish and
wants us all for Himself, but because He knows that upon that loyalty to Him depends our very

15. moral life . . . God is not jealous of us: He is jealous for us. (Redpath) Visiting the iniquity of the
fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me: This does not
mean God punishes us directly for the sins of our ancestors; the important words are of those
who hate Me - if the descendants love God, they will not have the iniquity of the fathers visited on
them. 'This necessarily implies - IF the children walk in the steps of their fathers; for no man can
be condemned by Divine justice for a crime of which he was never guilty. (Clarke) Yet, the focus
here is on idolatry, and this refers to judgment on a national scale - nations that forsake the Lord
will be judged, and that judgment will have effects throughout generations.
4. Ron Ritchie, “God formed a covenant of love with Israel. She in turn was asked to respond to
his love by loving him with her whole heart, soul, and strength. If Israel began to make other
images to worship, it would indicate that she was leaving her first love, causing her Lover, God,
to become jealous because of her spiritual adultery. In this context, Jealousy is that emotion by
which God is stirred up and provoked against whatever hinders the enjoyment of that which he
loves and desires. (W. Kaiser, Towards Old Testament Ethics.) Jealousy on the part of God
means an intense interest in the welfare of another.
...Punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those
who hate me.... Those who worship other gods will in time suffer the judgment of God within
their character and will affect their children's own relationship to him to the fourth generation.
That is, if a father spends his life worshiping idols, the children in the next three generations will
only naturally fall into worshiping the same gods because of that influence and pressure.
However, each child is responsible only for their own sin; this is not automatic punishment. Each
child has the opportunity to break the cycle of sin and begin a righteous generation.The precious
Son Jesus said in Luke 16:13, No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and
love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
5. Morgan, “What is the simple and plain meaning of these concluding words? If a man put
something in the place of his Creator, that iniquity of making a representation of God is visited
upon the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate Him. That is to say, if, in
worship, men put something in the place of God, if they come under the influence of worship
which is an attempt to put something between God and man, then they are not only harming
themselves but their children. The probability is that their idea of worship will be transmitted to
their children, and their children's idea of worship will be transMnitted to their children, so that
the wrong that men do themselves when they misrepresent God is a wrong which they are doing
to their children likewise. That the first and simple meaning of the words used in connection
with this commandment.
10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those
who love me and keep my commandments.
1. Morgan, “But proceed to notice the gracious promise standing side by side with the warning:
Showing mercy unto thousands. There is very little doubt that the rendering ought to be,

16. Showing mercy unto a thousand generations of them that love Me, and keep My
commandments. That is to say, that if a man sweeps the idols away, and gets into living
connection with God, worshipping Him without anything between, the result will be that his
child's child will, most likely, so worship. Here is a remarkable comparison — God visits the
iniquity to the third and fourth generation; but He shows mercy unto the thousandth generation!
If a man will commit to his posterity a worship which IS true, strong, whole-hearted, and pure,
and will sweep away all that interferes between himself and God, he is more likely to influence
for good the thousandth generation that follows him, than a man of the opposite character is to
touch that generation with evil.”
11 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God,
for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses
his name.
1. Ron Daniel, “This commandment is often quoted by those who hear an unbeliever using God's
name to curse. But in reality, it is far more accurate to apply this to believers. After all, the
commandment is, YOU shall not take the name of the Lord YOUR God in vain.
And that doesn't just mean that believers should refrain from the classic curses which use God's
name. Certainly they should avoid those things, for the Bible says, Eph. 4:29 Let no unwholesome
word proceed from your mouth...However, this commandment applies to much more than
cursing. You see, the word vain in Hebrew means, emptiness, vanity, falsehood, nothingness,
lying, worthlessness.
In other words, don't make God's name mean nothing. Don't use it in a frivolous way. One thing
that really grieves my heart is to hear Christians always saying, The Lord told me this, God's
leading me to do this, and God wants me to tell you this.Often, these statements are proven
wrong. They say, God told me that I'm going to do this, but then they don't. The Lord
revealed that I'm going to buy this, but then they can't. God spoke and said that would
happen, but then it doesn't. That is using the Lord's name in vain - using God's name as their
spiritual stamp, their mark of approval, but treating it as nothing. Just slap God's name in there
and now it's truth. This is no different than the prophets who the Lord said were.. Ezek. 22:28
...saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken. God will not hold people
guiltless when they do this. Jeremiah was told. 14:14 ...The prophets are prophesying falsehood
in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are
prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.
I am very fearful to say, The Lord revealed this to me, or God told me that.
2. Explore The Bible, “This commandment forbids the misuse [of] the name of the Lord your
God. Originally, this prohibition was interpreted to mean that one could not swear falsely by the
name of Yahweh. That is, one was forbidden from invoking the name of the Lord while telling a
falsehood (see Lev. 19:12). However, we note that it was entirely permissible, according to the
Law, to bless or curse someone in the name of Yahweh (Deut. 6:13; 11:26) or to use His name in
oaths (Zeph. 1:4,5). Thus, this command particularly deals with the sin of perjury and of

17. employing the divine name recklessly or without due reverence. The third commandment, then, is
better understood in light of the fact that the knowledge of God’ name was arguably the greatest
gift entrusted to Israel (Wright, 73).
• Positive Application: This command teaches us that we should recognize and treat the
name of the Lord as holy, seeking to bring glory to Him by our words and actions.
• Negative Application: This command teaches us that we are never to use the name of the
Lord in a flippant or irreverent manner, nor conduct our lives in ways that bring dishonor
to His kingdom.
3. David Guzik, “We can break the third commandment through profanity (using the name of
God in blasphemy and cursing), through frivolity (using the name of God in a superficial, stupid
way), and through hypocrisy (claiming the name of God but acting in a way that disgraces Him).
b. In their tradition, the Jewish people would take this command to extreme lengths, refusing to
even write out the name of God, fearing the paper might be destroyed and the name of God be
written in vain.
c. Jesus communicated the idea of this command in the disciple's prayer, when He taught us to
have a regard for the holiness of God's name (Hallowed be Your name, Matthew 6:9).
4. Ron Ritchie, “The misuse of the name of the Lord God of Israel is clearly seen when Balak, the
Moabite king, attempted to employ the false prophet Balaam to magically curse Israel in the
name of the Lord (see Numbers 22-24).We see another example of this in an incident that took
place when Paul was first ministering in the city of Ephesus, and God was doing some
extraordinary miracles by his hand. At that time some Jewish exorcists, seven sons of the Jewish
chief priest, went from place to place attempting to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those
who had evil spirits, saying, I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches. One evil spirit
answered and said to them, I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you? And
the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them and beat them up, ...so that they
fled...naked and wounded (Acts 19:15-16).
5. Morgan, “Men to-day are breaking this commandment in three ways — by profanity, frivolity,
and hypocrisy. The sin of profane swearing prevails to this moment, and there is no more
insidious habit. It is very often the sin of thoughtlessness. Evil is wrought by want of thought.
As well as want of heart. Some men do not know when they do swear; they
were born in the midst of the most fetid moral atmosphere, and began to talk in blasphemy from
their earliest days. That is a very terrible thing; but such men are not nearly so guilty as others
who have been brought up in a pure moral atmosphere, and have, nevertheless, fallen into the
habit.
Much would be gained if men would think of what they are doing in profane swearing, especially
where the name of God is involved. An expression made use of with terrible frequency is God
damn you. A man is annoyed in some way by another, and gives ready tongue to this oath. It is
taking God's name in vain, because the man who says it does not mean it. There is not a man who
says it who would like to see it carried out with respect to his fellow-man in all its terrible
meaning. It is trifling with the name of God, invoking Him to do something which it is never in-tended
He shall do. That is not the most shocking aspect of the vain use of the name of God in
that particular expression, for men are not only asking God to do something which they do not
wish Him to do, but to do something that He never does. God never damned a man. The idea is

18. an awful heresy. God's work is the work of salvation, and if a man is lost it is the man's own
suicidal act. God is not casting men away into eternal loss. The awful passing out into Utter
darkness of the man who is without God, and who is therefore lost, is the man's own fault. No
man goes into that darkness except by his own act. God is not doing it. The idea that He damns
men is being thrust into the minds of men by their own profanity of language, and it is a libel
upon the love of God and upon all the excellencies of His character. The false idea involved in the
profane phrase already mentioned takes its effect upon those who hear it as regards their
thought of God, and this effect is demoralizing and debasing. Oh, that every man who has fallen
into the habit of profane swearing, having become its slave almost unconsciously, would take
heed to the words of Sinai, thundering in our ears to-day, Thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain !
Another form of taking God's name in vain obtains in some sections of society. This Ts a light and
frivolous use of the holy name, a prevalent and fashionable joking about God. Stories are told in
which the name of God is made use of in such a way as to affect men with a false humor. Such
tales should be shunned as men would shun the fire of hell. In every instance where men permit
themselves to look at sacred things in a frivolous light, there is evil reaction upon the heart and
consciousness; they are robbing themselves of that sacred sense of veneration and reverence for
God, without which there is no real worship and no acceptable service. That man is unclean
through and through who has lost his veneration for God and His holy, sacred name. The man
who does not tremble in the presence of God, though he trusts while he trembles, never worships
and never works as he ought to do.
The last and most subtle form of breaking the third commandment is committed by the man who
says, ''Lord, Lord,'' and does not the things that the Lord says. Prayer without practice is
blasphemy; praise without adoration violates the third commandment; giving without
disinterestedness robs the benevolence of God of Its lustre and beauty. Let these thoughts {J
be stated in other words. The profanity of the church is infinitely worse than the profanity of the
street ; the blasphemy of the sanctuary is a far more insidious form of evil than the blasphemy of
the slum. Is there a blasphemy of the church and the sanctuary? The prayer that is denied by the
life, the praise offered to God which is counteracted by rebellion against Him when the hour of
that praise has passed away, that is blasphemy, that is taking the name of God in vain.
If a man passes into the sanctuary and preaches and prays and praises with eloquent lips and
beautiful sentences and devotional attitude, even with tears, and goes home to break the least of
these commandments, that man blasphemes when he prays; but if he deceives the world, he never
deceives God ! If a man take the name of God for vanity, if truth is not behind his worship, he
had better not worship at all. The form in which this third commandment is broken most
completely, most awfully, most terribly, is by perpetually making use of the name of the Lord,
while the life does not square with the profession that is made. There are men who, if told that
they were profane swearers, would be terribly shocked. They have never allowed an oath to cross
their lips in their lives, nor do they know what it is to make use of profane or vulgar language,
and they make their boast in their freedom from these things. Yet these men are breaking the
third commandment more often and more terribly than the most profane swearer.
Not only is it a more awful thing than actual swearing to take the name of God upon the lips, if a
man is not true to his profession, but his example is far more pernicious to religion than is that of
the swearer. The man who professes with his lips to honor God, and yet denies Him in his life, will
do far more to hinder the coming of the Kingdom than the man who openly blasphemes and

19. makes no profession of honoring God. The most subtle and awful form of breaking the third
commandment of which any man can be guilty is that of hypocrisy.”
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the
LORD your God has commanded you.
1. Barnes, “Deu_5:12-15, The exhortation to observe the Sabbath and allow time of rest to
servants (compare Exo_23:12) is pointed by reminding the people that they too were formerly
servants themselves. The bondage in Egypt and the deliverance from it are not assigned as
grounds for the institution of the Sabbath, which is of far older date (see Gen_2:3), but rather as
suggesting motives for the religious observance of that institution. The Exodus was an entrance
into rest from the toils of the house of bondage, and is thought actually to have occurred on the
Sabbath day or “rest” day.
2. Gill, “Deu 5:12-13 - Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it,.... Or observe it, by setting it apart as a
time of natural rest, and for the performance of holy and religious exercises; see Exo_20:8, where
the phrase is a little varied, remember the sabbath day to keep it holy; it having been instituted
before: as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; not at Sinai only, for the same might then
have been observed of all the rest of the commands, but before the giving of the law, at the first of
the manna; see Exo_16:23.
3. Rich Cathers, “This is the fourth commandment, the end of the first “table” of the Law. The
first four laws (or, the “first table”) deal with man’s relationship with God. The last six laws (or,
“second table”) deal with man’s relationship with man.
4. Explore The Bible, “The heart of this commandment is captured in Verse 12 with the words,
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. The concept of the Sabbath had already been
introduced to the nation of Israel in Exodus 16:22-30. There the seventh day of rest was to be
observed as a day for the people of God to cease from work and reflect upon God’s provision for
their needs in the wilderness and for His protection from all their enemies. On this special day no
work was to be done as daily labors were suspended in order to provide an opportunity for each
Israelite to focus upon the saving work of God who had faithfully delivered them from the hand
of Pharaoh.
The idea of a seventh day of rest is also found in the creation account in Genesis 2:1-3. Here we
read that God rested from all the work, not because He was tired, but rather in the light of His
completed work of creation and the divine pronouncement that it was good. On this special
day the Lord finished His work, He rested, He blessed the day, and He made it holy,
setting it apart in a special relationship to Himself. On this day, the Lord brought His creative
activity to an end and then stepped back from it into a position of divine rest and satisfaction.
Furthermore, in Exodus 20:8-11 and 31:13-17 we see that the Sabbath observance is the

20. lengthiest of the commandments (20:8-11), and the most strictly enforced. Since the Sabbath was
declared holy, the penalty of death was reserved for those who profaned it through neglect
or abuse (31:14). In addition, it was to be observed as a perpetual covenant between God and
His people and as a sign . . . forever(31:16-17). Finally, its observance was to follow that
pattern set by the Lord God when He rested from His work and was refreshed (31:17). In
Exodus 20 we see that the Sabbath was to be a day of rest for the entire Israelite home, including
even the animals and the alien within your gates (20:10). Exodus 20:11 declares that it is to
be patterned after the rest which God enjoyed when the Lord made the heavens and the earth
and then rested on the seventh day. As already noted above, the breaking of the Sabbath
resulted in the most severe penalty for guilty parties. For this reason, the abuse and neglect of the
Sabbath was a frequent theme in the writings of the prophets (Neh. 13:17-18; Jer. 17:21-23; Ezk.
20:13-24).
To summarize, we may say that there are three major points of significance in regard to the
observance of the Sabbath:
• It was testimony to God as the Creator and Lord of the universe. The Sabbath would force
men to pause and recognize that even time, like the earth itself, belongs to God, as does
everything by which we are able to create wealth (Wright, 74).
• It was a symbol of Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord.
• It was a perpetual reminder of God’s power and faithfulness to save, and that He saves by
His power and work alone.
At this point we must recognize the fact that Christians have differed over the meaning and
application of this commandment. Historically there have been three views advanced by the
Church (see Richard P. Belcher, A Layman’s Guide to the Sabbath Question, Crowne Publications.
1991):
• The Seventh Day View holds that the Sabbath is to be permanently observed since God
established it at creation. Thus, it is binding upon all men forever. The Church should
meet for worship on the seventh day, Saturday, and not on Sunday, the first day of the
week. On the seventh day no work should be done, as it is a day dedicated to rest and
worship. Various Adventists groups and Seventh Day Baptists maintain this position.
• The Christian Sabbath View holds that God established the Sabbath at creation as a
permanent ordinance with this fact being reinforced at Sinai. In the New Covenant, the
Lord’s Day, Sunday, represents a continuation of the Sabbath and should be considered
to be essentially the same institution. Thus, the Lord’s Day is the Christian Sabbath. It
should be observed by ceasing from labor and worldly amusements, giving full energy and
focus to the worship of God.
• The Lord’s Day View holds that the establishment of the Sabbath was not based upon
the creation ordinance in Genesis, but upon the Mosaic covenant made at Sinai in the light
of Israel’s deliverance from Pharaoh. As a unique feature of the Mosaic covenant, it was
meant for Israel only and lasted for the duration of that covenant (until Christ). For
Christians there is no Sabbath day of rest, but a perpetual rest in Christ who is
Himself the Sabbath (based upon Hebrews 4). Worship should be the priority on the
Lord’s day (Sunday) but there are no restrictions regarding work.
When Jesus was asked what He thought was the greatest commandment, He summarized each

21. “table” of the Law. The first was to love the Lord, summarizing the commandments about God.
The second was to love your neighbor, summarizing the commandments about men. There is a
balance we need to consider with the Sabbath Law. First, understand that it is intended for the
Jews (“thou wast a servant in Egypt”). But there are still valid principles to follow. Work hard.
In our times, some people are experimenting with the four day work week. We can become
overly protective or our “free time”. But sometimes I wonder if our culture is conditioning us to
thinking that we aren’t able to work very hard. The Bible’s idea of work is a six day work week.
Hmmm. Don’t work too hard. Some people over-do it and never take a break. God wants you to
take a break. He wants you to honor Him by taking a break. Not only is it good for your health
to take a break, but it’s a step of obedience and faith. Do you trust God to take care of your
needs enough that if you give Him a day of rest, you believe He’ll take care of your needs?
5. Ron Daniel, “The Sabbath Day is becoming an increasingly contentious issue in the church
today. More and more sects are forming, insisting that the sabbath be observed. But there are big
problems with their doctrine. Number one, God made it clear that the sabbath was specifically
for the sons of Israel. He told Moses, Ex. 31:13-14 But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel,
saying, 'You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout
your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. Therefore you are
to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you...' Ex. 31:16-17 So the sons of Israel shall observe
the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a
sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,
but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.
Their observance of it is a sign that the Israelis are God's chosen people. It was not a sign for
others to see, but for themselves to be reminded that the Lord had set them apart. Another issue
is that as Gentiles, we were not commanded to observe the Sabbath. When the church in
Jerusalem met to discuss the issue of Gentile Christians in Acts 15, they were given only a short
list from the Law. They said, Acts 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay
upon you no greater burden than these essentials Those essentials did not include Sabbath Day
observation. There are many other Biblical proofs that we are not under the Sabbath Day law.
But in a nutshell, all we need to do is read what Paul wrote to the Colossians: Col. 2:16-17
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a
new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the
substance belongs to Christ. If someone begins to give you grief about having church on Sunday
instead of Saturday, don't get into the argument. They are free to worship when they want, but
are forbidden to judge you for what day you worship.
6. Ron Ritchie, “God commands the Jews of the second generation after the Exodus to keep the
Sabbath day for two reasons: (1) He had commanded their parents to observe the Sabbath day in
Exodus 20:8-11 as a symbol of their willingness to rest from their labors as he himself had at
creation. During that Sabbath day they were to worship him and renew their dependence on him
for all their needs. (2) The second generation was told to remember also that they had been slaves
in Egypt and had had no rest until God delivered them. The whole community was to rest on that
day as a symbol of appreciation and worship of the God who delivered them. (The Sabbath rest
also illustrates that God is Lord over creation and time, and that work is a gift from God, not
slavery as it was in Egypt.) Both reasons complement each other in that both illustrate that man
is totally dependent on God. As God created the universe out of nothing, so he created his people
as a nation out of nothing.

22. The Sabbath day was to be a shadow of the spiritual reality of a lifestyle of resting in God from
all physical activities; a day to symbolize total trust in him. In Jesus' time the Jewish rabbis had
taken it and turned it into a day of burdens. In the New Testament it is faith in the work of Christ
that supersedes the ritual elements of the Jewish Sabbath as the real meaning of the Sabbath.
Jesus, the precious Son, came one Sabbath day to the home of some Pharisees who had invited
him to eat bread with them. When he arrived they watched him closely, because in the house was
a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus then asked the Pharisees whether or not it was lawful to heal
on the Sabbath. But they kept silent. So Jesus healed the man and then said to the Pharisees,
Which one of you shall have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out
on a Sabbath day? And they refused to reply (see Luke 14:1-6).
What day should be the Christian's Sabbath? The spiritual principle behind the Sabbath is the
same for the Jews as for the Christians---both are totally dependent on God for all their needs.
But the day is changed for the Christian from the seventh day to the first, because Christ arose
on that day. However, as we have seen, God is interested not in the day itself, which is just a
shadow, but in the spiritual principle behind the shadow. The writer to the Hebrews explained
the spiritual reality (4:9-11): There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for
anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us,
therefore, make every effort to enter that rest.... Since creation God has sought to show
mankind that without faith in him, we could never be the men or women we desire to be or
achieve what we desire to achieve without him.”
13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
1. David Guzik, “a. The seventh day (Saturday) was commanded to be taken as a day of rest, for
all of Israel, servants and slaves as well as visitors.
i. This is an important principle that might be too easily passed over. God declares
here the essential humanity and dignity of women, slaves, and strangers, and says
they have the same right to a day of rest as the free Israeli man - a radical concept
in the ancient world!
ii. In fact, in Moses' exposition of the Law here in Deuteronomy, he pays special
stress on the fact that the Sabbath is for the foreign-born slaves among Israel.
Deuteronomy 5:15 (And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt) is not
cited in Exodus 20.
b. In their traditions, the Jews carefully sought to quantify what could and could not be
done on the Sabbath day.
i. Ancient Rabbis taught that on the Sabbath, a man could not carry something in
his right hand or in his left hand, across his chest or on his shoulder. But you could
carry something with the back of your hand, with your foot, with your elbow, or in
your ear, your hair, or in the hem of your shirt, or in your shoe or sandal. Or, on the
Sabbath, you were forbidden to tie a knot - except, a woman could tie a knot in her
girdle. So, if a bucket of water had to be raised from a well, you could not tie a rope

23. to the bucket, but a woman could tie her girdle to the bucket!
ii. In observant Jewish homes today, one cannot turn on a light, a stove, or a switch
on the Sabbath; one cannot drive a certain distance or make a telephone call - all
carefully regulated by traditions seeking to spell out the law exactly.
c. Are Christians required to keep the Sabbath today? The New Testament makes it
clear that Christians are not under obligation to observe a Sabbath day (Colossians
2:16-17; Galatians 4:9-11), because Jesus fulfills the purpose and plan of the Sabbath for
us and in us (Hebrews 4:9-11).
i. Galatians 4:10 tells us that Christians are not bound to observe days and months
and seasons and years; the rest we enter into as Christians is something to
experience every day, not just one day a week - the rest of knowing we don't have to
work to save ourselves, but that our salvation was accomplished in Jesus (Hebrews
4:9-10).
ii. The Sabbath commanded here and observed by Israel was a shadow of things to
come, but the substance is of Christ (Colossians 2:16-17). We have a rest in Jesus that
is ours to live in every day. Therefore, since the shadow of the Sabbath is fulfilled in
Jesus, we are free to keep any day - or no day - as a Sabbath after the custom of
ancient Israel.
iii. However, though we are free from the legal obligation of the Sabbath, we dare
not ignore the importance of a day of rest - God has built us so that we need one.
iv. What about Saturday as opposed to Sunday? Because we are free to regard all
days as given to God, it makes no difference. But in some ways, Sunday is more
appropriate, being the day Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16:9), and first met with
His disciples (John 20:19), and a day when Christians gathered for fellowship (Acts
20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2). Under Law, men worked towards God's rest; but after
Jesus' finished work on the cross, the believer enters into rest and goes from that
rest out to work.
v. But we are also commanded to work six days. He who idles his time away in the
six days is equally culpable in the sight of God as he who works on the seventh.
(Clarke) Couldn't more leisure time be given to the work of the Lord?
2. G. Campbell Morgan, “This commandment has been spoken of as referring only to the
Sabbath. This is a mistake, and the full weight of that part of it which refers to the seventh
day is only appreciated as it is remembered that one- half of it has to do with the six days.
Stripping the commandment for the moment of all explanatory and expository sentences, it will
be found to consist of two simple injunctions :
First, Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Second, Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy
work.
The will of God for man is that he should work. It is also that at the seventh day interval he
should cease his work, and worship. The work of the six days, being the carrying out of a Divine
purpose, is in itself practical worship of the highest description. The worship of the seventh day,

24. in which he turns to the places of contemplation, meditation, and adoration, is work in the
highest realm. Each is the complement of the other. He who never works is unfitted for worship.
He who never pauses to worship is rendered incapable of work. While the present study, for
reasons that will be obvious, deals almost exclusively with the obligation of the Sabbath, it is
absolutely necessary to start with a clear understanding that the final statement in the first
section of the Decalogue is that man fulfills the ideal relationship to God, contained in the
statement of the first three commandments, only as he is a worker and a worship” “Thus the two
commandments are one, so inter- related that they can never be separated. To fail in obedience to
the one is to make it impossible to obey the other. Obedience to each creates the power to obey the
other. Work makes worship, worship fits for work.”
14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your
God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor
your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant,
nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any
foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and
female servants may rest, as you do.
1. Gill, “Nor thine ox, nor thine ass,.... In Exo_20:10, it is only in general said: nor thy cattle: here
by way of illustration and explanation the ox and the ass are particularly mentioned; the one
being used in ploughing ground, and treading out the corn, and the other in carrying burdens;
and it is added: nor any of thy cattle; as their camels, or whatever else they were wont to use in
any kind of service; they were none of them to do any kind of work on the sabbath day. The
following clause also is not used before, which expresses the end of this institution: that thy
manservant and thy maidservant may have rest as well as thee; which if the cattle had not rest,
they could not have, being obliged to attend them at the plough or elsewhere; and this respects
not only hired, but bond servants and maidens.
2. H. R. Cole, “The fact that the Israelites were aliens in Egypt is not explicitly stated in this
verse, but it is implied, in the same way that the inclusion of the alien in the rationale of v. 14 is
implied. Accordingly, the issue of the alien's vulnerability is what is in view, not the question of
his inclusion in the Israelite covenant through circumcision, just as in Exod 23:9. A universal
dimension to the weekly Sabbath is implied by the presence of three commands in the Pentateuch
that specifically include the alien in the Sabbath rest (Exod 20:10; 23:12; and Deut 5:14).
Traditional rabbinic interpretation has resisted this implication by claiming that the rg or alien in
these verses is the ger saddiq, the circumcised righteous alien, rather than with the ger toshab,
the uncircumcised sojourning alien, who is a newcomer to Jewish territory, but not to the
Jewish religion. According to John Calvin, the uncircumcised alien is included, but simply to
prevent any stumbling-block to Israelite Sabbath keeping, not because of any benefit he himself
might gain. There seems to be no evidence as to the validity or otherwise of these arguments in
Exod 20:10. However, an exegesis of the place of the alien in Exod 23:12 and Deut 5:14

25. provides strong evidence that these texts do include the uncircumcised alien in their perspective,
and that his rest and refreshment is just as much apart of the purpose of the Sabbath as the rest
and refreshment of the Israelite householder.”
3. C. H. Mackintosh, “ In Exodus 20 the command to keep the Sabbath is grounded on creation.
In Deuteronomy 5 it is grounded on redemption without any allusion to creation, at all. In short,
the points of difference arise out of the distinct character of each book, and are perfectly plain to
every spiritual mind.
With regard to the institution of the Sabbath we must remember that it rests wholly upon the
direct authority of the word of God. Other commandments set forth plain moral duties. Every
man knows it to be morally wrong to kill or steal; but, as to the observance of the Sabbath, no
one could possibly recognise it as a duty had it not been distinctly appointed by divine authority.
Hence its immense importance and interest. Both in our chapter, and in Exodus 20, it stands side
by side with all those great moral duties which are universally recognised by the human
conscience.
And not only so; but we find, in various other scriptures, that the Sabbath is singled out and
presented, with special prominence, as a precious link between Jehovah and Israel; a seal of His
covenant with them; and a powerful test of their devotedness to Him. Every one could recognise
the moral wrong of theft and murder; only those who loved Jehovah and His word would love
and honour His Sabbath.”
15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the
LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty
hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your
God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
1. Clarke, “And remember that thou wast a servant - In this and the latter clause of the preceding
verse Moses adds another reason why one day in seven should be sanctified, viz., that the servants
might rest, and this is urged upon them on the consideration of their having been servants in the
land of Egypt. We see therefore that God had three grand ends in view by appointing a Sabbath.
1. To commemorate the creation.
2. To give a due proportion of rest to man and beast. When in Egypt they had no rest; their
cruel task-masters caused them to labor without intermission; now God had given rest, and
as he had showed them mercy, he teaches them to show mercy to their servants: Remember
that thou wast a servant.
3. To afford peculiar spiritual advantages to the soul, that it might be kept in remembrance of

26. the rest which remains at the right hand of God.
Therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day - Here is a variation in
the manner of expression, Sabbath day for seventh, owing, it is supposed, to a change of the day
at the exodus from Sunday to Saturday, effected upon the gathering of the manna, Exo_16:23.
The Sabbath now became a twofold memorial of the deliverance, as well as of the creation; and
this accounts for the new reason assigned for its observance: “Therefore the Lord thy God
commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” See Dr. A. Bayley’s Hebr. and Eng. Bible, and see the
note on Exo_16:23.
2. Gill, “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt,.... Even a bondservant; for
Egypt was an house of bondage, and there the Israelites were made to serve in hard bondage; of
which they are reminded, that their hearts might be touched with it, and inclined to show pity to
persons in somewhat similar circumstances; calling to mind how sweet a little rest would have
been unto them when in Egypt: and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence, through a
mighty hand and by a stretched out arm; signifying that their deliverance from their state of
bondage was not owing to themselves, nor to any creature, but to the mercy and kindness of God,
and to his almighty power; and therefore they were under the greatest obligations to observe any
command and institution of his he should think fit to make; and particularly this of the sabbath,
which was made on that account, as follows: wherefore the Lord thy God commandeth thee to
keep the sabbath day; in commemoration of their rest from Egyptian bondage.
3. Rich Cathers, “The idea of keeping a Sabbath day, taking a day of rest, is a good one to keep,
especially in our day where some of us can easily work seven days a week.
IllustrationWhen a gentleman was inspecting a house in Newcastle, with a view to renting it as a
residence, the landlord took him to the upper window, expatiated on the extensive prospect, and
added, You can see Durham Cathedral from this window on a Sunday. Why on a Sunday and
not any other day? inquired our friend, with some degree of surprise. The reply was conclusive
enough. Because on that day there is no smoke from those tall chimneys. Blessed is the
Sabbath to us when the earth-smoke of care and turmoil no longer clouds our view. Then our
souls often behold the goodly land, and the city of the New Jerusalem. -- Charles Haddon
Spurgeon, The Quotable Spurgeon, (Wheaton: Harold Shaw Publishers, Inc, 1990) But part of
the idea behind the Sabbath was remembering that God had delivered the nation out of a life of
slavery in Egypt, taking them to a place of rest. So take the rest!
16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD
your God has commanded you, so that you may live long
and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD
your God is giving you.

27. 1. Barnes, The blessing of general well-being here annexed to the keeping of the fifth
commandment, is no real addition to the promise, but only an amplification of its expression.
1B. It is true that a child grows mature and has to make personal decisions without following the
will of his parents, but a child never becomes so mature and independent that they cease to honor
their parents. Obedience ceases with maturity, but honor never does. Morgan writing of Jesus
said, “For Him, also, the years of obedience ended, but the years of honor never. In the last and
awful hours of His human life, amid the dense darkness of Calvary's unspeakable woe, He
thought still of her whom He had so loved ; thought, moreover, of her present necessity, and
commended her to the loving care of the man whomost deeply understood His love and the
methods of its manifestation. Thus in the Person and example of Jesus the fifth commandment
has its most glorious enforcement.”
2. Gill, “ Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee,.... And is
the first commandment with promise, as the apostle observes, Eph_6:2 with a promise of long life
and happiness in the land of Canaan, as follows: that thy days may be prolonged; see Exo_20:12
here it is added: and that it may go well with thee; and which the apostle also has in the place
referred to: in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee; the land of Canaan; which the same
apostle explains to a greater latitude: that thou mayest live long on the earth; applying it to
Christians under the Gospel dispensation, whether Jews or Gentiles.
3. Rich Cathers, “Paul calls this the first commandment with a promise (Eph. 6:1-3), the
promise of long life in the Promised Land. Are we to continue to honor our parents after we
become adults. Yes. But that doesn’t mean that we have to ask them for help on everything we do,
or that we have to necessarily do whatever they ask us to do. But we are to still give them honor
and respect.
4. Explore The Bible, “This is the first of six commandments that concern personal relationships
among men. These involve our duties to other men who have been created in the image of God.
The command stated here is Honor your father and your mother. Thus, we find in this
commandment the fact that out of respect for the dignity and worth of God our heavenly Father
and in view of the honor due His name, we are moved to submit ourselves to those whom He has
placed over us in a similar relationship (Michael Horton, The Law of Perfect Freedom. 136). In a
similar light John Calvin comments that the essence of this commandment is that we are to look
up to those whom the Lord has set over us, yielding them honor, gratitude, and obedience
(Institutes, Book Two, 344).
Here the term honor communicates the concepts of obedience, respect, gratitude, and love on
the part of the child for the parents. As implied above, most commentators and scholars have
concluded that this command is not limited to domestic relations only, but applies to all
authorities that have been placed in power by God. Thus, it would extend to servants, citizens of
a country, workers, and all others under authority
• Positive Application: This commandment teaches us that we are to respect the authority
structures that God has been pleased to place in power over us, and that by giving such
honor and respect we may bring glory to His name. In addition, this commandment
reveals the fundamental importance and necessity of order, love, and authority in the
family unit. As children are taught to respect and love their parents, they learn to respect,
love and obey the Lord God.
• Negative Application: This command forbids us from speaking or acting in ways that

28. reflect a lack of honor and respect for parents and others who occupy posts of authority.
By our failure to obey or give honor and respect we actually disobey and dishonor God.
One question that might be raised is that of our duty to obey parents or other authorities who
might lead or order us to act in ways which are in clear violation of God’s will and word. At this
point, the wisdom of John Calvin is especially helpful. He notes that our obedience is always to be
in the Lord. That is, in full submission to His ultimate authority and sovereignty. Therefore,
the submission yielded to them [earthly authorities] should be a step in our assent to the
Supreme Parent, and hence, if they instigate us to transgress the law, they deserve not to be
regarded as parents, but as strangers attempting to seduce us from our obedience to our true
Father. The same holds in the case of rulers, masters, and superiors of every description
(Institutes, Book Two. 346).
5. Ron Ritchie, “The Lord adds a most important promise (this is the only command with a
promise): ...so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your
God is giving you. The parents of this generation of Jews were responsible for teaching them the
Torah, the Sinai covenant, because within the terms of that covenant God was offering the choice
of life over death. He wanted them to enjoy life as he defined it: a loving relationship with him
and a heart that desired to please him. Moses is speaking about quality of life as well as length of
life on this earth. Children experience quality of life as they learn how to live within a solid family
structure. They learn to honor God and their parents as they watch their parents honor God.
They learn to trust God for all their needs as they watch their parents trust God. They also learn
to trust God for the power to love him; keep his commandments; love their family, extended
family, and neighbors; and take their place of responsibility within the family and the covenant
community. The love and commitment between God and the family is at the core of the covenant
community. With all that in place, God promises to pour out his blessings. If the children of the
covenant disregard this commandment, they invite an early death to befall them at the hands of
the elders (see Deuteronomy 21:18).
The precious Son Jesus confronted the Pharisees of his day because they had set this
commandment aside to observe their own traditions. He reminded them, For God said, 'Honor
your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But
you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have
received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify
the word of God for the sake of your tradition (Matthew 15:4-6).
The apostle Paul gave this same commandment to the Ephesian Christian community, made up
of both Jews and Gentiles (6:1-3): Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
'Honor your father and mother'---which is the first commandment with a promise---'that it may
go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. Paul transferred this promise
from a relationship with God in the land of Canaan to one within the body of Christ and within
Christian families. Children were to obey and honor their parents within the home. Once they left
home, they were no longer to obey their parents, but they were to honor them in word and deed
all the days of their lives, especially in their parents' old age.”
6. Morgan, “This commandment is most closely linked in thought and intention to those that
have preceded it, for here the parent is viewed as being in the place pf God. In the early days of
human life, while as yet the mind is unable to grasp the most elementary ideas of God, the
supreme facts concerning Him are to be impressed upon the child by a revelation of them in
its parents. In the procession of human life the child owes its being to its parents, and one of the