The Ten Commandments appear in Exodus and reappear in Deuteronomy. The version in Deuteronomy is substantially the same, but there are some differences.
The Ten Commandments were transmitted by God soon after the Israelites left Egypt. Deuteronomy has Moses’ recapitulation of the Journey forty years later as the Jews prepared to enter the Promised Land. Moses attempted to remind those present about the circumstances that led to where they were, and his words in Deuteronomy indicate some differences along with added laws and observances. The Ten Commandments had some changes in the 4th, 5th and 10th Commandments that you can see below. None of the substance was changed and most of the public representations of The Ten Commandments use the version in Exodus. Occasionally post-issuance editing of a document is appropriate; even with The Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments
| # | Exodus 20:2 – 20:17 | Deuteronomy 5:6 – 5:21 |
| 1 | “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me. |
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me. |
| 2 | “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. 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, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. | “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath of in the waters below. 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, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. |
| 3 | “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. | “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. |
| 4 | “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 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 animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days, the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. | “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 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. 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. |
| 5 | “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. | “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. |
| 6 | “You shall not murder. | “You shall not murder. |
| 7 | “You shall not commit adultery. | “You shall not commit adultery. |
| 8 | “You shall not steal. | “You shall not steal. |
| 9 | “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. | “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. |
| 10 | “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” | “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. |
Be aware that the different religions, while using the same words, have different divisions of the ten. I posted a blog indicating this on June 17, 2014. The wording used here is from the New International Version (NIV).
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