What book and verse contain the Ten Commandments?

Although the Ten Commandments can be seen being taught throughout both the Old and New Testaments, they are written down or codified in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

What are the Ten Commandments of the Bible?

The Ten Commandments are summarized as:

1. You shall have no other gods before God.
2. You shall not make or worship graven images.
3. You shall not take God’s name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness (lie).
10. You shall not covet.

When were the Ten Commandments written?

The Ten Commandments were written in stone by the very finger of God (Exodus 31:18) after the nation of Israel was freed from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:41). Most Bible scholars believe they were written between 1600 and 1300 B.C.

While this is when the Ten Commandments were written, it’s important to realize they existed before then. But if the people who lived before this time had not known the commandments of God, how could they understand what sin was and what behavior God expected of them? The apostle Paul reminds us we need the law in order to understand what sin is. In the book of Romans we read, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet'” (Romans 7:7).

For example, in Genesis 3, we read of the rebellion of Adam and Eve against God by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They broke the First Commandment by putting their own judgment ahead of God’s. In Genesis 4, we read that God warns Cain not to lose control of his temper and sin. When he does, he kills Abel and is immediately punished by God. These are just two examples of God’s law being in existence prior to their codification when Israel came out of Egypt.

What mountain were the Ten Commandments given on?

God gave the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:20-25; Exodus 31:18). Some also refer to this as Mt. Horeb, although Horeb may be a name for the general area and Mt. Sinai the name of a specific mountain in that area. Just before reviewing the Ten Commandments, in Deuteronomy 5:2, it states, “The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.”