Exodus 20
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 1446 BC · Egypt & the Exodus · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
26 verses · 559 words · ~3 min read · ~4 min listen
The Ten Commandments
1And God spoke all these words:
2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Moses Comforts the People
18When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ramʼs horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19“Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”
20“Do not be afraid,” Moses replied. “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.” 21And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Idolatry Forbidden
22Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven. 23You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.
24You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
25Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it. 26And you must not go up to My altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’
Footnotes (8)
- a v3 Or besides Me
- b v6 Or to thousands
- c v12 Cited in Matthew 15:4,Matthew 19:19,Mark 7:10,Luke 18:20,and Ephesians 6:2–3
- d v13 Cited in Matthew 5:21,Matthew 19:18,Mark 10:19,Luke 18:20,Romans 13:9,and James 2:11
- e v14 Cited in Matthew 5:27,Matthew 19:18,Mark 10:19,Luke 18:20,Romans 13:9,and James 2:11
- f v15 Cited in Matthew 19:18,Mark 10:19,Luke 18:20,and Romans 13:9
- g v16 Cited in Matthew 19:18,Mark 10:19,and Luke 18:20
- h v17 Cited in Romans 7:7and Romans 13:9
Study notes on this chapter · 1
How to read the days of creation
Genesis 1 describes God creating in six days and resting on the seventh. Christians have read the days in several ways, and the question of how to relate the chapter to modern science is among the most discussed in biblical interpretation. The New Testament affirms creation through Christ and the created order, and Exodus ties the Sabbath to the six days.
When: Genesis; ancient readers such as Philo, Origen and Augustine already debated the nature of the days.
Ways people read this (5)
- Six ordinary days, with a young earth (young-earth creationism).
- Days as long periods, with an old earth (day-age, progressive creation).
- A literary framework: the days form a structure for teaching God's ordering of creation, without timing (framework view).
- An ancient cosmology: the chapter describes the cosmos as a temple, and its claims are functional, not material (cosmic temple or 'functional' readings).
- Augustine read creation as instantaneous, with the days an account for human understanding.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.