Exodus Chapter 20 in Simple English

Read Exodus Chapter 20

1And God spoke all these words. He said:

2"I am the LORD your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

3"You shall have no other gods before me."

4"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth."

5"You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I the LORD your God am a jealous God. I punish the children for the sin of their fathers, to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,"

6"and I show mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments."

7"You shall not use the name of the LORD your God in vain. For the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who uses his name in vain."

8"Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy."

9"Six days you shall labour and do all your work."

10"But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work: not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor the stranger who is inside your gates."

11"For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them, and he rested on the seventh day. That is why the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy."

12"Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you."

13"You shall not kill."

14"You shall not commit adultery."

15"You shall not steal."

16"You shall not give false witness against your neighbour."

17"You shall not covet your neighbour's house. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour."

18And all the people saw the thunder and the lightning, and heard the noise of the trumpet, and saw the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they drew back and stood far off.

19They said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will listen. But do not let God speak with us, or we will die."

20And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of him may be before your faces, and you may not sin."

21So the people stood far off, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.

22And the LORD said to Moses, "This is what you shall say to the children of Israel: 'You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven."

23"'You shall not make gods of silver to be beside me, and you shall not make for yourselves gods of gold."

24"'You shall make me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I make my name remembered, I will come to you and I will bless you."

25"'And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stone. For if you lift up your tool on it, you have made it unclean."

26"'And you shall not go up to my altar by steps, so that your nakedness is not uncovered on it.'"

Explanation

Exodus 20

In short

God speaks ten foundational commandments directly to the people of Israel, telling them how to worship him alone and how to treat each other. The people are terrified by God's presence and ask Moses to speak to them instead, after which God gives Moses further instructions about worship.

Context

This happens after God has freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and brought them to Mount Sinai. The people are camped at the base of the mountain, and God is about to establish a covenant with them, a binding agreement that sets out their obligations. God himself speaks these words aloud to all the assembled people, not just to Moses.

What the text says

God begins by identifying himself: "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt" (verse 2). The first commandment (verse 3) is exclusive loyalty: no other gods. The second (verses 4-6) forbids making carved images or likenesses to worship, with a warning that God will punish those who hate him across generations, but show mercy to thousands who love him and keep his commands. The third (verse 7) forbids misusing God's name. The fourth (verses 8-11) commands rest on the seventh day, remembering that God made the world in six days and rested.

Verses 12-17 cover human relationships: honor parents, do not kill, commit adultery, steal, testify falsely, or covet a neighbor's possessions or household. When the people see the thunder, lightning, trumpet sound, and smoking mountain (verse 18), they are terrified and ask Moses to speak to them instead of God (verse 19). Moses reassures them that God is testing them (verse 20). God then tells Moses to instruct Israel not to make gods of silver or gold (verse 23), and to build altars of earth or uncut stone in places where God records his name (verses 24-26).

Takeaways

The commandments divide into two parts: duties toward God and duties toward other people.
The people's fear of God's direct presence marks a turning point where Moses becomes the mediator between them.
The instructions on altars emphasize that worship should be simple and unadorned.

Exodus 20 - Simple English