20:1–3. Because God identifies himself as the Israelites’ redeemer (20:2), the first commandment prohibits other gods; all of the people’s lives are to be shaped by singular loyalty to God. They have been living for centuries in Egypt, surrounded by elements of nature that are deified. They will be moving into Canaan, where the same practices are evident. Contemporary secular culture offers a plethora of choices (“other gods,” 20:3) where no allegiance is required, and in fact any wholehearted allegiance is viewed as suspect. God’s people are called to be radically bound by love for God.
20:4–6. The second commandment, against making images, bowing down to them, or serving them (20:4–5a), could refer both to images of Yahweh and to those of rival deities. Because the latter possibility was already addressed with the first commandment, this one primarily forbids any attempt to make a visible representation of God himself that would domesticate and trivialize his awesome majesty. Nevertheless the prohibition also applies to any of the elements of nature that so easily become objects of worship, especially those closely associated with the presence of God. The restriction is comprehensive, from the heavenly bodies to creatures in the sea. The people are easily tempted to attribute power to these various objects; an idol is the means of capturing that power and using it. It reduces God to something that could be managed for the self-satisfaction of the one who fashions the idol.
20:7. According to the third commandment, uttering God’s name in the service of any objective outside God’s purposes is a serious affront to his glory and majesty. The ambiguity of the Hebrew expression for “misuse” allows a wide application, from swearing falsely in lawsuits to frivolous use of God’s mighty name, but may suggest taking an oath in a legal context. For Israelites, one who deliberately blasphemes the name of God with a curse is put to death (Lv 24:10–16). By the first century, Jews were careful to substitute other terms for God’s name so as to avoid breaking this commandment. Matthew usually uses the term “kingdom of heaven” rather than “kingdom of God.” In its wider application infractions of this commandment occur with sad frequency within the believing community, which too often lightly and frivolously jokes about God.
20:8–11. The Israelites were already taught the Sabbath procedures when they received the manna (Ex 16). In 20:8, the fourth commandment says to “remember” the Sabbath. The objective of setting the Sabbath apart is “to keep it holy.” Remembering establishes continuity with their past tradition; keeping implies protecting and guarding it for the future. God himself rested after creation (20:11), building into the very fabric of his created order the necessity of rest. As God set the day apart and blessed it, Israel is to remember and do the same. There is nothing in all the ancient Near East that corresponds to this gift from God to his people. The Sabbath is determined not by the movement of celestial bodies but by a simple seven-day cycle.
20:12. The fifth commandment is in a pivotal position between the first group, which addresses humankind’s relationship with God, and the second, which attends to interactions on the human level. Parents bring new life into the world, and they are to be accorded corresponding honor. This is a comment on the value of life and the order established by God, whom parents represent to their children. While this is a call to children to esteem their parents, it is likewise a call to parents to be worthy of the honor. Observing that this is the first commandment with a promise, Paul indicates that it should be from parents that children learn how to love and serve God (Eph 6:2–4). Clearly, human parents often fail in this enterprise, some more drastically than others. Part of the honor accorded them is, in those cases, forgiveness and exerting every effort to live at peace (cf. Heb 12:14). Maligning parents who have been a severe detriment to one’s life only leads to bitterness. The punishment for cursing parents is death (Ex 21:17); rebellion and disobedience receive a like punishment (Dt 21:18–21). The Hebrew word translated “honor” literally means “to be heavy” or “to give weight to” and may be directed to those children who are already adults and responsible for providing for their parents. This aspect of the commandment seems to underlie Jesus’s rebuke of the Pharisees in Mk 7:9–13. Finally, the promise regarding the land may refer to the fact that poor family relationships will mean forfeiting the family property.
20:13. From this point the commandments are tersely articulated, allowing for considerable re-presentation in specific sociohistorical contexts. The sixth commandment prohibits murder and refers only to illegal killing. The Hebrew term for “murder” refers to intentional and deliberate taking of human life; most examples of where the term is used address improper homicide that clearly is damaging to the community. In Hebrew, two entirely different words are translated “to kill” and “to put to death.” The primary concerns here are not the death penalty or warfare. Murder is the most drastic antihuman action, violating the image of God. Satan was a murderer, knowing that introducing sin meant introducing death. Subsequent stipulations in the torah deal with such issues as manslaughter, going to war, and capital punishment. The punishment for murder is the death penalty (21:12).
20:14. With the seventh commandment, God forbids adultery. Violation of the marriage covenant leads only to disaster, graphically illustrated on the human level in Pr 5:1–23; 6:20–29; 7:1–27. The gift of sexuality is both rapturous and potentially destructive to individuals and whole communities, as it evokes desires that can overwhelm reason. Thus sexuality must be disciplined in a context of fidelity so that family stability and honor are maintained. Marriage symbolizes the intimate covenant love between God and his people; broken marriages represent the spiritual adultery of the people of Israel (Hs 1:1–2:23; Mal 2:13–16). All manner of unacceptable sexual practices are rampant in the land that the Israelites are going to possess, and God warns them soberly against these perversions, stating unequivocally that such perversions defile the land (Lv 18). As with all of the commandments up to this point, adultery is punishable by death (Lv 20:10). So also are other sexual aberrations (Lv 20:11–16). Jesus makes very strong comments about adultery and divorce, calling his audiences back to the principle of two becoming “one flesh” (Mk 10:2–12; Mt 19:3–12; cf. Gn 2:24).
20:15. The eighth commandment prohibits stealing. Underlying this commandment is the intrinsic value and freedom of persons and property. While God is the ultimate possessor of all creation, he has given stewardship and ownership of specific aspects of the creation to human beings, and that ownership is not to be violated. Subsequent chapters of Exodus address details regarding judicial procedures for the variety of possible infractions. The penalty for property theft is restitution (22:1–4), but if a person is stolen (kidnapped), the penalty is death (21:16).
20:16. The ninth commandment forbids false testimony and has specific application to witnesses in court. The penalty for false witnesses is severe (Dt 19:16–21). The rest of Scripture presents lying in general as a heinous offense. The book of Proverbs repeatedly warns of the damage that false speech does, declaring that a lying tongue and a false witness who pours out lies are detestable to the Lord (Pr 6:16–19). Jesus strikes at the root of the problem, calling the devil the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning (Jn 8:44). The end of liars, along with such offenders as murderers, the sexually immoral, and idolaters, will be the lake of fire (Rv 21:8). Distortions of the truth lead to ruined reputations, lack of trust, irreconcilable pain, and loss of life. Sadly, multiple biblical as well as contemporary illustrations demonstrate these consequences, both on the level of individuals and in terms of systemic and ideological shaping of truth.
20:17. Finally, the tenth commandment, against coveting, completes the circle created by this comprehensive statement of ethics. Coveting means an insatiable craving to serve oneself at any cost, a clear violation of the first two commandments. It is the heart attitude that surfaces in acts of murder, adultery, theft, and false witness. When Jesus challenges the self-righteous rich young ruler to give up all his possessions and follow Jesus, the ruler acknowledges that his heart is too attached to his wealth (Mt 19:16–22).
20:18–21. Having seen and heard the manifestation of God’s presence, the people are afraid and ask Moses to mediate (20:18–19). Moses attests to the protective value of fear, as it will keep them from sin (20:20). While the people remain at a distance, Moses approaches the thick darkness (20:21). Evidence of God’s overpoweringly dreadful presence and continuing mystery, the thick cloud shrouds his manifestation, so often portrayed as blazing fire. From this point forward, all of God’s revelation will be mediated through Moses, the continuing prophetic office, and finally the incarnate Word.
20:22–26. God’s initial words to Moses repeat the warning against idolatry (20:23) and give preliminary directives about constructing earthen and stone altars (20:24–25). This passage may affirm the use of sacrificial altars besides the central one at the tabernacle, and later the temple. That such did exist is clear both from the biblical text (1 Kg 18:30) and from archaeological finds, notably the horned altar at Beer-sheba. The warning against revealing nakedness in 20:26 may allude to the connection in the surrounding Canaanite culture between worship and sexuality.