Ten Commandments: Exodus 20 vs Deuteronomy 5

The Ten Commandments appear twice in the Bible, once in Exodus 20 and again in Deuteronomy 5. Most readers meet one and assume the other is a copy. It nearly is, but not quite, and the small differences say something about how the commandments were taught.

The setting changes. Exodus tells the story as it happened at Sinai. Deuteronomy is Moses speaking forty years later, east of the Jordan, to a new generation about to enter the land. He opens by saying that the covenant was made “with us, even us, who are all of us here alive today” (Deuteronomy 5:3), so the commandments are retold as something to live by now, not only to remember.

The short answer: the two lists give the same ten commandments, and seven of the ten are identical or nearly so in English. The real differences are in the Sabbath commandment, the commandment about parents and the last commandment, and none of them changes what is commanded. Both versions are presented as the words God gave. For the whole chapter, see What Is Exodus 20? and for the commandments one by one, The Ten Commandments: What Each One Means.

Start with what matches. Set side by side in English, the opening line and the commandments about other gods, God’s name, murder, adultery, stealing and false witness are the same, apart from punctuation. The opening is word for word:

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Exodus 20:2

Deuteronomy 5:6 says exactly the same. Both begin with a rescue and only then give commands. Commandments 1 and 3 (no other gods, God’s name) also match, as do the four commandments from murder to false witness (Exodus 20:13–16; Deuteronomy 5:17–20).

Three smaller differences are worth noticing:

• The commandment about images is worded a little differently. Exodus says, “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above,” while Deuteronomy says, “You shall not make a carved image for yourself—any likeness of what is in heaven above.” Both forbid the same thing.
• The commandments are joined. In Hebrew, each commandment in Deuteronomy from adultery to coveting begins with “and,” which the King James Version renders as “Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal.” Exodus lists them as separate lines.
• One word changes in the witness commandment. The English reads the same, but the Hebrew word for “false” is sheker (a lie) in Exodus and shav (empty, worthless) in Deuteronomy, the same word used for “in vain” in the commandment about God’s name.

The three larger differences are in the Sabbath, parents and coveting.

The biggest difference is the fourth commandment. The first word changes. Exodus says “Remember the Sabbath day”; Deuteronomy says “Observe the Sabbath day.” Then the reason changes. Exodus grounds the Sabbath in creation:

for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.

Exodus 20:11

Deuteronomy grounds it in the exodus from Egypt:

You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Deuteronomy 5:15

The two reasons do not compete. One says rest belongs to the way the world was made; the other says rest is what free people have. Deuteronomy also names the ox and the donkey among those who rest, and gives the purpose in plain words: “that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you” (5:14). Moses is making sure the commandment protects those with the least power. He also adds “as the LORD your God commanded you” after “keep it holy,” reminding his listeners that these are God’s words, not his own.

Jewish tradition did not choose between “remember” and “observe.” The Talmud teaches that both words were spoken in a single utterance, something no human voice could do (Shevuot 20b), and the Friday evening hymn Lecha Dodi still sings, “Observe and remember, in a single utterance.” For the commandment itself, see Remember the Sabbath: What It Means Today.

The commandment about parents is nearly the same in both books, with two additions in Deuteronomy:

Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

Deuteronomy 5:16

Exodus 20:12 has neither “as the LORD your God commanded you” nor “that it may go well with you.” The second addition matters for Christians, because when Paul quotes this commandment to the Ephesians he uses the Deuteronomy wording: “that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:3). He calls it “the first commandment with a promise.” See What ‘Honor Your Father and Mother’ Means.

The last commandment differs in two ways. Exodus puts the house first and the wife second:

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

Exodus 20:17

Deuteronomy reverses the order and changes the verb. It begins, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,” and then says, “Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, his field…” (5:21). The Hebrew uses two different verbs there, and the field appears only in Deuteronomy.

This difference has a history. The Catholic list splits the last commandment in two and follows the Deuteronomy order: the ninth is the neighbor’s wife, the tenth the neighbor’s goods. Luther’s Small Catechism splits it the same way but follows Exodus: the ninth is the neighbor’s house, the tenth his wife and household. Most other churches keep it as one commandment, as in What Does ‘You Shall Not Covet’ Mean?. The three lists are set side by side in Catholic vs Protestant Ten Commandments.

Why does the Bible give the same commandments twice with different words? The text itself suggests one answer. Deuteronomy presents itself as Moses’ sermon: “Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, ‘Hear, Israel…’” (5:1). A preacher repeating a law to a new audience may add a reminder and a motive without changing the law. That is exactly what the Deuteronomy additions do: they remind, explain and appeal.

Many scholars add that the two versions probably circulated in somewhat different forms and that each book preserved its own. A copy of the Decalogue found in Egypt, the Nash Papyrus, mixes wording from both chapters, which suggests the text was handed on with some freedom. Others reply that Moses simply taught the same words in different ways, as every teacher does.

Neither view makes the commandments less trustworthy. Judaism holds both versions as one revelation, and Christians have always quoted whichever version suited the point, as Paul does in Ephesians. What the differences mainly show is that the ancient writers understood the ten as words to be taught, not a legal formula that had to be copied letter for letter. For who is said to have written them down, see Who Wrote the Ten Commandments?

Are Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 the same?

Almost. The ten commandments are the same, and in English most lines match. The differences are in the Sabbath commandment (“remember” and “observe,” with a different reason), the commandment about parents (two added phrases) and the last commandment (a different order and verb).

What is the difference in the Sabbath commandment?

Exodus says “Remember” and bases the Sabbath on creation (20:11). Deuteronomy says “Observe” and bases it on the rescue from Egypt (5:15). Deuteronomy also lists the ox and the donkey and says the servants should rest “as well as you.”

Why does Deuteronomy repeat the Ten Commandments?

Deuteronomy is Moses’ final address to Israel, forty years after Sinai, to a generation that had not heard the commandments in person. He retells them to teach and persuade, adding reminders such as “as the LORD your God commanded you.”

Which version do Catholics and Lutherans use for the last commandment?

The Catholic list follows Deuteronomy’s order: the ninth commandment is about the neighbor’s wife and the tenth about his goods. Luther’s Small Catechism follows Exodus: the ninth is the neighbor’s house and the tenth his wife and household.

Which version of the Ten Commandments should I quote?

Either one. Both are Scripture, and Jews and Christians have used both. Most lists in churches and schools follow Exodus 20, but Paul quotes the Deuteronomy wording of the fifth commandment in Ephesians 6:3.