Ten Commandments

plural noun

1. the precepts spoken by God to Israel, delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai; the Decalogue. Exodus 20:2–17; Deuteronomy 5:6–21. Though the numbering of these commandments may differ in some religions, that which has been followed in this dictionary is based on the King James Version of the Bible.

Ten Commandments

plural noun

1. the Ten Commandments
   Old Testament the commandments summarizing the basic obligations of man towards God and his fellow men, delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai engraved on two tables of stone (Exodus 20:1–17) Also known asthe Decalogue

Ten Commandments

1. The commandments engraved on stone tablets and given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai . These commandments are the heart of the divine law in the Old Testament . The usual enumeration is: (I) I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods before me. (II) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. (III) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. (IV) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (V) Honor thy father and thy mother. (VI) Thou shalt not kill. (VII) Thou shalt not commit adultery. (VIII) Thou shalt not steal. (IX) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. (X) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

Example Sentences

According the Bible's Ten Commandments, the Sabbath is a spiritual time for worship and rest from work and play.

From BBC

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a Louisiana law that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in school classrooms by Jan. 1.

From Salon

“I just remember I was like 28 and I realized they had shot a scene from ‘The Ten Commandments’ against a fake ocean over there,” Short says.

From Los Angeles Times

“That Librarian” is an interrogation of self and a community in a deep red state that in June passed a law requiring that the Ten Commandments be posted in every classroom.

From Los Angeles Times

The Christian right has had compelling spokespeople and fierce commitment to its causes, whether they were ending abortion rights, allowing prayer in schools or displaying the Ten Commandments outside of public buildings.

From Salon