Exodus 20

— before me.] Rather “besides Me.” As much as if He had said, Thou shalt love nothing as God, before Me; worship nothing as God, before Me. Serve nothing as God, before Me. Bp. Beveridge.

dren] It cannot consist with the justice of God, to punish one person for the sin of another; neither does God threaten any such thing. But God, who is the great Lord of the whole world, may so punish a man for his sins, that the temporal evil of it may reach, not to himself alone, but to his posterity also. As in the case of high treason, the father, by forfeiting his honour and estate, brings the ill consequence of his crime upon his family, as well as upon himself; and the prince, by enacting the penalty of the law, may justly be said to visit the children, for the offence which the father committed. The meaning of this part of the commandment is this: God had, in general, promised to the Jews temporal blessings, to encourage their obedience; and had denounced present evils against them, to keep them from sinning. But to set a particular mark of His indignation on the sin of idolatry, He thought fit to declare, that if they offended in this matter, He would not only severely punish them Himself, but would deliver them up into the hands of their enemies, who should oppress both them and their children after them; whereas if they continued firm to His worship, though otherwise they should be guilty of many lesser crimes, yet He would not cast them off from His favour, but on the contrary would bless both them and their posterity with plenty and prosperity all their days. This I take to have been the literal meaning of the present denunciation; and how exactly it was made good to them, their history sufficiently declares to us, 1 Kings xi. 31 —35; xiv. 22, 23, 25; xv. 29, 30; 2 Kings xxii. 17; xxiv. 3. Compare xxi. 3; Lam. v. 7. Abp. Wake.

— the Lord will not hold him guiltless &c.] But will certainly punish him, unless prevented by sincere repentance. Dr. Wells. God declares, that He will severely punish such sinners, as take His name in vain, and will not suffer His name to be profaned by them, without bringing upon them some exemplary vengeance for their presumption. If it be asked, How then comes it to pass, that such persons do often escape without any such exemplary mark of God’s vengeance? we answer, We are not to call God to account for His actions. It is enough that He has assured us, that “He will not hold such persons guiltless;” and that therefore every such sinner must either repent, in a very singular manner, of his offence in taking God’s name in vain; or be shall assuredly be punished with an extraordinary severity for it, either in this life or in the other. Abp. Wake.

— that thy days &c.] That God may give thee a long and happy life in this thy promised land upon earth; and an eternal life, figured by the other, in that true land of rest which is above. Bp. Hall. Were but all the duties enjoined by this Commandment conscientiously observed by all the world, how happy a place would it be! And whoever will faithfully do their own part of them, they shall be happy, whether others will do their part or not: and this Commandment assures them of it; “that thy days may be long upon the land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” In all probability, if we obey His laws, and that now before us in particular, both longer and more prosperous will our days prove in this land of our pilgrimage, in which God has placed us to sojourn: but, without all question, eternal and infinite shall our felicity be in that land of promise, the heavenly Canaan; which He hath appointed for our inheritance. Abp. Secker.

— Hill.] Killing in some cases is not murder; nor forbidden by God: such as the execution of justice, after a lawful manner, for a suitable offence, and by a lawful magistrate; the killing of an enemy in a just war; the killing of another for the necessary defence of a man’s own life: to which under the Law were added some other cases, with which we are not concerned now under the Gospel. Abp. Wake.

Exodus 20:4

4. Thou shalt not make unto thee &c.] In this second Commandment, which concerns the worship of God, are forbidden these sins: 1. The appointing of any kind of image for religious worship, Lev. xxvi. 1. 2. The worshipping of such an image or any other creature, Rev. xxii. 8, 9. 3. The neglect of the worship of the true God, Rom. i. 25. 4. The worshipping of Him after a false manner, Matt. xv. 8, 9. Because the Lord is a jealous God, Is. xlii. 8; and a severe punisher of idolaters, Deut. viii. 19. In the same Commandment are enjoined these duties: 1. That God only be religiously worshipped, Matt. iv. 10. 2. That He be worshipped, both in body and spirit, Ps. xcv. 6; John iv. 23. And to such worshippers, who thus love and obey the Lord, He hath promised His especial mercy, John ix. 31. Oxford Catechism. — graven image, or any likeness] The Hebrew word, translated “graven image,” properly signifies a statue made of wood or stone; that translated “likeness,” means a picture drawn on a wall or flat surface. Bp. Patrick. This commandment seems to have been framed with a view to the worship of Egypt. To any people, who had not been conversant in that country, it had been sufficient to say, “Thou shalt make no graven image, nor frame any similitude of things.” But the commandment is dilated, and the nature of the objects pointed out, for the sake of the Israelites. They were not to make to themselves an “image or likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;” nor were they to “bow down to, or worship them,” either real or represented. By this is intimated, that they were not to make a likeness of the sun, or of the moon; of man, or of beast; of fly, or creeping thing; of fish, or of crocodile, “which are in the waters beneath.” How prone the Israelites were to this symbolical worship, and how necessary it was to give them warning, may be seen by the threat, and by the blessings which immediately follow. Beyond. See the note on Deut. iv. 18.

Exodus 20:5

5. — a jealous God.] Jealous of the honour due to Him alone, not bearing any rival or partner in what belongs to Him alone. Dr. Wells. I am a jealous God: I am so affected to you My people, as a loving husband to his wife, whom he cannot endure to set her affections on another. Bp. Hall. Not jealous for Himself, lest He should suffer for the follies of His creatures; that cannot be: but jealous for “His spouse, the church;” lest our notions of His nature and attributes, and consequently of the duties which we owe to Him, being depraved, and our minds darkened with superstitious persuasions and fears and hopes, we should depart from visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; Before CHRIST 1401.

Exodus 20:6

6. — unto thousands] That is, to the thousandth generation, as the passage is judiciously rendered by the Syriack version and Chaldee paraphrase; supported by the parallel passages, Deut. vii. 9; 1 Chron. xvi. 15. Dr. Hales. See note on Deut. vii. 9. — love me, and keep my commandments.] The keeping of God’s commandments is the best argument that we love Him. Bp. Kidder.

Exodus 20:7

7. Thou shalt not take the name &c.] In this third Commandment, which concerns the name of God, are forbidden these sins: 1. Irreverent thoughts of God, Joh i. 5. 2. Blasphemy, or dishonourable mention of His name, Rev. xiii. 6. 3. False swearing in avouching an untruth, Zech. viii. 17. 4. Perjury, or breaking a lawful oath, Matt. v. 33. 5. Causing the name of God, and our holy profession, to be blasphemed by others, Rom. ii. 24. And such sins God Himself hath especially threatened to punish, 2 Sam. xii. 14. In the same Commandment are enjoined these duties: 1. To think and speak reverently of the names and attributes of God, Ps. ciii. 1, 2. 2. To glorify Him in His holy word and ordinances, that bear His name, Acts xiii. 48. 3. To use His name with reverence in taking religious oaths, Deut. vi. 13. 4. To observe such oaths with re- The ten commandments. The ten commandments. Before CHRIST 1491. of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Exodus 20:8

8. Remember the sabbath day.] See the note on chap. xvi. 23. In this Commandment, which concerns the sabbath of the Lord, is enjoined an especial attendance upon God’s services on that day, such as, 1. Prayer, Acts xvi. 13. 2. Dispensing and receiving His word, Acts xiii. 44. 3. Partaking in His sacrament, Acts xx. 7. 4. Relieving of His saints, 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2. And, 5. Meditating upon His works of creation and redemption, Ps. xcii. 1, 2; Deut. v. 15. In the same Commandment are forbidden our worldly undertakings and employments on this holy day, Is. iviii. 13; Neh. xiii. 15; excepting such as concern works of piety, charity, and necessity, Matt. xii. 5; Luke vi. 9; xiv. 5. Oxford Catechism. — the sabbath day.] The day of rest. The word “sabbath” means rest.

Exodus 20:10

10. — thy stranger] Foreigners, who, by being circumcised, had embraced the Jewish religion. Bp. Patrick.

Exodus 20:11

11. For in six days &c.] This Commandment is as obligatory upon us, as it ever was upon the Jews, though not exactly after the same manner. We worship, as they did, the God, who “in six days created the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day;” and in acknowledgment thereof, we stand obliged with them, to keep a seventh day of rest, after six of labour. But then, as they worshipped this God under the peculiar character of “the God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage,” so were they directed to take that particular day, the seventh of the week, for their sabbath, upon which He completed their deliverance; and strictly to abstain from all bodily labour upon it. Now in this respect we differ from them. We worship God, the Creator of the world, under a much higher and more Divine character; as He is our Father and Deliverer by Jesus Christ our Lord: who, on the first day of the week, rose from the dead, and thereby put an end to the Jewish dispensation. And in testimony of this, we keep the first day of the week for our sabbath, according to the practice of the Apostles; and so profess ourselves to be the servants of the true God, through the covenant, which He has been pleased to make with mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. Abp. Wake.

Exodus 20:12

12. Honour thy father and thy mother:] In this Commandment, which is the commandments of relations, are enjoined the mutual duties of inferiours and superiours. From children to parents is required honour, which implies, 1. Fear, Lev. xix. 3. 2. Reverence, Gen. xxxi.

13. 3. Obedience, Eph. vi. 1, 2. And, 4. Maintenance, 1 Tim. v. 4. And the contrary vices are for-

bidden, Lev. xx. 9. This Commandment concerns not only natural Parents, but extends also to Magistrates in the state, Rom. xiii. 1, &c. Ministers in the church, Heb. xiii. 17, and Masters in families, 2 Kings v. 13; Eph. vi. 5, 6; who are also called fathers. The reciprocal duties of superiours to inferiours are likewise required in this Commandment; namely, of natural Parents, Eph. vi. 4; Magistrates, Ps. lxxviii. 70, 71; Ministers, 1 Pet. v. 2; and Masters, Col. iv. 1. And the contrary vices are forbidden. And here are also enjoined the mutual duties of husbands and wives,

Exodus 20:13

13. Thou shalt not kill.] In this sixth Commandment, which concerns man’s life, are forbidden these sins: 1. Hatred, 1 John iii. 15. 2. Causeless and revengeful anger, Matt. v. 21, 22. 3. Grievous reproaches, Ps. lxiv. 3. 4. Occasion of bloodshed, Deut. xxii. 8. 5. Contrivance of man’s death, 2 Sam. xii. 9. 6. Actual and wilful murder, Exod. xxi. 14. In the same Commandment is enjoined the preservation of man’s life: 1. By a seasonable and moderate use of God’s creatures ordained for that end, Eccles. x. 17;

Exodus 20:14

14. Thou shalt not commit adultery.] In this seventh Commandment, which concerns man’s chastity, are forbidden adulterous or lascivious thoughts, Matt. v. 27, 28; looks, 2 Pet. ii. 14; attire, Prov. vii. 10; words, Eph. iv. 29; v. 3; and acts of adultery and fornication, Gal. v. 19; as also unlawful marriages, Luke xvi. 18. Besides these sins more directly against this Commandment, are herein also forbidden such sins as give occasion to these: idleness; excess in eating and drinking; and the like. In the same Commandment are enjoined chastity and modesty in thoughts, 1 Thess. iv. 4, 5; behaviour, 1 Pet. iii. 2; and apparel, 1 Tim. ii. 9; as also sobriety and vigilance, 1 Pet. v. 8. Oxford Catechism. The sin of adultery under the law was punished with death, Lev. xx. 10; Deut. xxii. 22; and that not only upon a civil account, as being most injurious to society; but also typically, to denote what such persons are to expect from God in the other world, even death eternal. Abp. Wake.

15. — thou shalt take him from mine altar.] That is, the most sacred and inviolable place of refuge, which shall not protect a wilful murderer, 1 Kings ii. 28. Bp. Patrick.

Exodus 20:15

15. Thou shalt not steal.] In this eighth Commandment, which concerns man’s goods, are forbidden these sins: 1. Covetous desires, Ps. cxxix. 36. 2. Bribery, Is. i. 23. 3. Withholding other men’s dues, James v. 4. 4. Defrauding, or deceitful stealth, 1 Thess. iv. 6. 5. Oppression, or violent robbery, Luke iii. 14. 6. Sacrilege, or robbing of God, Mal. iii. 8. In the same Commandment are enjoined these duties: 1. To give to all their dues, Rom. xiii. 7. 2. To live in a lawful calling, Eph. iv. 28. 3. To be diligent in that calling, 2 Thess. iii. 11, 12. 4. To restore that which hath been stolen, Ezek. xxxiii. 15. 5. To give charitably to the poor, Prov. iii. 27, 28. 6. To avoid the company of the breakers of this law, Prov. xxix. 24. Oxford Catechism.

Exodus 20:16

16. Thou shalt not bear false witness &c.] The ninth Commandment is connected with every one of the four which precede it. For neither the duties of superiours and inferiours, nor those among equals, could be tolerably practised; neither the lives of men, nor their happiness in the nearest relation of life, nor their possessions and properties could ever be secure; if they were left exposed to those injuries of a licentious tongue

which are here prohibited. This Commandment therefore was intended, partly to strengthen the foregoing ones; and partly also, to make provision for every person’s just character on its own account, as well as for the sake of consequences. Abp. Secker.

In this Commandment, which concerns man’s good name, are forbidden these sins: 1. Lies, Eph. iv. 25. 2. Groundless jealousies, 1 Sam. xxii. 13. 3. The raising, taking up, or divulging of false or malicious reports, Exod. xxiii. 1; Ps. xv. 3; Prov. x. 12; Lev. xix. 16. 4. The suborning or encouraging of false witnesses, 1 Kings xxi. 9, 10. In the same Commandment are enjoined these duties, which maintain veracity and charity, Eph. iv. 15. 1. To love and speak the truth, Zech. viii. 19; Eph. iv. 25. 2. To preserve our own reputation, Phil. iv. 8. 3. Seasonably to vindicate ourselves, and our innocent neighbours, Acts xxv. 8; Luke xxiii. 41; 1 Sam. xix. 4, 5. 4. To cover the infirmities of others, Prov. xvii. 9. Oxford Catechism.

16. — he that stealeth a man, &c.] As liberty is equally valuable with life, the Jewish law with the strictest equity ordained, that if any man were convicted

of attempting to reduce any fellow citizen to slavery, he should be punished with death. Dr. Graves.

Exodus 20:17

17. Thou shalt not covet &c.] In this tenth Commandment, which especially concerns man’s desires, are forbidden: 1. In general, sinful lusts, and the first motion of general corruption, Col. iii. 5, 6; Gal. v. 17; Jam. i. 14. 2. In particular, the coveting of our neighbour’s house, wife, servants, and other goods belonging to him, Mic. ii. 2; Jer. v. 7, 8; Acts xx. 33. In the same Commandment are enjoined these duties: 1. To regulate our affections, 1 Cor. ix. 25. 2. To restrain sinful desires, Th. ii. 12. 3. To be content with our present estate, Heb. xiii. 5. Oxford Catechism.

This last Commandment is very important; and is indeed the guard and security of all the preceding ones. For our actions will never be right habitually, till our desires are so. Or, if they could, our Maker demands the whole man, as He surely well may; nor, till that is devoted to Him, are we “meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” Abp. Secker.

This Commandment stamps the seal of divinity upon the Mossical code, of which the Decalogue is the summary. No such restriction is to be found in the Ordinances of Lycurgus, or Solon, the Twelve Tables, or the institutes of Justinian: because the thoughts and desires of the heart are not cognizable by human tribunals. This was a case reserved for Him alone, who both can and will “bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or evil,” Eccles. xii. 14; because He is a discoverer “of the thoughts and intents of the heart,” 1 Sam. xvi. 7; Heb. iv. 12. The Law therefore “was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ;” who in His Gospel has so finely commented on the tenth Commandment in particular, Matt. v. 28, 30: and who inculcates obedience to all His laws from an inward principle: requiring us to “shew the work of the law written in our hearts,” Rom. ii. 15. Dr. Hales.

Exodus 20:20

20. — God is come to prove you.] God intends, by this dreadful appearance, to discover unto yourselves

How the altar should be made. Before CHRIST 1491.

Exodus 20:21

21. — for he is his money.] He bought him with his money; therefore not striking him for the purpose of killing him, he shall not be punished, since he is already punished in his loss. Bps. Hall and Patrick.

Exodus 20:24

24. An altar of earth.] For the better observation of the foregoing command, He orders that the altars built to Him may be as simple as possible: and forbids their being constructed of “hewn stone,” for fear of the tools being also employed in making any figure or image. Bp. Patrick. — in all places where I record my name &c.] That is, wheresoever is that place, which I have appointed, or shall appoint, to be the remembrance or memorial of My name and presence, “there will I come unto thee and bless thee.” It is here promised, that God will come unto men, and bless them, generally in every place dedicated to His worship and service: but more especially in those tokens or symbols, by which He testifies His covenant and commerce with men, and which are the memorials or monuments of His name. Such were the sacrifices and the altar, under the Jewish dispensation, often called the “Memorial,” Lev. ii. v. vi. xxiv, inasmuch as they were rites of remembrance, whereby the name of God was commemorated or recorded, and His covenant with men renewed and testified. Such under the Christian dispensation, is the holy communion of Christ’s body and blood, ordained by Him to be the “memorial” of His name in the New Testament. See Luke xxii. 19. It is true, we are not now confined to one place alone, as those under the law were; and God heareth the faithful prayers of His servants, wheresoever they are made to Him, as also He did then: yet in the place, where is His memorial, there in a special manner does He vouchsafe His presence to the sons of men, and visit them with His blessing. Jos. Mede.

25. Eye for eye, &c.] Not in kind, but by a fine, proportioned to the damage received. The offender might in these cases, though not in murder, make a pecuniary satisfaction. Bp. Kidder. This mode of expression intimated that the punishment ought to be in proportion to the crime. This retaliation was never executed under the Mosaick law. The Jews misunderstood the law, which was only a direction to the magis-

Exodus 20:25

25. And if thou wilt make me an altar &c.] As much as to say, “Whilst you travel in the desert, I will not have a lasting altar, made either of marble or metal, that you may not, after the manner of the heathens, believe me to be the God of a particular place, or that I am confined to any province.” In this and the following verses God orders the matter and form of the altar in opposition to the laws, rules, and customs of the heathens. Locke.

Exodus 20:26

26. Neither shalt thou go up by steps &c.] It was suitable to the state of travellers, to have their altars low. Besides, He would not have them imitate the Gentiles, who sacrificed in “high places,” imagining their sacrifices were most acceptable, when nearest heaven. A further reason is assigned at the end of the verse, namely, to prevent unseemliness; and that the priests might not be exposed to ridicule and contempt, by means of the light and loose garments, which were worn in those countries. Bp. Patrick, Pyle. God requires the greatest modesty in His worshippers; whereas my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.