What is the correct list of the Ten Commandments?
The short answer
The commandments in Deuteronomy 5 and Exodus 20 seem to number more than ten, so their division isn't perfectly clear. The traditional Catholic numbering is correct; in it, the prohibition of idolatry is not dropped but included in the first commandment.
More than ten?
The commandments recorded in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 and Exodus 20:2-17 appear to add up to more than ten, so it is not perfectly clear how to number them.
The Catholic numbering
The traditional Catholic catechetical numbering is a consistent one. In it, the commandment against idolatry is not left out; it is treated as part of the first commandment.
Continue exploring
- Why only ten commandments?Q&A
- What does "Honor your father and your mother" mean if parents are abusive?Q&A
- What does the Catholic Church teach about abortion?Q&A
- What does the Church teach about euthanasia and assisted suicide?Q&A
- Am I required to have a large family?Q&A
- Are distinctions like these just legalism?Q&A