The Ten Commandments For Kids
The Ten Commandments are laws that are written in the old testament of the Holy Bible and in Jewish scriptures. In the Jewish community, the ten commandments are known as ‘The Ten Sayings.’
The ten commandments can be seen written in Hebrew on wall plaques in Jewish synagogues. They do this in memory that Moses received the ten commandments on two stone tablets, on the Mount Sinai.
A wall plaque in a synagogue showing the Ten Commandments in Hebrew
The 10 Sayings are the Foundation of Jewish law and is used as a method to how Jewish people should live. Today many countries around the world still abide by these laws also.
The ten commandments have brought us harmony within our communities for centuries. Teaching our children about the ten commandments is very beneficial indeed as it teaches great principles. If would like to teach your children more bible values then I recommend downloading the free children’s bible app. There are many fun interactive bible stories you children would love.
The Ten Commandments list
1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall make no idols.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Keep the Sabbath day holy.
5. Honour your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
10. You shall not covet.
Moses and the 10 Commandments
Ten commandments according to the King James Bible.
(Exodus 20:1-17)
“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
God is clearly saying that he is the one true God and no other should come before him.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
God doesn’t want us to give idolatry worship to anything else but him.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Remember God’s name is powerful and should not be taken as mockery.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
Many Jews still honour the Sabbath day which is Saturday as God rested on this day when he made the earth. God instructs us to also rest on this day.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
God is saying that we must honour our mother and father. Doing so we will truly be blessed with many days upon the earth.
6. Thou shalt not kill. We are all god’s children so when people kill we forget to realise that they are killing God’s children.
God protects us by commanding us not to kill one another.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
God is saying that we must honour and respect marriage. We must honour and respect our spouse.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
Imagine a world where you are free to take and steal whatever you want. What type of world will we be living in? Perhaps maybe a more scary one with more than normal extreme violence on a day-to-day basis.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
God is commanding us not to lie. When we lie we cover up our truth, therefore, we do not face our truth and we get blinded from the truth because we ignore the truth. For Example, if we were to lie about our actions we may be lying about our wrongdoings so we can sometimes be blinded from actually correcting those wrongdoings that can prevent us from growing spiritually.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.”
God is saying not to be envious of your neighbour’s goods. do not be envious of their house or their husband or their wife or anything in the ownership of your neighbour.
Teaching the ten commandments gives great holy values and principles to our children. What laws do you struggle within the ten commandments. most people that I speak to struggle with at least one. Lying, envy and not honouring the Sabbath comes up as the top three. I challenge you to try living by the ten commandments for a month and see how you get on as it can only make us better human beings on the earth.
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We have designed a beautiful poster listing 10 rules inspired by the ten commandments. This could be a great way to teach your children God’s laws and the ten commandments.
