'Commandments' in the Bible

Moses was there with the Lord 40 days and 40 nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. He wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on the tablets.

He declared His covenant to you. He commanded you to follow the Ten Commandments, which He wrote on two stone tablets.

Then on the day of the assembly, the Lord wrote on the tablets what had been written previously, the Ten Commandments that He had spoken to you on the mountain from the fire. The Lord gave them to me,

and keep your obligation to the Lord your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees. This is written in the law of Moses, so that you will have success in everything you do and wherever you turn,

If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”

“As for this temple you are building—if you walk in My statutes, observe My ordinances, and keep all My commands by walking in them, I will fulfill My promise to you, which I made to your father David.

“‘However, I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand but will let him be ruler all the days of his life because of My servant David, whom I chose and who kept My commands and My statutes.

“‘After that, if you obey all I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and My commands as My servant David did, I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give you Israel.

tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commands and followed Me with all of his heart, doing only what is right in My eyes.

He replied, “I have not destroyed Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed the Baals.

Still, the Lord warned Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commands and statutes according to all the law I commanded your ancestors and sent to you through My servants the prophets.”

They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God. They made cast images for themselves, two calves, and an Asherah pole. They worshiped the whole heavenly host and served Baal.

Even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced.

They are still practicing the former customs to this day. None of them fear the Lord or observe their statutes and ordinances, the law and commandments the Lord commanded the descendants of Jacob. He had renamed him Israel.

He remained faithful to Yahweh and did not turn from following Him but kept the commands the Lord had commanded Moses.

Next, the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant in the presence of the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep His commands, His decrees, and His statutes with all his mind and with all his heart, and to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book; all the people agreed to the covenant.

I will establish his kingdom forever if he perseveres in keeping My commands and My ordinances as he is today.’

“So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and follow all the commands of the Lord your God so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

Give my son Solomon a whole heart to keep and to carry out all Your commands, Your decrees, and Your statutes, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.

Then the king stood at his post and made a covenant in the Lord’s presence to follow the Lord and to keep His commands, His decrees, and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul in order to carry out the words of the covenant written in this book.

This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in matters of the Lord’s commands and statutes for Israel:

Now, our God, what can we say in light of this? For we have abandoned the commands

should we break Your commands again and intermarry with the peoples who commit these detestable practices? Wouldn’t You become so angry with us that You would destroy us, leaving no survivors?

You came down on Mount Sinai,and spoke to them from heaven.You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions,and good statutes and commands.

You revealed Your holy Sabbath to them,and gave them commands, statutes, and instructionthrough Your servant Moses.

You warned them to turn back to Your law,but they acted arrogantlyand would not obey Your commands.They sinned against Your ordinances,which a person will live by if he does them.They stubbornly resisted,stiffened their necks, and would not obey.

Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestorsdid not obey Your lawor listen to Your commandsand warnings You gave them.

We will impose the following commands on ourselves: To give an eighth of an ounce of silver yearly for the service of the house of our God:

so that they might put their confidence in Godand not forget God’s works,but keep His commands.

if they dishonor My statutesand do not keep My commands,

Hallelujah!Happy is the man who fears the Lord,taking great delight in His commands.

Since I love Your commandsmore than gold, even the purest gold,

My tongue sings about Your promise,for all Your commands are righteous.

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant with those who love Him and keep His commands—

we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from Your commands and ordinances.