Creation and the Ten Words

The Decalogue is more than laws — they echo the very words that shaped creation itself. Each “You shall” or “You shall not” mirrors a divine “Let there be…” from Genesis. Covenant and creation are woven together, showing that the God who spoke the world into being also speaks life into our lives.

Let us look together at how the Ten Utterances of Creation and those pronounced from the Mount Sinai correspond with each other:

1. “I am the LORD your God” corresponds to “And God said: ‘Let there be light’” (Genesis 1:3), as it is written: “The LORD shall be your everlasting light” (Isaiah 60:19).
2. “You shall have no other gods” corresponds to “And God said: ‘Let there be a firmament…’” (Genesis 1:6). The firmament is the barrier between true worship and idolatry, which the prophets call “broken cisterns that hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13), in contrast to the “living water” of Torah.
3. “You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain” corresponds to “And God said: ‘Let the waters be gathered together…’” (Genesis 1:9). God says: “The waters honored Me, gathering at My word and cleansing the earth — will you profane My Name with a false oath?”
4. “Remember the Sabbath day” corresponds to “And God said: ‘Let the earth bring forth vegetation…’” (Genesis 1:11). God says: “What you eat on the Sabbath, count as offered to Me — for the world was created to be free of sin, so that My creatures might live in holiness.”
5. “Honor your father and mother” corresponds to “And God said: ‘Let there be lights in the heavens…’” (Genesis 1:14). God says: “I created for you two lights — your father and your mother. Therefore, honor them.”
6. “You shall not kill” corresponds to “And God said: ‘Let the waters swarm with living creatures…’” (Genesis 1:20). God says: “Do not imitate the world of the fish, where the great swallow the small.”
7. “You shall not commit adultery” corresponds to “And God said: ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind…’” (Genesis 1:24). God says: “I created a pair for each creature — let each cleave to its own kind.”
8. “You shall not steal” corresponds to “And God said: ‘Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant…’” (Genesis 1:29). God says: “Let none take what belongs to another, but enjoy what is freely given.”
9. “You shall not bear false witness” corresponds to “And God said: ‘Let Us make man in Our image…’” (Genesis 1:26). God says: “Your neighbor is in My image, just as you are. Do not bear false witness against him.”
10. “You shall not covet” corresponds to “And the LORD God said: ‘It is not good for man to be alone…’” (Genesis 2:18). God says: “I made for each man his proper companion. Do not covet the wife of your neighbor.”

If creation itself was built on God’s words, then our lives find meaning when we walk by those same words. Each commandment is a breath of creation, life and meaning, shaping us into God’s image day by day. To keep them is to live in harmony with the universe He spoke into being — to let His light, His truth, and His holiness order our steps.