The Decalogue also known as the Ten Commandments is one of the central documents of biblical revelation. The Decalogue was central in the law in the Old Testament; it has not lost its significance after the conclusion of the New Testament. In addition, for more than three millennia passed since the revelation of the Decalogue, it provides and continues to provide exceptional, comparable with nothing, impact on culture and civilization. What the modern man calls "universal values", in essence, is the moral component of the Decalogue. The commandments of the Decalogue given to the Jews enter without changing into the Christian and Islamic tradition.

The Decalogue, in contrast to the rest of the Law, is the result of a direct revelation of God given to Moses on Mount Sinai. This event can be dated about the year 1250 BC. According to the legend, God Himself mysteriously graved the Ten Commandments on stone boards (tables), prepared by Moses.

The content of the Decalogue is obviously divided into two parts: the first, comprising commandments 1 to 4 speaks about man's relationship with God and the dispensation of the spiritual life of people; the second, including the last 6 commandments, speaks about the moral dispensation of life and relationships of people with one another. The most important peculiarity of the Decalogue is the connection of these two sections in a unified whole. The Decalogue gives equal importance to both of its parts; thereby morality becomes a form of worshipping God, and not only the principles of the best dispensation of earthly life. At the same time, only in the unity of religious and moral life of man, the last takes solid foundation. Thus, the Decalogue for ages became the main manifesto of biblical ethical monotheism.

The first four commandments are about key aspects of the worship of the One God, and the most important among them is the first commandment. It heralds the revelation of the God Savior, Living God, manifesting His power, interfering with authority in the course of history. The mention of a specific saving action (the exodus from Egypt), as the mention of Pontius Pilate in the Christian symbol of faith, underlines the reality and the action of God in people's lives. However, it is very important that the Decalogue does not say anything about God, but the mention of His saving action. The mystery of God's being remains hidden; Decalogue only emphasizes the uniqueness of the Invisible God, the Lords of heaven and earth. God also reveals Himself in these words as a jealous God calling man to worship only the one true God.

The second commandment forbids portraying the Invisible. The True God, surpassing all conceivable and that the whole creature can’t content, can not be in any way adequately portrayed. Images of any other object or subject in the historical context of the Ten Commandments inevitably attracted people to pagan idolatry. The second commandment forbids not only to represent whatever it is; the most important of its meaning is the prohibition of worship and service to something or someone other than the One God. Nothing in the world, except the Almighty, is worthy for a man to devote his life to it. The text of the Second Commandment also contains the words of God's jealousy, His punishment, and blessing. Since God Himself reveals to men through the prophet Ezekiel, that each of us is responsible only for his own sins, the meaning of these words is reduced to a comparison of the punishment (till the third - fourth generation) and immeasurable blessings (up to a thousand generations). The incomparability of life and sinful death bestowed by God is also emphasized in a number close to the texts of the Decalogue.

The third commandment requires devout attitude towards God and His name closely associated to His invisible presence. This commandment found its reflection also in the prayer that the Lord Jesus Christ gave to His disciples ("Hallowed be thy name). In addition, the third commandment also prohibits the use of the Creator's name for spells and vows. Only the sacred awe prayer is a worthy context for the invocation of the Name of God.

The fourth commandment speaks about the sanctification of man’s earth lifetime, requiring every seventh day to be devoted to God. There by, establishing a weekly rhythm, not only for labor, but more importantly for spiritual life also. Such rhythm becomes a source of sanctification all time. In the Old Testament, the day dedicated to God, receives the name of Sabbath; for Christians this day began the day of the Resurrection of Christ. Saturday becomes a sign of the covenant concluded on Sinai. The importance of the day dedicated to God becomes with time so great that the fourth commandment is seen over time, as a symbol that implies all the other commandments of the Decalogue.

The last six Commandments are about relationships between people and moral dispensation of life in the face of God. With its apparent simplicity, they set very high standards of morality, which humanity is not able to fulfill until now. The fifth commandment requires the respect of the gift of life received by man from God through parents; respect to them becomes an important condition for the possession of life. The sixth commandment confirms the sovereign right of God, installed again in the covenant with Noah to dispose of human life and prohibits killing. The text of the Decalogue allows here both the expansive and highly technical understanding of murder; Only the Lord Jesus Christ finally establishes an absolute prohibition not only on any murder, but also on anger and hatred lying on it basis. The seventh commandment requiring from man faithfulness in marriage, in the background of the realities of the ancient oriental life looks like an ideal difficult to achieve; and today it is often perceived that way also. Moses laws admit wide relief compared with the requirement of monogamy in the Decalogue, but the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed to the disciples that this was a concession to the hardness of heart of the people, and not the will of the Creator. The seventh commandment forbids adultery, sanctifies marriage as a mysterious connection between two people, happening before the face of God and having eternal content. The Eighth Commandment, which establishes the principle of the inviolability of property and prohibits theft, is also based on the respect for the gift of life that God gives. This life is maintained with material means that God gives to every man at His own discretion. The ninth commandment originally concerned lie in court and civil relations; subsequently this prohibition is extended to all forms and manifestations of lie. Finally, the last, the tenth commandment requires from man humility before the Creator's will, giving to each according to his own desire. Envy is seen in the Decalogue as the resistance of this God’s will, and that’s why it is prohibited.

The Lord Jesus Christ gives the most laconic formulation of the commandments of the Decalogue, responding to the question of the scribe about the greatest commandment. "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength - this is the first commandment! The second is like, namely this: thy shalt Love thy neighbor as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these", says the Lord. The meaning of the Decalogue is thus reduced to the worship of the one God and the love of neighbor.

In His reply to the scribe, the Lord Jesus cites two passages closely related to the Decalogue: the prayer "Hear, O Israel" and the extended presentation of the moral requirements of the law in the 19th chapter of Leviticus. Both the text back in the Old Testament, acquired the character of an authoritative interpretation of the Ten Commandments. Another important text, retaining the ancient understanding of the Decalogue, is in the era of Kings (it was hardly written earlier than the 10th century and no later than in the 7th century BC..) – it is the words of the 30th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. The Lord says here that the commandment given by Him (the Decalogue is called in this case, a commandment, in the singular, as a single expression of the Creator’s will) is accessible for learning and execution. Man must consciously make a choice between the execution and non-execution of the Decalogue, and this is a choice between life and death. The execution of the commandments is called here good and life, the non-execution - evil and death. This text places the basis of the biblical understanding of life as unity with God and death as separation from Him. It is also important that God is not indifferent to what will be the choice of man; He calls him to choose life.

Later, at the cusp of the 7th -6th centuries BC, the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah once again emphasizes that the meaning of the Covenant is not in the fulfillment of separate "independent" commandments, but in obedience to the clearly expressed will of the Creator. It is exactly this, and not lush cult and abundant sacrifices that God needs, and this is the essence of the Covenant. This truth is repeated many times through the prophets; here are the most important words of the prophet Hosea (middle 8th century BC.) "For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6: 6.) and the words of the prophet Micah, " He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? "(Micah 6: 8.).

The Lord Jesus Christ opens the final fullness of Commandments in the Sermon on the Mount, urging people to be perfect as the Heavenly Father Himself.