“ I say unto you, I give unto you a commandment, that every man both elder, priest, teacher and also member, go to with his might, with the labor of his hands, to prepare and accomplish the things which I have commanded. 40:36 And let your teachings be the warning voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in meekness. ”
Commandment
Definition and stakes
A commandment is an authoritative rule guiding human behavior, grounded in moral, religious, or legal contexts. From biblical principles such as the Ten Commandments to Catholic Church guidelines and secular legal regulations, it has influenced ethical systems across cultures.
Authors such as Martin Luther emphasized divine authority over human law, while Joseph Deharbe viewed religious observance as a sacred duty. The concept connects spiritual obedience with civic responsibility, highlighting its lasting role in shaping both personal ethics and societal order.
Quotes about “commandment”
Bible (1772)
“ And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, [268] Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 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. ”
Joseph Fielding Smith, Origin of the 'Reorganized' Church and the Question of Succession
“ And yet, this commandment without which the whole earth was to be utterly wasted and destroyed—this eternal commandment that had been prepared before the foundation of the world—is not binding on them! ”
Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible… (1700s)
“ Those that willingly walk after the commandment, even when it walks contrary to the command of God, will find the commandment an encroaching thing, and that the more power is given it the more it will claim. ”
Martin Luther,
Works of Martin Luther, with introductions and notes
(1915)
“ So far do they go in their failure to observe that the commandment of God, in the service of one's neighbor, should be preferred to the commandment of men, in the thoughtless mumbling of the words of the Hours. ”
Joseph Deharbe, A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion (1912)
“ Respect the Commandment of fasting and abstinence as a Commandment which God Himself has given you through His Church, and consider it an honor to observe it strictly. THE THIRD, FOURTH, AND FIFTH COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH. 1. What are we commanded by the Third and Fourth Commandments of the Church? By the Third and Fourth Commandments we are commanded, 1. To confess our sins faithfully at least once a year; and 2. To receive the Holy Communion worthily at Easter or during the Easter-time; that is, from the first Sunday in Lent till Trinity Sunday, inclusive. ”
John Wesley,
A Plain Account of Christian Perfection…
(1872)
“ In the same sermon I observed, "'Love is the fulfilling of the law, the end of the commandment.' It is not only 'the first and great' command, but all the commandments in one. 'Whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise,' they are all comprised in this one word, love. ”
Anonymous, A Catechism of Christian Doctrine
“ A. We are commanded by the fourth Commandment to honor, love, and obey our parents in all that is not sin.363. Q. Are we bound to honor and obey others than our parents? A. We are also bound to honor and obey our bishops, pastors, magistrates, teachers, and other lawful superiors.365. Q. What is forbidden by the fourth Commandment? A. The fourth Commandment forbids all disobedience, contempt, and stubbornness towards our parents or lawful superiors. ”
Thomas Ridgley, A Body of Divinity, Vol. 4 (of 4…
“ The duties required in the tenth Commandment are, such a full contentment with our own condition, and such a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbour, as that all our inward motions and affections touching him tend unto and further all that good which is his. ”
Philip P. Wells, Bible Stories and Religious Classics
“ The ninth commandment is that thou shalt not desire the wife of thy neighbor, nor shalt not covet her in thine heart.The tenth commandment is that thou shalt not covet nothing that is, or longeth to, thy neighbor.These be the ten commandments of our Lord, of which the three first belong to God, and the seven other be ordained for our neighbors. Every person that hath wit and understanding in himself, and age, is bound to know them and to obey and keep these ten commandments aforesaid or else he sinneth deadly. ”
Thomas Ridgley, A Body of Divinity, Vol. 3 (of 4…
“ The duties required in the second commandment are the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath instituted in his word, particularly prayer and thanksgiving in the name of Christ, the reading, preaching, and hearing of the word, the administration and receiving of the sacraments, church-government, and discipline, the ministry and maintenance thereof, religious fasting, swearing by the name of God, and vowing unto him. ”
George Orwell,
A Clergyman's Daughter
(1935)
“ It had driven into her a far deeper understanding than she had had before of the great modern commandment—the eleventh commandment which has wiped out all the others: “Thou shalt not lose thy job.” ”
Claire von Glümer,
A Noble Name; or, Dönninghausen
“ And the allusion to the fifth commandment had its effect."If this is the way you take it, I must give up my plan," he said. "I enjoin upon no one any transgression of duty, any sin against God's commands. But you take a wrong view of it. ”
Philip Schaff,
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers…
(1885)
“ The expressions, “committed unto me,” and “according to the commandment,” show the matter to be worthy of credit, so that no one should think it discreditable, nor be hesitating about it, or discontented. If then it is a commandment, it is not at my disposal. I fulfill what is commanded. For of things to be done, some are in our power, others are not. For what He commands, that is not in our power, what He permits, is left to our choice. For instance, “Whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matt. v. 22.) This is a commandment. ”
Martin Luther,
Martin Luther's Large Catechism…
“ Therefore, above all things, our young people should have this commandment earnestly enforced upon them, and they should be trained to hold this and the First Commandment in high regard; and whenever they transgress, we must at once be after them with the rod and hold the commandment before them, and constantly inculcate it, so as to bring them up not only with punishment, but also in the reverence and fear of God. ”
Tamar Davis, A General History of the Sabbatarian Churches (1851)
“ In consideration of this, and the strong worldly tendencies that bind the human heart, it is not surprising that thousands who have been brought up to recognise the obligatory and sacred character of the fourth commandment, and who were fully convinced of its unalterable claims, have been induced to abandon it; while others, for the same reasons, although fully convinced of their duty, have refused to embrace it. ”
Martin Luther,
Martin Luther's Large Catechism…
“ Therefore this commandment is given first of all that every one shall help his neighbor to secure his rights, and not allow them to be hindered or twisted, but shall promote and strictly maintain them, no matter whether he be judge or witness, and let it pertain to whatsoever it will. ”
Leonard Woolsey Bacon,
A History of American Christianity
“ It is directly to the people of such communities, not through the medium of persons or committees that represent national sectarian interests, that the new commandment is to be preached, which yet is no new commandment, but the old commandment which they have had from the beginning. ”
Clement I,
First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
(1885)
“ Let us then, men and brethren, with all energy act the part of soldiers, in accordance with His holy commandments. Let us consider those who serve under our generals, with what order, obedience, and submissiveness they perform the things which are commanded them. All are not prefects, nor commanders of a thousand, nor of a hundred, nor of fifty, nor the like, but each one in his own rank performs the things commanded by the king and the generals. The great cannot subsist without the small, nor the small without the great. ”
Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible… (1700s)
“ He charges them to keep God's commandments (v. 2) , to do them (v. 5, 14) , to keep and do them (v. 6) , to perform the covenant, v. 13. Hearing must be in order to doing, knowledge in order to practice. God's commandments were the way they must keep in, the rule they must keep to; they must govern themselves by the moral precepts, perform their devotion according to the divine ritual, and administer justice according to the judicial law. He concludes his discourse (v. 40) with this repeated charge: Thou shalt keep his statutes and his commandments which I command thee. ”
Orson Spencer,
Letters Exhibiting the Most Prominent Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
“ The first object of this priestly order is to teach all nations to become loyal and good citizens of the kingdom of God, observing all the commandments of God. One universal commandment of God is, for all men every where to repent and be baptized, and keep all other laws of God, as they shall be dispensed from the great High Priest through the delegated authorities. Now if all men do not obey these commands, they are liable to be dealt with as transgressors, and punished as evil doers. The command to obey is imperative upon all men. ”
Robert Craig Maclagan, Evil eye in the western Highlands (1902)
“ A person to whom Nature has given an ambitious and acquisitive disposition breaks this commandment necessarily, however openhanded may be his practice. With all reverence, the commandment seems to be a pushing into the region of thought what has been forbidden in practice by the commandment “Thou shalt not steal.” ”
Guillaume Félice, History of the Protestants of France… (1853)
“ I have ever been a good and faithful subject, and of this I believe my judges to be convinced. I have always preached to my flock patience, obedience, and submission; and my sermons, which you possess, are summed up in these words, ‘Fear God, honour the king.’ If I have contravened the law touching religious assemblies, it was by God’s commandments I contravened them; God must be obeyed before men. ”
Martin Luther,
Works of Martin Luther, with Introductions and Notes…
“ Therefore we must take hold of the first three Commandments and the First Table, and be certain that no man, neither bishop, nor pope, nor angel, may command or determine anything that is contrary to or hinders these three Commandments, or does not help them; and if they attempt such things, it is not valid and amounts to nothing; and we also sin if we follow and obey, or even tolerate such acts. ”
Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible… (1700s)
“ This practice was forbidden in Rome by Numa, a pagan prince; yet commanded in Rome by the pope, a Christian bishop, but, in this, anti-christian. The use of images in the church of Rome, at this day, is so plainly contrary to the letter of this command, and so impossible to be reconciled to it, that in all their catechisms and books of devotion, which they put into the hands of the people, they leave out this commandment, joining the reason of it to the first; and so the third commandment they call the second, the fourth the third, &c.; ”
Joseph Bates,
A Vindication of the Seventh-Day Sabbath and the Commandments of God
“ Law and commandments are here too, synonymous: “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least [laws] commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be in no esteem in the reign of heaven, but whosoever shall practice and teach them shall be highly esteemed in the reign of heaven.”— [Campbell trans.] That he is speaking of the law of commandments in the decalogue is positive and clear from the 21st, 27th and 33d verses. That he means the whole, is also clear from this and the above quotations in Matt. xxii. and Luke x. ”
Leo Tolstoy,
My Religion
(1885, 2nd edition, 1889)
“ And the observance of his five commandments will bring peace upon the earth. They all have but one object,—the establishment of peace among men. If men will only believe in the doctrine of Jesus and practise it, the reign of peace will come upon earth,—not that peace which is the work of man, partial, precarious, and at the mercy of chance; but the peace that is all-pervading, inviolable, and eternal. The first commandment tells us to be at peace with every one and to consider none as foolish or unworthy. If peace is violated, we are to seek to re-establish it. ”
George Spring Merriam, The Chief End of Man
“ A new set of commandments is being written in the sight of men,—commandments learned but slowly and often transgressed, even by those whose wills are pure and whose hearts are loving. Thou shalt sufficiently rest! ”
Walter Scott,
Ivanhoe
(1820)
“ Many a law, many a commandment have I broken, but my word never.” ”
Herman Melville,
Bartleby, the Scrivener (Part 2…
(1853)
“ "A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another." ”
Oliver Prescott Hiller, Sermons on the Lord's Prayer (1864)
“ To keep the Divine commandments is, chiefly, to resist in ourselves the evils which those commandments forbid. Most of the Divine commandments, you observe, are expressed in the negative form, as, "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not kill," "Thou shalt not commit adultery," &c. ”
Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible… (1700s)
“ it directs us in our work and way, and a dark place indeed the world would be without it. It is a lamp which we may set up by us, and take into our hands for our own particular use, Prov. vi. 23. The commandment is a lamp kept burning with the oil of the Spirit; ”
Robert Roberts, The Commandments of Christ
“ The commandments are picked out from the apostolic writings, and classified in a way convenient to remember, and printed in a form convenient for carrying about on the person daily, so that they may be often looked at, and imprinted on the mind. The references are supplied for the satisfaction of those who desire to be quite sure of their foundation. What excellent men and women are those who keep all these commandments! ”
The Divine Right of Church Government
“ Now these immediate commands of God, in regard of their manner of publishing and propounding, are either explicit or implicit.1. Explicit: which are expressly and in plain terms laid down, as the letter of the commandments of the decalogue, Exod. xx. The commands of Christ, "Feed my lambs, feed my sheep," John xxi.; "Go, disciple ye all nations," &c., Matt, xxviii. 19; "Do this in remembrance of me," Matt, xxvi; 1 Cor. xi. 23, 24, &c. Now whatsoever is expressly commanded of God in plain, evident terms, that is of divine right, without all color of controversy. ”
Alexander Maclaren,
Expositions of Holy Scripture: Isaiah and Jeremiah
“ Commandments which have an authoritative ring in their very utterance, and which will serve for infallible guides for our lives. And what do our weak, sinful natures want? Something that shall free our consciences, and shall deliver us from the burden of our transgressions, and shall calm our fears, and shall quicken and warrant our lofty hopes. ”
Mary H. Eastman,
Aunt Phillis's Cabin; Or, Southern Life As It Is
“ The human mind, naturally rebellious, requires every command and incentive to submission. The first of the ten commandments, insisting on the duty owing to the Creator, and the fifth, on that belonging to our parents, are the sources of all order and good arrangement in the minor relations of life ”
Allan Wilson Cook, The Independent Church of God of the Juda Tribe of Israel… (1925)
“ The bible is to be used to settle all questions. All differences to be settled by Matt. 5:8; 18:24. The Bishop and all other officers shall continue to hold their office as long as they maintain sound doctrine and keep the ten commandments which will in no way permit them to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. ”
Doctrine and Covenants — Revelation through Joseph Smith…
“ Stop, and stand still until I command thee, and I will provide means whereby thou mayest accomplish the thing which I have commanded thee. 35 And if thou art faithful in keeping my commandments, thou shalt be lifted up at the last day. Amen. ”
Maimonides,
The Guide for the Perplexed
(1904)
“ What prevented Him from making His primary object a direct commandment to us, and to give us the capacity of obeying it? ”
