The Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q43. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments?

A. The preface to the Ten Commandments is in these words, I am the Lord Thy God,
which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage.[1]

Proofs

[1] Exodus 20:2, Deuteronomy 5:6.

Comments

The preface of the Ten Commandments refers to the words which the LORD spoke in the ears of the children of Israel on Mount Sinai to introduce the ten articles of the Law. They were first spoken shortly after the Israelites were delivered from their bondage in Egypt, and was, later,—after the 40 years of wandering in the desert,—repeated by Moses to the new generation of Jews.

We shall see the significance of this preface in our next question, but for now, we note that it is applicable to us not only because it was spoken by God Himself as an introduction of His inviolable Moral Law, but also because the redemption of the Jews from Egypt is a type of our redemption from the bondage of sin and Satan (cf. Heb 4:1–3; Lk 1:68–75).