Exodus 23:24

Exodus 23:24 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
• New International Version (NIV)Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.
• English Standard Version (ESV)you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.
• New King James Version (NKJV)You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.

Context of Exodus 23:24

22So be careful to obey him. Do everything that I tell you. Then I will be the enemy of your enemies. I will fight against anyone who fights against you. 23My angel will go in front of you. He will bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. I will destroy them completely. Do not worship their gods. Do not serve them. Do not copy the evil things that these people do. Destroy their idols and break their special stones into pieces. 25You must serve only me, the Lord your God. Then I will bless your food and your water. I will remove illness from among you. 26Your women will safely give birth to babies. They will all be able to have children. Everyone will live a long life.

Exodus 23:24 word by word

לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֤ה לֵאלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙ וְלֹ֣א תָֽעָבְדֵ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תַעֲשֶׂ֖ה כְּמַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם כִּ֤י הָרֵס֙ תְּהָ֣רְסֵ֔ם וְשַׁבֵּ֥ר תְּשַׁבֵּ֖ר מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thou shalt not bow downשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812
• to their godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• nor serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serve: ministerH5647
• them, nor doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• after their worksמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deed: workH4639
• but thou shalt utterlyהָרַסhâras · to overthrowH2040
• them, and quiteשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
• their imagesמַצֵּבָהmatstsêbâh · pillarH4676

Cross-references for Exodus 23:24

• Exodus 20:5You must not bend down your head to any idol or worship it. I am the Lord your God and I want you to belong to me alone. I will punish children because of the bad things that their fathers have done. I will also punish their children and their grandchildren too. That is how I will punish everyone who turns against me.
• Leviticus 18:3They were living in Egypt, but they must not do as the people in Egypt do. Now I am bringing them to live in Canaan. They must not live in the way that the people in Canaan live. They must not do the things that those people do.
• Deuteronomy 12:30But after the Lord has destroyed them, be careful! Do not do the same wrong things as they do. Do not try to worship their gods. Do not say, ‘How do the people of these nations worship their gods? I would like to do the same thing!’
• 2 Chronicles 33:2Manasseh did things that the Lord said were evil. He did the same terrible sins that the other nations in Canaan had done. Those were the nations that the Lord had chased out so that the Israelites could live there.
• Psalms 101:3As for evil things, I will not even think about them. I hate the things that wicked people do. They will not be my friends.
• Psalms 106:35Instead, they mixed with those nations and they learned their way of life.
• Ezekiel 16:47You lived like them and you did all the same disgusting things that they did. But you quickly became even worse than them.
• Exodus 32:20Then he took the image of the calf that they had made. He burned it in the fire. He beat it into powder. He mixed the powder with the people's water. Then he commanded the Israelites to drink it.
• Exodus 34:13Instead, you must knock down their altars. Destroy the special stones that are their idols. Cut down their Asherah poles.
• Numbers 33:52Then you must chase out all the people who live in that land. You must destroy all their idols that are made from wood or stone. Also destroy the altars where they worship their false gods.
• Deuteronomy 7:5This is what you must do to the people of those nations: Break their altars and their stone pillars into pieces. Cut down their Asherah poles. Burn their idols with fire.
• Deuteronomy 12:3You must break into pieces their altars and stone pillars. Burn their Asherah poles. Knock down the images of their gods. Destroy those places so that nobody remembers the false gods.
• 2 Chronicles 34:3When Josiah had been king for eight years, he was still a young man. At that time he began to worship God, as his ancestor David had done. When he had been king for 12 years, he started to remove the places in Jerusalem and in all Judah where people worshipped false gods. He removed the altars on the hills, the Asherah poles, the idols and the images of false gods.

Commentaries on Exodus 23:24

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24Break down their images - מצבתיהם matstsebotheyhem, from נצב natsab, to stand up; pillars, anointed stones, etc., such as the baitulia. See Clarke on Genesis 28:18; (note).Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-33Verses 20-33 It is here promised that they should be guided and kept in their way through the wilderness to the land of promise, Behold, I send an angel before thee, mine angel. The precept joined with this promise is, that they be obedient to this angel whom God would send before them. Christ is the Angel of Jehovah; this is plainly taught by St. Paul, 1Co 10:9. They should have a comfortable settlement in the land of Canaan. How reasonable are the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 24In Canaanite worship, people built holy pillars to represent the gods. Sometimes, they carved them to look like humans.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-2520-25. Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way--The communication of these laws, made to Moses and by him rehearsed to the people, was concluded by the addition of many animating promises, intermingled with several solemn warnings that lapses into sin and idolatry would not be tolerated or passed with impunity.Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 23:24

• Amorites
• Canaanites
• Iconoclasm
• Jebusites
• War

In the dictionaries

• Beware
• Book
• Countenance
• Idolatry
• Ingathering
• Refresh
• Seethe
• Turn
• Wrest
• Bible, the

Commentaries on Exodus 23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings