Exodus 20:23

Exodus 20:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
• New International Version (NIV)Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
• New King James Version (NKJV)You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me.

Context of Exodus 20:23

21The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. 22And the Lord said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. 24An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 25If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it.

Exodus 20:23 word by word

לֹ֥א תַעֲשׂ֖וּן אִתִּ֑י אֱלֹ֤הֵי כֶ֙סֶף֙ וֵאלֹהֵ֣י זָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א תַעֲשׂ֖וּ לָכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Ye shall not makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• with me godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• of silverכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701
• of goldזָהָבzâhâb · goldH2091

Cross-references for Exodus 20:23

• Exodus 20:3"You shall have no other gods before me.
• Exodus 32:1When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."
• 1 Samuel 5:4But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.
• 2 Kings 17:33So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
• Ezekiel 20:39"As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.
• Ezekiel 43:8by setting their threshold by my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them. They have defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger.
• Daniel 5:4They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
• Zephaniah 1:5those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom,
• 1 Corinthians 10:21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
• 2 Corinthians 6:14Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
• Colossians 2:18Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
• 1 John 5:20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
• Revelation 22:15Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Commentaries on Exodus 20:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Ye shall not make with me gods of silver - The expressions here are very remarkable. Before it was said, Ye shall have no other gods Before me, פני אל al panai, Exodus 20:3. Here they are commanded, ye shall not make gods of silver or gold אתי itti With me, as emblems or representatives of God, in order, as might be pretended, to keep these displays of his magnificence in memory; on the contrary, he would have only an altar of earth - of plain turf, on…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22-26Verses 22-26 Nothing could be more appropriate as the commencement of the book of the covenant than these regulations for public worship. The rules for the building of altars must have been old and accepted, and are not inconsistent with the directions for the construction of the altar of the court of the tabernacle, Exodus 27:1-8 (compare Joshua 22:26-28).Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-26Verses 22-26 Moses having entered into the thick darkness, God there spake in his hearing all that follows from hence to the end of chap. 23, which is mostly an exposition of the ten commandments. The laws in these verses relate to God's worship. The Israelites are assured of God's gracious acceptance of their devotions. Under the gospel, men are encouraged to pray every where, and wherever God's people meet in his name to worship him, he will be in the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22-26The Lord is beyond human understanding, as shown by his speaking to the people with a voice from heaven (20:22). This had two effects on their practices: They could not use silver or gold to make human-shaped gods (20:23). They could not carve stones for an altar (20:25). This might be to prevent them from carving stone gods. They must make the altar from earth and uncut stones (20:24, 25). The rule against revealing nakedness might have been to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-2322-23. the Lord said unto Moses--It appears from De 4:14-16, that this injunction was a conclusion drawn from the scene on Sinai--that as no similitude of God was displayed then, they should not attempt to make any visible figure or form of Him.Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 20:23

• Idolatry
• Silver

In the dictionaries

• Book
• Commit
• Covet
• Grave
• Guiltless
• Hold
• Likeness
• Remember
• Steal
• Visit

Commentaries on Exodus 20

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings