English Standard Version
Exodus 20:4
4"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Exodus 20:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
- New International Version (NIV)“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
- New Living Translation (NLT)“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.
Context of Exodus 20:4
2"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3"You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Read all of Exodus 20Exodus 20:4 word by word
לֹֽ֣א תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣ פֶ֣֙סֶל֙׀ וְכָל־תְּמוּנָ֡֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר֣ בַּשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙׀ מִמַּ֡֔עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩ בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ מִתַָּ֑֜חַת וַאֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בַּמַּ֖֣יִם׀ מִתַּ֥֣חַת לָאָֽ֗רֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thou shalt not makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- unto thee any graven imageפֶּ֫סֶלpesel · idolH6459
- or any likenessתְּמוּנָהtemûnâh temûnâh · likenessH8544
- thatאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
- in heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- aboveמַ֫עַלma‛al · aboveH4605
- in the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- in the waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
Cross-references for Exodus 20:4
- 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."
- Exodus 34:17"You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal.
- Leviticus 19:4Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.
- Leviticus 26:1"You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God.
- Deuteronomy 4:15"Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
- Deuteronomy 5:8"'You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
- Deuteronomy 27:15"'Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.' And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen.'
- 1 Kings 12:28So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, "You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt."
- 2 Chronicles 33:7And the carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever,
- Psalms 97:7All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!
- Psalms 115:4Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
- Psalms 135:15The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
- Isaiah 40:18To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?
- Isaiah 42:8I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
- Isaiah 44:9All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame.
- Isaiah 45:16All of them are put to shame and confounded; the makers of idols go in confusion together.
Commentaries on Exodus 20:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image - As the word פסל pasal signifies to hew, carve, grave, etc., פסל pesel may here signify any kind of image, either of wood, stone, or metal, on which the axe, the chisel, or the graving tool has been employed. This commandment includes in its prohibitions every species of idolatry known to have been practiced among the Egyptians. The reader will see this the more plainly by consulting the notes on the ten…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-17Verses 1-17 The Hebrew name which is rendered in our King James Version as the ten commandments occurs in Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 10:4. It literally means “the Ten Words.” The Ten Commandments are also called the law, even the commandment Exodus 24:12, the words of the covenant Exodus 34:28, the tables of the covenant Deuteronomy 9:9, the covenant Deuteronomy 4:13, the two tables Deuteronomy 9:10, Deuteronomy 9:17, and, most…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-11Verses 3-11 The first four of the ten commandments, commonly called the FIRST table, tell our duty to God. It was fit that those should be put first, because man had a Maker to love, before he had a neighbour to love. It cannot be expected that he should be true to his brother, who is false to his God. The first commandment concerns the object of worship, JEHOVAH, and him only. The worship of creatures is here forbidden. Whatever comes short of perfect…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Refusing to make an image of God is the first step in recognizing that he is transcendent. This means God is the Creator of the universe and is completely distinct from it. God is not part of creation. If people represent God as something in creation, they will eventually worship that created thing. Instead of worshiping the Creator, they begin to worship what God made. This exchange leads to moral corruption and spiritual harm (Romans 1:18–25).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-54-5. Thou shalt not make ... any graven image ... thou shalt not bow down thyself to them--that is, "make in order to bow." Under the auspices of Moses himself, figures of cherubim, brazen serpents, oxen, and many other things in the earth beneath, were made and never condemned. The mere making was no sin--it was the making with the intent to give idolatrous worship.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 20:4
In the dictionaries
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
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