God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 4:23
23Be careful that you don’t forget the promise that the Lord your God made to you. Don’t make your own carved idols or statues that represent anything the Lord your God has forbidden.
Deuteronomy 4:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.
- New International Version (NIV)Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you.
Context of Deuteronomy 4:23
21The Lord was angry with me because of you. So the Lord your God took an oath that I wouldn’t cross the Jordan River and enter the good land he is giving you as your property. 22I’m going to die in this land and not cross the Jordan River, but you’re going to go across and take possession of that good land. Be careful that you don’t forget the promise that the Lord your God made to you. Don’t make your own carved idols or statues that represent anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 24The Lord your God is a raging fire, a God who does not tolerate rivals. 25Even when you have children and grandchildren and have grown old in that land, don’t become corrupt and make carved idols or statues that represent anything. I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today: If you do this thing that the Lord your God considers evil, making him furious,
Read all of Deuteronomy 4Deuteronomy 4:23 word by word
הִשָּׁמְר֣וּ לָכֶ֗ם פֶּֽן־תִּשְׁכְּחוּ֙ אֶת־בְּרִ֤ית יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּרַ֖ת עִמָּכֶ֑ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֨ם לָכֶ֥ם פֶּ֙סֶל֙ תְּמ֣וּנַת כֹּ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוְּךָ֖ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Take heedשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: carefulH8104
- unto yourselves, lest ye forgetשָׁכַחshâkach shâkêach · to forgetH7911
- the covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- your Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- which he madeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
- with you, and makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- you a graven imageפֶּ֫סֶלpesel · idolH6459
- the likenessתְּמוּנָהtemûnâh temûnâh · likenessH8544
- of anyכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- hath forbiddenצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 4:23
- Deuteronomy 4:9However, be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you don’t forget the things which you have seen with your own eyes. Don’t let them fade from your memory as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.
- Deuteronomy 27:9Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Be quiet and listen, Israel. Today you have become the people of the Lord your God.
- Joshua 23:11Be very careful to love the Lord your God.
- Matthew 24:4Jesus answered them, “Be careful not to let anyone deceive you.
- Luke 12:15He told the people, “Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions.”
- Luke 21:8Jesus said, “Be careful that you are not deceived. Many will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am he!’ and ‘The time is near.’ Don’t follow them!
- Hebrews 3:12Be careful, brothers and sisters, that none of you ever develop a wicked, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
- Deuteronomy 6:12be careful that you don’t forget the Lord, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 29:25The answer will be, “Because they abandoned the promise of the Lord God of their ancestors. He made this promise to them when he brought them out of Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 31:20I will bring them into the land that I swore to give to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. When they have eaten all they want and have become fat, they will turn to other gods and worship them. They will despise me and reject my promise.
- Joshua 23:16When you ignore the conditions placed on you by the Lord your God and follow other gods, serve them and bow down to them, the Lord will be angry with you. Then you will quickly disappear from the good land he has given you.”
- 1 Chronicles 16:15Remember his promise forever, the word that he commanded for a thousand generations,
- Isaiah 24:5The earth is polluted by those who live on it because they’ve disobeyed the Lord’s teachings, violated his laws, and rejected the everlasting promise.
- Jeremiah 31:22How long will you wander around, you unfaithful people? The Lord will create something new on earth: A woman will protect a man.
- Ezekiel 16:59“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will give you what you deserve. You despised your marriage vows and rejected my promise.
- Deuteronomy 4:16that you don’t become corrupt and make your own carved idols. Don’t make statues that represent men or women,
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 4:23
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-40Moses gave a long speech to the Israelites because of their recent failures and what he thought would happen in Canaan.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-4015. Take ... good heed ... for ye saw no manner of similitude--The extreme proneness of the Israelites to idolatry, from their position in the midst of surrounding nations already abandoned to its seductions, accounts for their attention being repeatedly drawn to the fact that God did not appear on Sinai in any visible form; and an earnest caution, founded on that remarkable circumstance, is given to beware, not only of making representations of false…Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 4:23
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 4
- 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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