Exodus 34:15

Exodus 34:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
• New International Version (NIV)“Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.
• English Standard Version (ESV)lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice,
• New King James Version (NKJV)lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice,

Context of Exodus 34:15

13But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones, and cut down their Asherim 14--for you shall not worship any other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God-- otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they would prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, 16and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might prostitute themselves with their gods and cause your sons also to prostitute themselves with their gods. 17You shall not make for yourself any gods cast in metal.

Exodus 34:15 word by word

פֶּן־תִּכְרֹ֥ת בְּרִ֖ית לְיוֹשֵׁ֣ב הָאָ֑רֶץ וְזָנ֣וּ׀ אַחֲרֵ֣י אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֗ם וְזָבְחוּ֙ לֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם וְקָרָ֣א לְךָ֔ וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ מִזִּבְחֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

• otherwiseפֶּן־pên · lestH6435
• makeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• a covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• with the inhabitantsיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• of the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and they would prostituteזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
• themselves with their godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• sacrificeזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• might inviteקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
• to eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• of his sacrificeזֶ֫בַחzebach · sacrificeH2077

Cross-references for Exodus 34:15

• Exodus 34:10Then God said, “Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.
• Exodus 23:32You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
• Deuteronomy 7:2and when the Lord your God turns them over to you and you defeat them, you shall utterly destroy them. You shall not make a covenant with them nor be gracious to them.
• Leviticus 17:7And they shall no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the prostitute. This shall be a permanent statute to them throughout their generations.”’
• Leviticus 20:5then I Myself will set My face against that man and against his family, and I will cut off from among their people both him and all those who play the prostitute with him, by playing the prostitute with Molech.
• Numbers 15:39It shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, so that you will do them and not follow your own heart and your own eyes, which led you to prostitute yourselves,
• Deuteronomy 31:16The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the prostitute with the foreign gods of the land into the midst of which they are going, and they will abandon Me and break My covenant which I have made with them.
• Judges 2:17Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they committed infidelity with other gods and bowed down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do the same as their fathers.
• Psalms 73:27For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
• Jeremiah 3:9And because of the thoughtlessness of her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees.
• Ezra 6:9And whatever is needed, bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine, and anointing oil, as the priests in Jerusalem order, it is to be given to them daily without fail,
• Hosea 4:12My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them; For a spirit of infidelity has led them astray, And they have been unfaithful, departing from their God.
• Hosea 9:1Do not rejoice, Israel, with jubilation like the nations! For you have been unfaithful, abandoning your God. You have loved the earnings of unfaithfulness on every threshing floor.
• Revelation 17:1Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
• Numbers 25:2For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
• 1 Corinthians 10:27If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions, for the sake of conscience.

Commentaries on Exodus 34:15

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12-27Verses 12-27 The precepts contained in these verses are, for the most part, identical in substance with some of those which follow the Ten Commandments and are recorded in “the Book of the covenant” (Exodus 24:7). Exodus 34:13 Cut down their groves - This is the first reference to what is commonly known as grove-worship. The original word for “grove” in this connection אשׁרה 'ăshêrāh is different from that so rendered in Genesis 21:33. Our translators…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-17Verses 10-17 The Israelites are commanded to destroy every monument of idolatry, however curious or costly; to refuse all alliance, friendship, or marriage with idolaters, and all idolatrous feasts; and they were reminded not with idolaters, and all idolatrous feats; and they were reminded not to repeat the crime of making molten images. Jealously is called the rage of a man, Pr 6:34; but in God it is holy and just displeasure. Those cannot worship God…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-17Worship of idols was prohibited, particularly the idols of the peoples into whose lands the Israelites were going. A key part of this restriction was the ban on treaties, or covenants, with these idol-worshiping peoples. Making a treaty would mean acknowledging their gods, as ancient treaties often called upon gods as witnesses (see study note on 20:1–23:33). The treaties would also tempt the Israelites to adopt the customs of their treaty partners…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-268-26. Moses bowed ... and worshipped--In the East, people bow the head to royalty, and are silent when it passes by, while in the West, they take off their hats and shout.Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 34:15

• Alliances
• Company
• Fellowship
• Idol
• Miscegenation
• Temptation
• Treaty

In the dictionaries

• Abundant
• Banquet
• Commandment
• Cut
• Desire
• Entertain
• Food
• Goodness
• Idolatry
• Keep

Commentaries on Exodus 34

• 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