New International Version
Exodus 20:4
4“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.
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:
- English Standard Version (ESV)"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.
- 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 Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3“You shall have no other gods before me. “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. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing love to a thousand generations 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 was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
- Exodus 34:17“Do not make any idols.
- Leviticus 19:4“ ‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
- Leviticus 26:1“ ‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.
- Deuteronomy 4:15You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully,
- Deuteronomy 5:8“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.
- Deuteronomy 27:15“Cursed is anyone who makes an idol—a thing detestable to the Lord, the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
- 1 Kings 12:28After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
- 2 Chronicles 33:7He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.
- Psalms 97:7All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols— worship him, all you gods!
- Psalms 115:4But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.
- Psalms 135:15The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands.
- Isaiah 40:18With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him?
- Isaiah 42:8“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.
- Isaiah 44:9All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame.
- Isaiah 45:16All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced; they will go off into disgrace 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
New International Version — © NIV® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica
Commentaries