Exodus 20:4

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.
• 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;

Context of Exodus 20:4

2“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3“You must not have any other god but me. “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. 5You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

Exodus 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 how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
• Exodus 34:17You must not make any gods of molten metal for yourselves.
• Leviticus 19:4“Do not put your trust in idols or make metal images of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
• Leviticus 26:1“Do not make idols or set up carved images, or sacred pillars, or sculptured stones in your land so you may worship them. I am the Lord your God.
• Deuteronomy 4:15“But be very careful! You did not see the Lord’s form on the day he spoke to you from the heart of the fire at Mount Sinai.
• Deuteronomy 5:8“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.
• Deuteronomy 27:15‘Cursed is anyone who carves or casts an idol and secretly sets it up. These idols, the work of craftsmen, are detestable to the Lord.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’
• 1 Kings 12:28So on the advice of his counselors, the king made two gold calves. He said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem. Look, Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!”
• 2 Chronicles 33:7Manasseh even took a carved idol he had made and set it up in God’s Temple, the very place where God had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel.
• Psalms 97:7Those who worship idols are disgraced— all who brag about their worthless gods— for every god must bow to him.
• Psalms 115:4Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.
• Psalms 135:15The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.
• Isaiah 40:18To whom can you compare God? What image can you find to resemble him?
• Isaiah 42:8“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.
• Isaiah 44:9How foolish are those who manufacture idols. These prized objects are really worthless. The people who worship idols don’t know this, so they are all put to shame.
• Isaiah 45:16All craftsmen who make idols will be humiliated. They will all be disgraced 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

• Commandments
• Decalogue
• Idol
• Idolatry
• Law
• Punishment
• Table

In the dictionaries

• Graven image
• Commit
• Covet
• Decalogue
• Grave
• Guiltless
• Hold
• Likeness
• Remember
• Steal

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