Exodus 20:23

Exodus 20:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
• New International Version (NIV)Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.
• New King James Version (NKJV)You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.

Context of Exodus 20:23

21And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22And Yhwh said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. 24An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 25And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

Exodus 20:23 word by word

לֹ֥א תַעֲשׂ֖וּן אִתִּ֑י אֱלֹ֤הֵי כֶ֙סֶף֙ וֵאלֹהֵ֣י זָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א תַעֲשׂ֖וּ לָכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

• Ye shall not makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• with me godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• of silverכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701
• of goldזָהָבzâhâb · goldH2091

Cross-references for Exodus 20:23

• Exodus 20:3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
• Exodus 32:1And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
• 1 Samuel 5:4And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of Yhwh; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.
• 2 Kings 17:33They feared Yhwh, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
• Ezekiel 20:39As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord Yhwh; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
• Ezekiel 43:8In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger.
• Daniel 5:4They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
• Zephaniah 1:5And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by Yhwh, and that swear by Malcham;
• 1 Corinthians 10:21Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
• 2 Corinthians 6:14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
• Colossians 2:18Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
• 1 John 5:20And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
• Revelation 22:15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Commentaries on Exodus 20:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Ye shall not make with me gods of silver - The expressions here are very remarkable. Before it was said, Ye shall have no other gods Before me, פני אל al panai, Exodus 20:3. Here they are commanded, ye shall not make gods of silver or gold אתי itti With me, as emblems or representatives of God, in order, as might be pretended, to keep these displays of his magnificence in memory; on the contrary, he would have only an altar of earth - of plain turf, on…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22-26Verses 22-26 Nothing could be more appropriate as the commencement of the book of the covenant than these regulations for public worship. The rules for the building of altars must have been old and accepted, and are not inconsistent with the directions for the construction of the altar of the court of the tabernacle, Exodus 27:1-8 (compare Joshua 22:26-28).Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-26Verses 22-26 Moses having entered into the thick darkness, God there spake in his hearing all that follows from hence to the end of chap. 23, which is mostly an exposition of the ten commandments. The laws in these verses relate to God's worship. The Israelites are assured of God's gracious acceptance of their devotions. Under the gospel, men are encouraged to pray every where, and wherever God's people meet in his name to worship him, he will be in the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22-26The Lord is beyond human understanding, as shown by his speaking to the people with a voice from heaven (20:22). This had two effects on their practices: They could not use silver or gold to make human-shaped gods (20:23). They could not carve stones for an altar (20:25). This might be to prevent them from carving stone gods. They must make the altar from earth and uncut stones (20:24, 25). The rule against revealing nakedness might have been to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-2322-23. the Lord said unto Moses--It appears from De 4:14-16, that this injunction was a conclusion drawn from the scene on Sinai--that as no similitude of God was displayed then, they should not attempt to make any visible figure or form of Him.Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 20:23

• Idolatry
• Silver

In the dictionaries

• Book
• Commit
• Covet
• Grave
• Guiltless
• Hold
• Likeness
• Remember
• Steal
• Visit

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