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

2I am Yhwh thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 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: 5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I Yhwh thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

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

• 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 32:1And 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.
• Exodus 34:17Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
• Leviticus 19:4Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am Yhwh your God.
• Leviticus 26:1Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am Yhwh your God.
• Deuteronomy 4:15Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that Yhwh spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
• Deuteronomy 5:8Thou shalt not make 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 waters beneath the earth:
• Deuteronomy 27:15Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto Yhwh, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
• 1 Kings 12:28Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
• 2 Chronicles 33:7And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
• Psalms 97:7Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.
• Psalms 115:4Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
• Psalms 135:15The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
• Isaiah 40:18To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
• Isaiah 42:8I am Yhwh: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
• Isaiah 44:9They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.
• Isaiah 45:16They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.

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