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Deuteronomy 5:8

in Deuteronomy 5

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor 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:

KJV

Thou 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:

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This verse in Deuteronomy 5

Commentary

2 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

You shall not make for yourself an idol

on Deuteronomy 5:8-11

The second word forbids making an idol and bowing to it, and verse 9 names God "a jealous God" as the reason. The "third and fourth generations" stand against "a thousand generations," so mercy far outreaches the visiting of iniquity.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

Thou shalt not make any graven image - Hast thou not formed any gross image of God in thy mind? Hast thou always thought of him as a pure spirit, whom no man hath seen, nor can see? And hast thou worshipped him with thy body, as well as with thy spirit, seeing both of them are God's?

The words behind it

16 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • לֹֽ֣א־not

    lo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • תַעֲשֶׂ֥ה־you must make

    taaseh-H6213 →2628 times

  • לְךָ֥֣for yourself

    lekha

  • פֶ֣֙סֶל֙׀an image of

    feselH6459 →31 times

  • כָּל־any

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • תְּמוּנָ֔֡הform

    temunahH8544 →10 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֤֣רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • בַּשָּׁמַ֣֙יִם֙׀[is] in the heavens

    bashamayimH8064 →421 times

  • מִמַּ֔֡עַל<from> above

    mimaalH4605 →140 times

  • וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩and which

    vaasherH834 →5497 times

  • בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ[is] on the earth

    baaretzH776 →2504 times

  • מִתָּ֑֜חַת<from> beneath

    mitachatH8478 →505 times

  • וַאֲשֶׁ֥רand which

    vaasherH834 →5497 times

  • בַּמַּ֖֣יִם׀[is] in the waters

    bamayimH4325 →581 times

  • מִתַּ֥֣חַתfrom under

    mitachatH8478 →505 times

  • לָאָֽ֗רֶץ׃to the earth

    laaretzH776 →2504 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

7 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Exodus 20:4You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.40 worksRomans 1:23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.7 worksDeuteronomy 27:15‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’5 worksIsaiah 40:25“To whom will you liken Me, or who is My equal?” asks the Holy One.5 worksDeuteronomy 4:15–19So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful4 worksDeuteronomy 4:16that you do not act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves of any form or shape, whether in the likeness of a male or female,4 works
The other 1 cross-references, with their words ▾
Psalms 97:7All worshipers of images are put to shame— those who boast in idols. Worship Him, all you gods!2 works

The walk

5 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Exodus 20:4

    You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

    it leads to

    • Leviticus 26:1

      “You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar; you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am…

    • Deuteronomy 4:15–19

      So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful

    • Psalms 97:7

      All worshipers of images are put to shame— those who boast in idols. Worship Him, all you gods!

    • Leviticus 19:4

      Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods. I am the LORD your God.

    • Deuteronomy 27:15

      ‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people…

Where this verse is studied

About Deuteronomy

Moses Viewing the Promised Land, Frederic Edwin Church, 1846. Public domain.
Moses Viewing the Promised Land, Frederic Edwin Church, 1846. Public domain.
Deuteronomy: the study guide →Read Deuteronomy 5 →

This page draws on John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch.

Read on in Deuteronomy 5 →