Exodus 20:5
in Exodus 20You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me,
KJV
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord 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;
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This verse in Exodus 20
Commentary
13 notes on this verseJealous God - This shows in a most expressive manner the love of God to this people. He felt for them as the most affectionate husband could do for his spouse; and was jealous for their fidelity, because he willed their invariable happiness. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children - This necessarily implies - if the children walk in the steps of their fathers; for no man can be condemned by Divine justice for a crime of which he was never guilty; see Ezekiel
This site's exposition
make for yourself an idol
on Exodus 20:4-5
The word for the carved image occurs here first, and a jealous God in the next verse, so God's first self-description at Sinai is that he is jealous. The image is forbidden in heaven, earth and water, all a craftsman could copy. The visiting of iniquity is limited in the same breath to those who hate Me, and Deuteronomy 24:16 forbids putting children to death for their fathers.
This site's exposition
for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read verses 4 and 5 as one command, making in order to bow down and worship. They point to the cherubim and the bronze serpent, both made at God's command, and Hezekiah broke the serpent when Israel burned incense to it at 2 Kings 18:4. Adam Clarke reads jealous as a husband's love for his wife.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Christians and Jews are led to avoid temples and altars and images by the command "You shall fear the Lord your God and him only shall you serve." … And not only do they avoid them, but when necessary they readily come to the point of death to avoid defiling their conception of the God of the universe by any act of this kind contrary to his law.
A commentator
Origen of AlexandriaCOMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 10.221 · Written before 253.
proposed
Now Christ is especially jealous for the house of God in each of us, not wishing it to be a house of merchandise or that the house of prayer become a den of thieves, since he is Son of a jealous God. This is the case if we understand such words from the Scriptures in a reasonable manner, which were spoken metaphorically from the human viewpoint to set forth the fact that God wishes nothing alien to his will to be mingled with the soul of any, but especially with the soul of those who wish to receive [the teachings of the] most divine faith.
When men try to seduce us to apostasy, it is useful to reflect upon what God wishes to teach us when he says, "I am the Lord your God, jealous." In my view, just as the bridegroom who wishes to make his bride live chastely so as to give herself entirely to him and beware of any relationship whatever with any man other than her husband, pretends, though he be wise, to be jealous—he uses this pretense as a kind of antidote for his bride—so the Lawgiver, especially when he reveals himself as "the firstborn of every creature," says to his bride, the soul, that he is a jealous God. In this way he keeps his followers from any fornication with demons and pretended gods.
[God] warns a man inclined to idolatry not to practice it. But when a man who is not so inclined but yet through cowardice, which he calls "accommodation," pretends to worship idols as the masses do, he does not, it is true, worship idols, but he does bow before them. And I would say that they who abjure Christianity in the courtroom or even before they are brought there do not worship idols, but they do bow down before them; for they apply to inanimate and unheeding matter the name of the Lord God, namely "God".
Christians and Jews are led to avoid temples and altars and images by the command "You shall fear the Lord your God and him only shall you serve." … And not only do they avoid them, but when necessary they readily come to the point of death to avoid defiling their conception of the God of the universe by any act of this kind contrary to his law.
5 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
It is obvious that the Jews follow the law where God is represented as saying, "You shall have none other gods but me; you shall not make for yourself an idol nor any likeness of anything in the heaven above and in the earth beneath and in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor worship them." And they worship none other than the supreme God who made heaven and everything else.
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 2 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
There are certain things which avail for the observance of the commandments, and these must be subjoined. It should be noted here that all commandments are either affirmative or negative. Affirmative ones indeed are that man should do good; negative ones, that man should avoid …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Thou shall not bow down thyself to them,....
As the first commandment requires the inward worship of love, desire, joy, hope, and admiration, so the second requires the outward worship of prayer and praise, and solemn attendance on God's word. Note, First, Those that truly love God will make it their constant care and endeavour to keep his commandments, particularly those that relate to his worship.
It also forbids us to make images of God in our fancies, as if he were a man as we are. Our religious worship must be governed by the power of faith, not by the power of imagination. They must not make such images or pictures as the heathen worshipped, lest they also should be tempted to worship them.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִשְׁתַּחְוֶ֥֣ה | tishtachveh | you must bow down | H7812 → | 172 times |
| לָהֶ֖ם֮ | lahem | to <the> them | ||
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תָעָבְדֵ֑ם֒ | taavedem | you must be enticed to serve them | H5647 → | 288 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אָֽנֹכִ֞י | ʾanokhi | I | H595 → | 359 times |
| יְהוָ֤ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ | ʾeloheikha | God your | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֵ֣ל | ʾel | [am] a God | H410 → | 241 times |
| קַנָּ֔א | kana' | jealous | H7067 → | 6 times |
| פֹּ֠קֵד | poked | visiting | H6485 → | 303 times |
| עֲוֹ֨ן | ʾavon | iniquity of | H5771 → | 233 times |
| אָבֹ֧ת | ʾavot | fathers | H1 → | 1212 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בָּנִ֛ים | banim | children | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים | shileshim | a third generation | H8029 → | |
| וְעַל־ | veal- | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| רִבֵּעִ֖ים | ribeim | a fourth generation | H7256 → | |
| לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י׃ | lesoneai | of [those who] hate me | H8130 → | 146 times |
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תִשְׁתַּחְוֶ֥֣הyou must bow down
tishtachvehH7812 →172 times
לָהֶ֖ם֮to <the> them
lahem
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
תָעָבְדֵ֑ם֒you must be enticed to serve them
taavedemH5647 →288 times
כִּ֣יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
אָֽנֹכִ֞יI
ʾanokhiH595 →359 times
יְהוָ֤הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙God your
ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times
אֵ֣ל[am] a God
ʾelH410 →241 times
קַנָּ֔אjealous
kana'H7067 →6 times
פֹּ֠קֵדvisiting
pokedH6485 →303 times
עֲוֹ֨ןiniquity of
ʾavonH5771 →233 times
אָבֹ֧תfathers
ʾavotH1 →1212 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
בָּנִ֛יםchildren
banimH1121 →4930 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥יםa third generation
shileshimH8029 →
וְעַל־and on
veal-H5921 →5755 times
רִבֵּעִ֖יםa fourth generation
ribeimH7256 →
לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י׃of [those who] hate me
lesoneaiH8130 →146 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Deuteronomy 5:9You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth…
it leads to
- Exodus 20:4–6
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.
- Exodus 34:7
maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and…
- Exodus 20:4–6
Through
Numbers 14:18‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon…
it leads to
- Exodus 34:6–7
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
- Psalms 145:8
The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.
- Exodus 34:6–7
Through
Exodus 34:14For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 4:24
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
- Deuteronomy 4:24
Through
Deuteronomy 4:24For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
it leads to
- Hebrews 12:29
“For our God is a consuming fire.”
- Nahum 1:6
Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; even rocks are shattered before Him.
- Deuteronomy 9:3
But understand that today the LORD your God goes across ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will destroy them and subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate…
- Hebrews 12:29
Where this verse is studied
By subject
Worship35 verses
On this page
About Exodus
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bonaventure, Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, AGAINST CELSUS 7.64; Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 10.221; Origen of Alexandria, EXHORTATION TO MARTYRDOM 9; Origen of Alexandria, EXHORTATION TO MARTYRDOM 6 and Origen of Alexandria, AGAINST CELSUS 5.6.