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href="/bsb/exodus/23.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/exodus/23.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/exodus/23.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />“Make no treaties with them or their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/exodus/23.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/exodus/23.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/exodus/23.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/exodus/23.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/exodus/23.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/exodus/23.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/exodus/23.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/exodus/23.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />You shall cut no covenant with them or with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/exodus/23.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />You shall not make a covenant with them or with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/exodus/23.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You must not make a covenant with them or their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/exodus/23.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You must not make a covenant with them or their gods. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/exodus/23.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/exodus/23.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />But you must not make any agreements with them or with their gods. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/exodus/23.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/exodus/23.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Never make a treaty with them and their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/exodus/23.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Do not make any agreement with them or with their gods. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/exodus/23.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />You are not to make a covenant with them or with their gods. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/exodus/23.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/exodus/23.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />"You must make no covenant with them or with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/exodus/23.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/exodus/23.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/exodus/23.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/exodus/23.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />You do not make a covenant with them and with their gods;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/exodus/23.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> thou dost not make a covenant with them, and with their gods;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/exodus/23.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Thou shalt not make a covenant with them and to their gods.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/exodus/23.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Thou shalt not enter into league with them, nor with their gods. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/exodus/23.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />You shall not enter into a pact with them, nor with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/exodus/23.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />You shall not make a covenant with them or their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/exodus/23.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/exodus/23.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their idols.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/exodus/23.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />You shall not cause a covenant to stand with them and with their idols.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/exodus/23.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/exodus/23.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Thou shalt make no covenant with them and their gods.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/exodus/23-32.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kVae3PiKqhs?start=6016" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/exodus/23.htm">God's Angel to Lead</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">31</span>And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. <span class="reftext">32</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3772.htm" title="3772: ṯiḵ·rōṯ (V-Qal-Imperf-2ms) -- To cut off, cut down. A primitive root; to cut; by implication, to destroy or consume; specifically, to covenant.">You shall make</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō- (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">no</a> <a href="/hebrew/1285.htm" title="1285: bə·rîṯ (N-fs) -- A covenant. From barah (like bara'); a compact.">covenant</a> <a href="/hebrew/lā·hem (Prep:: 3mp) -- ">with them</a> <a href="/hebrew/430.htm" title="430: wə·lê·lō·hê·hem (Conj-w, Prep-l:: N-mpc:: 3mp) -- Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God">or with their gods.</a> </span><span class="reftext">33</span>They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/7-2.htm">Deuteronomy 7:2</a></span><br />and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/20-16.htm">Deuteronomy 20:16-18</a></span><br />However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. / For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, / so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/joshua/23-12.htm">Joshua 23:12-13</a></span><br />For if you turn away and cling to the rest of these nations that remain among you, and if you intermarry and associate with them, / know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/judges/2-2.htm">Judges 2:2-3</a></span><br />and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done? / So now I tell you that I will not drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/106-34.htm">Psalm 106:34-36</a></span><br />They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them, / but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. / They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/12-2.htm">Deuteronomy 12:2-3</a></span><br />Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. / Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/31-16.htm">Deuteronomy 31:16</a></span><br />And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/17-15.htm">2 Kings 17:15</a></span><br />They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_chronicles/19-2.htm">2 Chronicles 19:2</a></span><br />Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezra/9-12.htm">Ezra 9:12</a></span><br />Now, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, leaving it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nehemiah/9-2.htm">Nehemiah 9:2</a></span><br />Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/2-6.htm">Isaiah 2:6</a></span><br />For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east; they are soothsayers like the Philistines; they strike hands with the children of foreigners.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/2-17.htm">Hosea 2:17</a></span><br />For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals; no longer will their names be invoked.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/10-20.htm">1 Corinthians 10:20-21</a></span><br />No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. / You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_corinthians/6-14.htm">2 Corinthians 6:14-17</a></span><br />Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? / What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” ...</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.</p><p class="hdg">shalt make</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/34-12.htm">Exodus 34:12,15</a></b></br> Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/7-2.htm">Deuteronomy 7:2</a></b></br> And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, <i>and</i> utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/joshua/9-14.htm">Joshua 9:14-23</a></b></br> And the men took of their victuals, and asked not <i>counsel</i> at the mouth of the LORD… </p><p class="hdg">nor with</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/numbers/25-1.htm">Numbers 25:1,2</a></b></br> And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/7-16.htm">Deuteronomy 7:16</a></b></br> And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that <i>will be</i> a snare unto thee.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/exodus/23-1.htm">Agreement</a> <a href="/exodus/19-5.htm">Covenant</a> <a href="/exodus/23-24.htm">Gods</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/exodus/24-7.htm">Agreement</a> <a href="/exodus/24-7.htm">Covenant</a> <a href="/exodus/23-33.htm">Gods</a><div class="vheading2">Exodus 23</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-1.htm">Of slander, false witness, and partiality</a></span><br><span class="reftext">4. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-4.htm">Of charitableness</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-6.htm">Of justice in judgment</a></span><br><span class="reftext">8. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-8.htm">Of taking bribes</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-9.htm">Of oppressing a stranger</a></span><br><span class="reftext">10. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-10.htm">Of the year of rest</a></span><br><span class="reftext">12. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-12.htm">Of the Sabbath</a></span><br><span class="reftext">13. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-13.htm">Of idolatry</a></span><br><span class="reftext">14. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-14.htm">Of the three feasts</a></span><br><span class="reftext">18. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-18.htm">Of the blood and the fat of the sacrifice</a></span><br><span class="reftext">20. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/23-20.htm">An angel is promised, with a blessing, if they obey him</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/exodus/23.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/exodus/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/exodus/23.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>You shall make no covenant with them</b><br>This command is given to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. The "them" refers to the inhabitants of Canaan, including the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These nations were known for their idolatrous practices and moral corruption. The prohibition against making covenants is a safeguard to prevent the Israelites from being influenced by pagan customs and beliefs. Historically, covenants were binding agreements that often included mutual obligations and could lead to alliances that compromised religious and cultural integrity. This command underscores the importance of remaining distinct and faithful to God's laws, avoiding syncretism and the dilution of their faith.<p><b>or with their gods</b><br>The gods of the Canaanites were numerous and included deities like Baal and Asherah, who were worshipped through rituals that often involved immoral practices. The Israelites are warned against forming any agreements that would acknowledge or legitimize these false gods. This phrase highlights the exclusivity of worship that God demands, as seen in the First Commandment: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (<a href="/exodus/20-3.htm">Exodus 20:3</a>). Theologically, this reflects the monotheistic foundation of Israel's faith and the call to worship Yahweh alone. The warning also serves as a prophetic insight into the future struggles Israel would face with idolatry, as seen in the books of Judges and Kings. This command is a type of Christ, who fulfills the law and calls His followers to a pure and undivided devotion to God, as seen in His teachings in the New Testament.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/i/israelites.htm">Israelites</a></b><br>The chosen people of God, who are being instructed in this passage. They are on their journey to the Promised Land and are receiving laws and commandments from God through Moses.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/c/canaanites_and_other_inhabitants.htm">Canaanites and Other Inhabitants</a></b><br>The people living in the Promised Land whom the Israelites are instructed not to make covenants with. These groups often worshipped other gods and practiced idolatry.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God (Yahweh)</a></b><br>The one true God who is giving these commandments to protect His people from idolatry and to maintain their purity and devotion to Him.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/m/moses.htm">Moses</a></b><br>The leader of the Israelites who is receiving and conveying God's laws to the people.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/p/promised_land.htm">Promised Land</a></b><br>The land of Canaan, which God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a place of both physical and spiritual significance for the Israelites.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/a/avoiding_compromise.htm">Avoiding Compromise</a></b><br>The command to make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land underscores the importance of avoiding spiritual compromise. Believers today are called to maintain their distinctiveness and not be swayed by worldly influences.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/guarding_against_idolatry.htm">Guarding Against Idolatry</a></b><br>Just as the Israelites were warned against the gods of the Canaanites, Christians must be vigilant against modern forms of idolatry, which can take the form of materialism, power, or other distractions from God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/f/faithfulness_to_god.htm">Faithfulness to God</a></b><br>This passage highlights the necessity of remaining faithful to God alone. In a world with many competing loyalties, believers are reminded to prioritize their relationship with God above all else.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_danger_of_alliances.htm">The Danger of Alliances</a></b><br>Forming alliances with those who do not share the same faith can lead to spiritual compromise. Christians are encouraged to seek relationships that strengthen their faith and commitment to God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/holiness_and_separation.htm">Holiness and Separation</a></b><br>The call to make no covenant is a call to holiness and separation from sin. Believers are to live lives that reflect God's holiness and are set apart for His purposes.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_exodus_23.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Exodus 23</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_ezekiel_8's_view_on_idols_compare.htm">How does the severe condemnation of these idolatries in Ezekiel 8 align or conflict with other biblical accounts of tolerating foreign gods?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_deut._27_8_imply_clearer_law_writing.htm">Does the command in Deuteronomy 27:8 to write the Law 'very clearly' imply a significant difference from earlier recordings of the Law?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_reconcile_exodus_34_14_with_polytheism.htm">(Exodus 34:14) How do we reconcile the commandment against worshiping other gods with archaeological finds suggesting Israel's early polytheistic practices?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/can_prayer_alter_god's_decisions.htm">Can prayer alter God's decisions?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/exodus/23.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(32) <span class= "bld">Thou shalt make no covenant with them</span>--<span class= "ital">i.e., </span>no treaty of peace; no arrangement by which one part of the land shall be thine and another theirs. (Comp. <a href="/exodus/34-12.htm" title="Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you go, lest it be for a snare in the middle of you:">Exodus 34:12</a>.)<span class= "bld"><p>Nor with their gods.</span>--It was customary at the time for treaties between nations to contain an acknowledgment by each of the other's gods. (See the treaty between Rameses II. And the Hittites in the <span class= "ital">Records of the Past, </span>vol. iv., pp. 27-32.) Thus a treaty with a nation was a sort of treaty with its gods.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/exodus/23.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 32, 33.</span> - FINAL WARNING AGAINST IDOLATRY. The "Book of the Covenant" ends as it began, with a solemn warning against idolatry. (See <a href="/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23</a>.) "Thou shalt make no covenant with them <span class="accented">nor with their gods</span>." Thou shalt not even suffer them to dwell side by side with thee in the land, on peaceable terms, with their own laws and religion, lest thou be ensnared thereby, and led to worship their idols and join in their unhallowed rites (ver. 33). The after history of the people of Israel shows the need of the warning. From the exodus to the captivity, every idolatry with which they came into close contact proved a sore temptation to them. As the author of Kings observes of the Ten Tribes" - The children of Israel did secretly those things which were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities... And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree; and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger; for they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, "Ye shall not do this thing" (<a href="/2_kings/17-9.htm">2 Kings 17:9-12</a>). <span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 32.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Thou shalt make no covenant with them</span>. See below, <a href="/exodus/34-12.htm">Exodus 34:12-15</a>. According to the forms usual at the time, a treaty of peace would have contained an acknowledgment of the gods of either nation, and words in honour of them. (See the "Treaty of Rameses II. with the Hittites," given in the <span class="accented">Records of the Past</span>, vol. 4. pp. 27-32.) This would have been equivalent to "making a covenant with their gods." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/exodus/23-32.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">You shall make</span><br /><span class="heb">תִכְרֹ֥ת</span> <span class="translit">(ṯiḵ·rōṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3772.htm">Strong's 3772: </a> </span><span class="str2">To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant</span><br /><br /><span class="word">no</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹֽא־</span> <span class="translit">(lō-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">covenant</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּרִֽית׃</span> <span class="translit">(bə·rîṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1285.htm">Strong's 1285: </a> </span><span class="str2">A covenant</span><br /><br /><span class="word">with them</span><br /><span class="heb">לָהֶ֛ם</span> <span class="translit">(lā·hem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/.htm">Strong's Hebrew</a> </span><span class="str2"></span><br /><br /><span class="word">or with their gods.</span><br /><span class="heb">וְלֵאלֹֽהֵיהֶ֖ם</span> <span class="translit">(wə·lê·lō·hê·hem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_430.htm">Strong's 430: </a> </span><span class="str2">gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/exodus/23-32.htm">Exodus 23:32 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/exodus/23-32.htm">Exodus 23:32 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/exodus/23-32.htm">Exodus 23:32 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/exodus/23-32.htm">Exodus 23:32 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/exodus/23-32.htm">Exodus 23:32 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/exodus/23-32.htm">Exodus 23:32 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/exodus/23-32.htm">Exodus 23:32 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/exodus/23-32.htm">Exodus 23:32 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/exodus/23-32.htm">Exodus 23:32 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/exodus/23-32.htm">Exodus 23:32 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/exodus/23-32.htm">OT Law: Exodus 23:32 You shall make no covenant with them (Exo. Ex) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/exodus/23-31.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Exodus 23:31"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Exodus 23:31" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/exodus/23-33.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Exodus 23:33"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Exodus 23:33" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>