CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Exodus 20:23 You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/exodus/20-23.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/6/02_Exo_20_23.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Exodus 20:23 - Idolatry Forbidden" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script> <script src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/biblehub.js' type='text/javascript'></script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/exodus/20-23.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/exodus/20-23.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/exodus/">Exodus</a> > <a href="/exodus/20.htm">Chapter 20</a> > Verse 23</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad1.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/exodus/20-22.htm" title="Exodus 20:22">◄</a> Exodus 20:23 <a href="/exodus/20-24.htm" title="Exodus 20:24">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Study Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Crossref </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Hebrew </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/exodus/20.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/20.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/exodus/20.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/exodus/20.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/exodus/20.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/exodus/20.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/exodus/20.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />You shall not make <i>anything to be</i> with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/exodus/20.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />You shall not make <i>other gods</i> besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/exodus/20.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/exodus/20.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />‘You shall not make <i>other gods</i> besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/exodus/20.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />You shall not make <i>other gods</i> besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/exodus/20.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />You shall not make <i>other gods</i> [to worship] besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make [these lifeless idols] for yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/exodus/20.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Do not make gods of silver to rival me; do not make gods of gold for yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/exodus/20.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You must not make gods of silver to rival Me; you must not make gods of gold for yourselves.&#8221 <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/exodus/20.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Ye shall not make other gods with me; gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/exodus/20.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />So you must never make idols of silver or gold to worship in place of me. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/exodus/20.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Ye shall not make other gods with me; gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/exodus/20.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Never make any gods of silver or gold for yourselves. Never worship them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/exodus/20.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gold to be worshiped in addition to me. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/exodus/20.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />You are not to make gods of silver alongside me, nor are you to make for yourselves gods of gold. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/exodus/20.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/exodus/20.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />You must not make gods of silver alongside me, nor make gods of gold for yourselves. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/exodus/20.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />You shall most certainly not make alongside of me gods of silver, or gods of gold for yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/exodus/20.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make to you gods of gold.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/exodus/20.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />You shall most certainly not make gods of silver or gods of gold for yourselves to be alongside me. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/exodus/20.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />you do not make gods of silver and gods of gold [to be] with Me—you do not make [any idol] for yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/exodus/20.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> ye do not make with Me gods of silver, even gods of gold ye do not make to yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/exodus/20.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Ye shall not make to me gods of silver, and gods of gold ye shall not make to yourselves.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/exodus/20.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />You shall not make gods of silver, nor shall you make to yourselves gods of gold. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/exodus/20.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />You shall not make gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/exodus/20.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />You shall not make alongside of me gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/exodus/20.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />You shall not make gods of silver alongside me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/exodus/20.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />You shall not make for yourselves gods of gold to be worshipped along with me, neither shall you make for yourselves gods of silver.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/exodus/20.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />You shall not make for yourselves gods of gold with me, neither gods of silver shall you make for yourselves.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/exodus/20.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Ye shall not make with Me--gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/exodus/20.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Ye shall not make to yourselves gods of silver, and gods of gold ye shall not make to yourselves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/exodus/20-23.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kVae3PiKqhs?start=5108" 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/20.htm">Idolatry Forbidden</a></span><br><span class="reftext">22</span>Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven. <span class="reftext">23</span><span class="highl"><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.">You are not</a> <a href="/hebrew/6213.htm" title="6213: ṯa·‘ă·śūn (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp:: Pn) -- To do, make. A primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application.">to make</a> <a href="/hebrew/430.htm" title="430: ’ĕ·lō·hê (N-mpc) -- Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God">any gods</a> <a href="/hebrew/854.htm" title="854: ’it·tî (Prep:: 1cs) -- With (denoting proximity). Probably from 'anah; properly, nearness, near; hence, generally, with, by, at, among, etc.">alongside Me;</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.">you are not</a> <a href="/hebrew/6213.htm" title="6213: ṯa·‘ă·śū (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp) -- To do, make. A primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application.">to make</a> <a href="/hebrew/lā·ḵem (Prep:: 2mp) -- ">for yourselves</a> <a href="/hebrew/430.htm" title="430: wê·lō·hê (Conj-w:: N-mpc) -- Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God">gods</a> <a href="/hebrew/3701.htm" title="3701: ḵe·sep̄ (N-ms) -- Silver, money. From kacaph; silver; by implication, money.">of silver</a> <a href="/hebrew/2091.htm" title="2091: zā·hāḇ (N-ms) -- Gold. From an unused root meaning to shimmer; gold, figuratively, something gold-colored, as oil, a clear sky.">or gold.</a> </span><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/4-15.htm">Deuteronomy 4:15-19</a></span><br />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 / that 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, / of any beast that is on the earth or bird that flies in the air, ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/5-8.htm">Deuteronomy 5:8-9</a></span><br />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. / You 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,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/leviticus/19-4.htm">Leviticus 19:4</a></span><br />Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods. I am the LORD your God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/44-9.htm">Isaiah 44:9-20</a></span><br />All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. / Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing? / Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are only human. Let them all assemble and take their stand; they will all be brought to terror and shame. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/115-4.htm">Psalm 115:4-8</a></span><br />Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/135-15.htm">Psalm 135:15-18</a></span><br />The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. / They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; / they have ears, but cannot hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_kings/12-28.htm">1 Kings 12:28-30</a></span><br />After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” / One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. / And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/17-16.htm">2 Kings 17:16-18</a></span><br />They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal. / They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. / So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/10-3.htm">Jeremiah 10:3-5</a></span><br />For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. / They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. / Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/13-2.htm">Hosea 13:2</a></span><br />Now they sin more and more and make for themselves cast images, idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. People say of them, “They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calves!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/17-29.htm">Acts 17:29</a></span><br />Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/1-22.htm">Romans 1:22-23</a></span><br />Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, / and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/10-19.htm">1 Corinthians 10:19-20</a></span><br />Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? / No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/8-4.htm">1 Corinthians 8:4-6</a></span><br />So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one. / For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many so-called gods and lords), / yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_john/5-21.htm">1 John 5:21</a></span><br />Little children, keep yourselves from idols.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">You shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall you make to you gods of gold.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/20-3.htm">Exodus 20:3-5</a></b></br> Thou shalt have no other gods before me… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/32-1.htm">Exodus 32:1-4</a></b></br> And 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 <i>as for</i> this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_samuel/5-4.htm">1 Samuel 5:4,5</a></b></br> And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon <i>was</i> fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands <i>were</i> cut off upon the threshold; only <i>the stump of</i> Dagon was left to him… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/exodus/2-5.htm">Alongside</a> <a href="/exodus/18-2.htm">Besides</a> <a href="/exodus/20-3.htm">Gods</a> <a href="/exodus/12-35.htm">Gold</a> <a href="/exodus/12-35.htm">Silver</a> <a href="/exodus/20-22.htm">Yourselves</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/numbers/21-13.htm">Alongside</a> <a href="/leviticus/2-16.htm">Besides</a> <a href="/exodus/21-6.htm">Gods</a> <a href="/exodus/25-3.htm">Gold</a> <a href="/exodus/21-32.htm">Silver</a> <a href="/exodus/22-21.htm">Yourselves</a><div class="vheading2">Exodus 20</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/20-1.htm">The ten commandments are spoken by Jehovah</a></span><br><span class="reftext">18. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/20-18.htm">The people are afraid, but Moses comforts them</a></span><br><span class="reftext">21. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/20-21.htm">Idolatry is forbidden</a></span><br><span class="reftext">23. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/20-23.htm">Of what sort the altar should be</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 /> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading"><a href="/study/exodus/20.htm">Berean Study Bible</a></div><b>You are not to make any gods alongside Me</b><br />This phrase begins with a direct command from God, emphasizing the exclusivity of worship that He demands. The Hebrew word for "gods" here is "elohim," which can refer to deities or powerful beings. In the context of ancient Israel, surrounded by polytheistic cultures, this command underscores the monotheistic foundation of the Israelite faith. The phrase "alongside Me" highlights the unique and unparalleled position of Yahweh as the one true God. Historically, this command served as a safeguard against syncretism, the blending of Yahweh worship with the worship of other deities, which was a constant temptation for the Israelites.<p><b>you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold</b><br />The prohibition against creating "gods of silver or gold" speaks to the tangible, material nature of idols that were prevalent in the ancient Near East. The Hebrew words for "silver" (kesef) and "gold" (zahav) indicate wealth and beauty, which were often associated with divine images. This commandment is not just about the physical act of crafting idols but also addresses the heart's inclination to trust in material wealth and beauty as sources of security and power. The historical context reveals that such idols were common in surrounding cultures, serving as a constant temptation for the Israelites to abandon their covenant with Yahweh. This commandment calls believers to a higher standard of faith, one that relies solely on the invisible, yet all-powerful, God of Israel.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/exodus/20.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(23) <span class= "bld">Ye shall not make with me gods of silver.</span>--The expression "make with me" is unusual, but does not seem to have any peculiar force. Gods of silver and gods of gold are specially forbidden, because it was to idolatry of this kind that the Israelites were specially inclined. The golden calf is no isolated phenomenon. Molten images of gods, generally of silver, sometimes of gold, were objects of worship to Israel throughout the ages which preceded the Captivity. Jeroboam set up molten images at Dan and Bethel (Kings 14:9; <a href="/2_kings/17-16.htm" title="And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.">2Kings 17:16</a>). Baal was worshipped under the semblance of a molten image (<a href="/2_chronicles/28-2.htm" title="For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.">2Chronicles 28:2</a>) as were probably Ashtaroth, Chemosh, and Moloch. The animal worship of the Egyptians had no attractions for the Hebrews; they did not offer to images of stone or marble, like the Assyrians or the Greeks; much less was it their habit to "bow down to stocks," like so many of the heathen nations around them. The "molten image," generally completed by a certain amount of graving, was the form of idol which had most charms for them, and the more precious the material the more satisfied were they to worship it. (Comp. <a href="/isaiah/30-22.htm" title="You shall defile also the covering of your graven images of silver, and the ornament of your molten images of gold: you shall cast them away as a menstruous cloth; you shall say to it, Get you hence.">Isaiah 30:22</a>; <a href="/isaiah/42-17.htm" title="They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, You are our gods.">Isaiah 42:17</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/10-14.htm" title="Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.">Jeremiah 10:14</a>; <a href="/hosea/13-2.htm" title="And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.">Hosea 13:2</a>, &c.). Occasionally indeed they overlaid wood or stone with plates of gold or silver, to produce an idol (<a href="/habakkuk/2-19.htm" title="Woe to him that said to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the middle of it.">Habakkuk 2:19</a>); but such images were at once less common and held in less account. . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/exodus/20.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 23.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Ye shall not make with me gods of silver</span>, etc. This is a repetition, in part, of the second commandment, and can only be accounted for by the prohibition being specially needed. The first idea of the Israelites, when they considered that Moses had deserted them, was to make a golden calf for a god. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/exodus/20-23.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 are not</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹ֥א</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">to make</span><br /><span class="heb">תַעֲשׂ֖וּן</span> <span class="translit">(ṯa·‘ă·śūn)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6213.htm">Strong's 6213: </a> </span><span class="str2">To do, make</span><br /><br /><span class="word">any gods</span><br /><span class="heb">אֱלֹ֤הֵי</span> <span class="translit">(’ĕ·lō·hê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct<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 /><br /><span class="word">to rival Me;</span><br /><span class="heb">אִתִּ֑י</span> <span class="translit">(’it·tî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_854.htm">Strong's 854: </a> </span><span class="str2">Nearness, near, with, by, at, among</span><br /><br /><span class="word">you are not</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹ֥א</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">to make</span><br /><span class="heb">תַעֲשׂ֖וּ</span> <span class="translit">(ṯa·‘ă·śū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6213.htm">Strong's 6213: </a> </span><span class="str2">To do, make</span><br /><br /><span class="word">for yourselves</span><br /><span class="heb">לָכֶֽם׃</span> <span class="translit">(lā·ḵem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | second 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">gods</span><br /><span class="heb">וֵאלֹהֵ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(wê·lō·hê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct<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 /><br /><span class="word">of silver</span><br /><span class="heb">כֶ֙סֶף֙</span> <span class="translit">(ḵe·sep̄)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3701.htm">Strong's 3701: </a> </span><span class="str2">Silver, money</span><br /><br /><span class="word">or gold.</span><br /><span class="heb">זָהָ֔ב</span> <span class="translit">(zā·hāḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2091.htm">Strong's 2091: </a> </span><span class="str2">Gold, something gold-colored, as oil, a clear sky</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/exodus/20-23.htm">Exodus 20:23 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/exodus/20-23.htm">OT Law: Exodus 20:23 You shall most certainly not make alongside (Exo. Ex) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/exodus/20-22.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Exodus 20:22"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Exodus 20:22" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/exodus/20-24.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Exodus 20:24"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Exodus 20:24" /></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>