Exodus 20:23
21 And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
22 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.
You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.
24 You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
25 Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.
This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.
- KJV
- Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
- WEB
- You shall most certainly not make gods of silver or gods of gold for yourselves to be alongside me.
- ASV
- Ye shall not make [other gods] with me; gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto you.
- DARBY
- Ye shall not make beside me gods of silver, and ye shall not make to you gods of gold.
- BLB
- You⁺ shall not make alongside Me gods of silver; and gods of gold you⁺ shall not make for yourselves.
- ÅB
- Dere skal ikke lage dere noen gud ved siden av meg; guder av sølv eller guder av gull skal dere ikke lage dere.
- OTB
- Dere skal ikke lage noen guder ved siden av meg; guder av sølv eller guder av gull, skal dere ikke lage for dere selv.
- B1930
- I skal ikke gjøre eder nogen gud ved siden av mig; guder av sølv eller guder av gull skal I ikke gjøre eder.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Ezekiel 20:39
And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.
Read in contextZephaniah 1:5
those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,
Read in context2 Kings 17:33
They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away.
Read in contextRevelation 22:15
But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Read in contextExodus 20:3–5
You shall have no other gods before Me.
Read in contextExodus 32:31
So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves.
Read in context1 Corinthians 10:21–22
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.
Read in context1 John 5:20–21
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Read in context