Deuteronomy 4:16
14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.
15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,
18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
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
- 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,
- KJV
- Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
- WEB
- lest you corrupt yourselves, and make yourself a carved image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
- ASV
- Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
- DARBY
- lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the form of any figure, the pattern of male or female,
- BLB
- lest you⁺ act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female—
- ÅB
- at dere ikke forsynder dere med å gjøre dere noe utskåret bilde, noe slags avgudsbilde, i skikkelse av mann eller kvinne
- OTB
- Så dere ikke blir fordervet og lager dere et idol, et bilde av noen form, enten i form av en mann eller en kvinne,
- B1930
- at I ikke forsynder eder med å gjøre eder noget utskåret billede, noget slags avgudsbillede, i skikkelse av mann eller kvinne
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Acts 17:29
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 5:8
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:
Read in contextRomans 1:22–24
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Read in contextDeuteronomy 4:23
Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.
Read in contextExodus 20:4–5
Thou shalt not make unto 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 water under the earth:
Read in contextExodus 32:7
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
Read in contextPsalms 106:19–20
They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.
Read in contextActs 20:4–5
And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.
Read in context