Exodus 20:4
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This commandment’s sweeping scope reveals that God’s prohibition extends beyond mere statues to any created thing, emphasizing that He is utterly transcendent and cannot be confined to a material likeness, even of celestial beings or the deepest parts of the earth. The exhaustive list isn’t about limiting art, but about safeguarding against mistaking any created thing for the Creator, thereby protecting us from the subtle slide into worshiping the world instead of the One who made it.
This commandment comes right after God declares His identity as the one who brought Israel out of slavery. It's a direct instruction about how to worship Him, following the declaration that He alone is God. The prohibition of making carved images or likenesses of anything in creation is rooted in the surrounding nations' rampant idolatry, and it sets Israel apart as God’s people, worshipping a spiritual, unseen God.
This command feels absolute: 'You shall not make...any likeness.' So why did God Himself later command images in the Tabernacle and Temple? What's going on here?
This prohibition isn't about banning art or craftsmanship. God isn't against skilled hands creating beauty! The core issue is why the image is made and how it relates to worship.
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Why the specific mention of 'heaven above,' 'earth beneath,' and 'water under the earth'? What does this detailed description reveal about God's authority?
This comprehensive list isn't just about covering all the bases of potential idol subjects; it’s a powerful declaration of God's sovereignty over the entire cosmos.
Understand the original words
pesel · Hebrew Noun
An idol or physical representation intended to represent God or a divine being. The prohibition prevents the attempt to contain, manipulate, or localize the presence of the infinite God through created materials.
This passage directly echoes Exodus 20:4, emphasizing that Israel saw no form of God at Sinai and warning them against making any likenesses to worship, reinforcing the spiritual nature of God.
Psalm 115:4-8This psalm starkly contrasts the lifeless, man-made idols with the living God, highlighting the futility and foolishness of worshipping images, a direct consequence of breaking this commandment.
Isaiah 40:18-20The prophet Isaiah powerfully mocks the practice of making idols, describing the laborious and ultimately pointless process of crafting an image that is nothing like the true, incomparable God.
Acts 17:29Paul's sermon in Athens, where he confronts the Greeks' devotion to idols, illustrates the pervasive nature of idolatry and directly applies the principle of not thinking of God as like gold or stone.
Romans 1:21-23This passage explains the spiritual trajectory that leads to idolatry: people knew God but did not honor Him, exchanging His truth for a lie and worshipping created things rather than the Creator, which is the root issue this commandment addresses.
clarkeExodus 20:4: "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:"
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image - As the word פסל pasal signifies to hew, carve, grave, etc., פסל pesel may here signify any kind of image, either of wood, stone, or metal, on which the axe, the chisel, or the graving tool has been employed. This commandment includes in its prohibitions eve…
calvinExodus 20:4-6: "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:"
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;
Non adorabis ea, neque coles ea, ego enim Jehova Deus tuus, Deus zelotes, visitans iniq…
This commandment’s sweeping scope reveals that God’s prohibition extends beyond mere statues to any created thing, emphasizing that He is utterly transcendent and cannot be confined to a material likeness, even of celestial beings or the deepest parts of the earth. The exhaustive list isn’t about limiting art, but about safeguarding against mistaking any created thing for the Creator, thereby protecting us from the subtle slide into worshiping the world instead of the One who made it.
This commandment comes right after God declares His identity as the one who brought Israel out of slavery. It's a direct instruction about how to worship Him, following the declaration that He alone is God. The prohibition of making carved images or likenesses of anything in creation is rooted in the surrounding nations' rampant idolatry, and it sets Israel apart as God’s people, worshipping a spiritual, unseen God.
This commandment comes right after God declares His identity as the one who brought Israel out of slavery. It's a direct instruction about how to worship Him, following the declaration that He alone is God. The prohibition of making carved images or likenesses of anything in creation is rooted in the surrounding nations' rampant idolatry, and it sets Israel apart as God’s people, worshipping a spiritual, unseen God.
"“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." — This commandment’s sweeping scope reveals that God’s prohibition extends beyond mere statues to any created thing, emphasizing that He is utterly transcendent and cannot be confined to a material l…
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