Exodus 34:17 kjv
Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
Exodus 34:17 nkjv
"You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.
Exodus 34:17 niv
"Do not make any idols.
Exodus 34:17 esv
"You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal.
Exodus 34:17 nlt
You must not make any gods of molten metal for yourselves.
Exodus 34 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 20:4 | “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness... | The Second Commandment; broader prohibition against images for worship. |
| Deut 4:15-16 | ...take careful heed to yourselves... lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image, the likeness of any figure... | Moses warns against idolatry based on not seeing God's form at Horeb. |
| Deut 5:8 | You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness... | Echo of the Second Commandment in the renewed covenant at Moab. |
| Lev 19:4 | Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods... | General prohibition against idolatry and specifically molded gods. |
| Psa 115:4-8 | Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands... Those who make them are like them... | Highlights the impotence and folly of idols and their makers. |
| Isa 44:9-20 | Those who make a carved image... make their gods. They are all useless... | Detailed satirical critique of idol making; the futility of human-made gods. |
| Jer 10:3-5 | The customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest... | Contrast between the worthless, man-made idol and the living God. |
| Hos 13:2 | ...make for themselves molded images of their silver... all of it the work of craftsmen... | Prophetic indictment against Israel's persistent idolatry with molten images. |
| Ex 32:4 | And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. | The Golden Calf incident; direct historical context for Ex 34:17. |
| Judg 17:3-4 | ...and he returned the silver to his mother. And his mother said, “I had wholly dedicated the silver... to make a carved image and a molded image.” | Example of individuals in Israel making molten images for worship. |
| 2 Ki 17:16 | So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves a molded image and two calves... | Describes Israel's apostasy through making molten images like the Golden Calf. |
| Neh 9:18 | ...even when they had made for themselves a molded calf, and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt’... | Remembers Israel's sin of the Golden Calf as part of their disobedience. |
| Acts 17:29 | Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. | Paul's sermon on Mars Hill; reconfirms that God cannot be confined to human-made images. |
| Rom 1:22-23 | Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man... | Describes the degradation of humanity through exchanging God's glory for images. |
| 1 Cor 10:14 | Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. | Apostolic command to actively avoid and separate from idol worship. |
| 1 John 5:21 | Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. | Final warning in the epistle, emphasizing personal separation from anything that supplants God. |
| Gal 5:19-20 | Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry... | Idolatry listed as a work of the flesh, opposing spiritual life. |
| Eph 5:5 | For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. | Links covetousness to idolatry and states its eternal consequences. |
| Col 3:5 | Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. | Explains that greed (covetousness) is a form of idolatry in the heart. |
| Rev 9:20 | But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood... | Indicates persistent human inclination to worship physical idols even in judgment. |
| Isa 2:8 | Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made. | Prophetically warns of a land filled with and worship of man-made idols. |
| Hab 2:18-19 | What profit is the carved image, that its maker should carve it... that it should teach? | Critique of the lifeless and powerless nature of idols. |
| Deut 7:25 | You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire... | Command to destroy the idols of the pagan nations they encounter. |
Exodus 34 verses
Exodus 34 17 Meaning
Exodus 34:17 is a concise yet foundational commandment prohibiting the creation of any molten images for the purpose of worship. It reiterates God's demand for exclusive worship and is a direct safeguard against idolatry, asserting His unique nature and the purity of His covenant relationship with Israel. This verse stands as a core tenet of monotheism, distinguishing the worship of the invisible, transcendent God from the anthropomorphic or animalistic representations common in surrounding pagan cultures.
Exodus 34 17 Context
Exodus 34 recounts the renewal of the covenant between God and Israel after the catastrophic Golden Calf incident (Exodus 32). Moses ascends Mount Sinai again, and God, proclaiming His character (Ex 34:6-7), graciously condescends to establish His covenant anew. The verses leading up to 34:17 delineate core commands: not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land (34:15) and not to bow down to their gods or participate in their sacrifices. Therefore, verse 17, "You shall make for yourselves no cast idols," directly reinforces the purity of worship central to the covenant. It is an immediate and specific prohibition born out of the fresh memory of the Golden Calf, which was a molten image, directly addressing the very sin that threatened to sever their relationship with God. The historical context reveals that Canaanite and Egyptian religions prominently featured cast or molded cultic images of deities (like Baal or Apis), against which this commandment served as a stark polemic, guarding Israel's unique relationship with the unseen YHWH.
Exodus 34 17 Word analysis
- You shall make (
lo ta'asehלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה): This is a strong negative command, a negative imperative indicating an absolute and unqualified prohibition. It's not a suggestion but a definitive "you shall not." This directly forbids the act of creation itself, underscoring the severity of the offense. - for yourselves (
lekhaלְךָ): The singular pronoun emphasizes a personal, direct address to each Israelite and also implies a self-serving or self-initiated action. It highlights that the making of these idols stems from human desire to control, represent, or limit the divine, rather than acknowledging God's transcendence. It's about what they would make for their own use or worship, defining their relationship with deity on their own terms. - no cast idols (
massekhahמַסֵּכָה): The Hebrew wordmassekhah(derived from the rootnasak, meaning "to pour out" or "to cast") specifically refers to an image made by melting material (typically metal like gold, silver, or bronze) and pouring it into a mold. This term distinctly recalls the Golden Calf (Ex 32:4), which was explicitly a "molded calf" (egel massekhah). This prohibition is not just against any image but against a specific type often associated with substantial wealth, artistic skill, and widespread pagan practices, making it a direct rejection of contemporary idolatry. It signifies the attempt to physically encapsulate or materialize God, contradicting His infinite and uncontainable nature.
Words-group analysis
- You shall make... no cast idols: This phrase signifies an active and intentional avoidance of any participation in the creation of idolatrous objects. The emphasis is on prevention at the source—not just refraining from worshipping idols, but refraining from their very fabrication. It commands a complete cessation of any action that might lead to an unauthorized or false representation of the divine, securing the uniqueness of YHWH as the sole object of worship, distinct from the crafted deities of other nations. This active proscription served as a constant reminder against syncretism and polytheism.
Exodus 34 17 Bonus section
The explicit mention of massekhah (cast/molten idol) in Ex 34:17 serves a dual purpose. Firstly, it provides a precise theological distinction between YHWH, who reveals Himself through words and actions but remains invisible, and pagan deities, which were typically manifested through crafted effigies. This makes the commandment a profound polemic against the prevailing iconolatry of the Ancient Near East. Secondly, it holds strong symbolic weight, echoing the traumatic experience of the Golden Calf (Exodus 32) where such an idol led to widespread rebellion and nearly shattered the nascent covenant. By singling out this type of idol, God underscores the particular danger it posed to His people's purity of worship and commitment to the covenant. This commandment thus roots the theological truth of God's transcendence in the practical history of Israel's spiritual failings, making it both a doctrinal declaration and a pastoral warning.
Exodus 34 17 Commentary
Exodus 34:17 is a stark reminder of the centrality of monotheistic worship and the unique nature of God. Positioned immediately after the profound act of apostasy with the Golden Calf, this verse is not merely a repeated command but a forceful re-establishment of a core covenant principle. It clarifies that YHWH, unlike the gods of the surrounding nations, cannot be reduced to a human-made image, regardless of its material or craftsmanship. The term "cast idols" specifically indicts attempts to create tangible, limited representations of the divine through human effort, thus substituting God's transcendent being with a human construct. This prohibition guards against reducing God to an object of human control or manipulation.
This command is a spiritual guardrail, preventing Israel from falling into the spiritual and moral degradation often associated with pagan worship, where gods were capricious and easily manipulated through rituals or offerings to their physical images. Instead, YHWH demands exclusive devotion based on His revealed character, not on a physical representation. Practically, for believers, this means prioritizing the unseen God above all else. It encourages self-reflection on anything in one's life—be it possessions, status, or even relationships—that might subtly or overtly take the place of God's supreme authority and value, becoming a functional "idol" demanding one's ultimate devotion or trust. It calls us to trust in the living God, not in human-made contrivances for security or identity.