Exodus 20:4

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth.

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

    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:

  • KJV1611 – Modern English

    You shall not make for yourself any 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.

  • King James Version 1611 (Original)

    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:

  • American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

    Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor 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:

  • King James Version with Strong's Numbers

    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:

  • Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

    Thou shalt make the no grauen ymage, nether any symilitude that is in heauen aboue, ether in the erth beneth, or in the water that ys beneth the erth.

  • Coverdale Bible (1535)

    Thou shalt make the no grauen ymage ner eny symilitude, nether of it that is aboue in heauen, ner of it that is beneth vpon earth, ner of it that is in the water vnder the earth.

  • Geneva Bible (1560)

    Thou shalt make thee no grauen image, neither any similitude of things that are in heauen aboue, neither that are in the earth beneath, nor that are in the waters vnder the earth.

  • Bishops' Bible (1568)

    Thou shalt make thee no grauen image, neyther any similitude that is in heauen aboue, eyther in the earth beneath, or in the waters vnder the earth.

  • Authorized King James Version (1611)

    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:

  • Webster's Bible (1833)

    "You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

  • Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

    `Thou dost not make to thyself a graven image, or any likeness which `is' in the heavens above, or which `is' in the earth beneath, or which `is' in the waters under the earth.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor 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.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor 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:

  • Bible in Basic English (1941)

    You are not to make an image or picture of anything in heaven or on the earth or in the waters under the earth:

  • World English Bible (2000)

    "You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

  • NET Bible® (New English Translation)

    “You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below.

Referenced Verses

  • Lev 26:1 : 1 Do not make idols for yourselves, or set up a carved image or a sacred pillar for yourselves, and do not place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God.
  • Deut 4:15-19 : 15 So be very careful for your own lives, because you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire. 16 Do not act corruptly by making for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure, whether male or female. 17 Or in the form of any animal on the earth, or any bird that flies in the sky, 18 Or any creature that moves along the ground, or any fish in the waters below the earth. 19 And be careful not to lift your eyes toward the heavens and see the sun, the moon, and the stars—all the host of heaven—and be led astray to bow down to them and worship them, things the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.
  • Ps 97:7 : 7 All who serve carved images and boast in idols are put to shame; bow down to Him, all you gods!
  • Deut 27:15 : 15 Cursed is anyone who makes a carved or cast idol, an abomination to the LORD, the work of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret. Then all the people shall say, 'Amen.'
  • Lev 19:4 : 4 Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.
  • Acts 17:29 : 29 Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold, silver, or stone—an image formed by human skill and imagination.
  • Isa 45:16 : 16 They will all be ashamed and humiliated, all of them will walk in disgrace—the makers of idols.
  • Rev 14:9-9 : 9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they too will drink the wine of God's wrath, which has been poured full strength into the cup of His anger. They will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark bearing its name."
  • Rev 16:2 : 2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
  • 1 Kgs 12:28 : 28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.
  • 2 Chr 33:7 : 7 Manasseh took a carved idol that he had made and placed it in the temple of God, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, 'In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.'
  • Acts 19:26-35 : 26 You see and hear that not only in Ephesus but almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great number of people by saying that gods made by hands are not really gods. 27 Not only is there a danger that our trade might fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis might be discredited, and her magnificence, whom all of Asia and the world worship, might be destroyed. 28 When they heard this, they were filled with rage and began shouting, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed together to the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's traveling companions. 30 Paul wanted to go in before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, urging him not to venture into the theater. 32 Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in disarray, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd gave instructions to him. Alexander motioned with his hand and wanted to make a defense to the assembly. 34 But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 35 When the city clerk had calmed the crowd, he said, "Men of Ephesus, who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image that fell from heaven?
  • Rom 1:23 : 23 And they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, animals, and creeping things.
  • Rev 9:20 : 20 The rest of humanity, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.
  • Rev 13:14-15 : 14 It deceives those who dwell on the earth by the signs it was allowed to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 It was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could speak and cause all who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
  • Isa 46:5-8 : 5 To whom will you compare Me or make Me equal? Who will you liken Me to, that we may be alike? 6 They pour out gold from their purses and weigh silver on a scale. They hire a craftsman to make it into a god, and they bow down and even worship it. 7 They lift it on their shoulders and carry it; they set it in its place, and there it stays. It does not move from its spot. If someone cries to it, it cannot answer or save them from their troubles. 8 Remember this and show yourselves to be men; take it to heart, you transgressors.
  • Jer 10:3-5 : 3 For the customs of the nations are worthless. They cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped by the hands of a craftsman with a chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so it will not totter. 5 They are like scarecrows in a cucumber field; they cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm—nor can they do any good.
  • Jer 10:8-9 : 8 They are all senseless and foolish; their instruction comes from worthless idols. 9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz—the work of the craftsman and of the goldsmith. Their clothing is blue and purple, all made by skilled workers.
  • Jer 10:14-16 : 14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by their idols. The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them. 15 They are worthless, a work of mockery; at the time of their punishment, they will perish. 16 The portion of Jacob is not like these, for He is the Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance—the Lord Almighty is His name.
  • Ezek 8:10 : 10 So I went in and looked, and behold, there were all sorts of carvings of crawling things, detestable animals, and all the idols of the house of Israel engraved on the walls all around.
  • Ps 115:4-8 : 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see. 6 They have ears but cannot hear, noses but cannot smell. 7 They have hands but cannot touch, feet but cannot walk, nor can they make a sound with their throats. 8 Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.
  • Ps 135:15-18 : 15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 16 They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see. 17 They have ears but cannot hear; there is no breath in their mouths. 18 Those who make them will become like them; so will all who trust in them.
  • Isa 40:18-20 : 18 To whom, then, will you compare God? What image can you find to resemble Him? 19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. 20 A person who is too poor to afford such an idol selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.
  • Isa 42:8 : 8 I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
  • Isa 42:17 : 17 They will be turned back; they will be utterly ashamed—those who trust in carved idols and say to molten images, 'You are our gods.'
  • Isa 44:9-9 : 9 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses see nothing and know nothing, so they will be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that can profit nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, and the craftsmen are mere men. Let them all assemble and take their stand; they will be terrified and put to shame together. 12 The blacksmith works with iron, shaping it in the coals. He hammers it with his tools and works it with the strength of his arms. Yet he grows hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and becomes faint. 13 The carpenter measures out wood; he marks it with a stylus. He shapes it with chisels and marks it with a compass. He crafts it in the form of a man, a human figure, to dwell in a house. 14 He cuts down cedars or chooses a cypress or an oak. He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain makes it grow. 15 It becomes fuel for a man; he takes part of it to warm himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. 16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire; he roasts meat over it, eats, and is satisfied. He warms himself and says, 'Ah, I am warm; I see the fire.' 17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol, and bows down to it. He worships it and prays to it, saying, 'Save me, for you are my god.' 18 They have no knowledge or understanding; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their hearts so they cannot understand. 19 No one considers in his heart, no one has the knowledge or insight to say, 'Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals, roasted meat, and ate. Now, should I make an abomination of the rest? Should I bow down to a block of wood?' 20 He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has led him astray, and he cannot save himself or say, 'Isn't there a lie in my right hand?'
  • Deut 4:23-25 : 23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which He made with you, and not to make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything He has forbidden you. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. 25 When you have children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and if you act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, doing what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger,
  • Exod 32:1 : 1 When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, "Get up, make for us gods who will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him."
  • Exod 32:8 : 8 They have turned aside quickly from the way I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, bowed down to it, sacrificed to it, and said, 'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.'
  • Exod 32:23 : 23 They said to me, 'Make gods for us who will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.'
  • Exod 34:17 : 17 Do not make any molten gods for yourselves.
  • Deut 5:8 : 8 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Deut 5:7-9
    3 verses
    96%

    7You shall have no other gods before Me.

    8You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

    9You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me.

  • Exod 20:3
    85%

    3You shall have no other gods before Me.

  • Lev 26:1
    85%

    1Do not make idols for yourselves, or set up a carved image or a sacred pillar for yourselves, and do not place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God.

  • Deut 4:15-19
    5 verses
    84%

    15So be very careful for your own lives, because you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire.

    16Do not act corruptly by making for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure, whether male or female.

    17Or in the form of any animal on the earth, or any bird that flies in the sky,

    18Or any creature that moves along the ground, or any fish in the waters below the earth.

    19And be careful not to lift your eyes toward the heavens and see the sun, the moon, and the stars—all the host of heaven—and be led astray to bow down to them and worship them, things the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

  • Exod 20:23
    82%

    23You shall not make gods of silver to be alongside Me, nor shall you make gods of gold for yourselves.

  • Deut 16:21-22
    2 verses
    82%

    21You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah pole of any tree beside the altar of the Lord your God that you will set up for yourself.

    22And you shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar, which the Lord your God hates.

  • Deut 4:23
    81%

    23Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which He made with you, and not to make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything He has forbidden you.

  • Exod 34:17
    81%

    17Do not make any molten gods for yourselves.

  • Exod 20:5
    81%

    5You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

  • Lev 19:4
    80%

    4Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.

  • Deut 12:4
    78%

    4Do not worship the Lord your God in the same way that they worship their gods.

  • Deut 4:25
    78%

    25When you have children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and if you act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, doing what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger,

  • Deut 7:25
    77%

    25You must burn the carved images of their gods in the fire. Do not covet the silver or gold on them, and do not take it for yourself, or you will be ensnared by it. For it is detestable to the LORD your God.

  • Deut 27:15
    76%

    15Cursed is anyone who makes a carved or cast idol, an abomination to the LORD, the work of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret. Then all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

  • Mic 5:13
    76%

    13I will uproot your Asherah poles from among you and demolish your cities.

  • Exod 20:7-9
    3 verses
    76%

    7You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.

    8Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

    9Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

  • Exod 23:24
    76%

    24Do not bow down to their gods or worship them or follow their practices. Instead, you must demolish them completely and shatter their sacred pillars.

  • Deut 6:14
    75%

    14Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.

  • Exod 34:13-14
    2 verses
    74%

    13Instead, you must destroy their altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles.

    14For you must not worship any other god, because the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

  • Ps 81:9
    74%

    9Hear, my people, and I will warn you—if you would only listen to me, Israel!

  • Exod 20:13-17
    5 verses
    74%

    13You shall not murder.

    14You shall not commit adultery.

    15You shall not steal.

    16You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

    17You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

  • Isa 44:9-10
    2 verses
    73%

    9All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses see nothing and know nothing, so they will be put to shame.

    10Who fashions a god or casts an idol that can profit nothing?

  • Isa 40:18
    73%

    18To whom, then, will you compare God? What image can you find to resemble Him?

  • Exod 20:25
    73%

    25If you make an altar of stones for Me, do not build it with stones that have been worked with tools; if you use your tool on it, you will defile it.

  • Deut 4:28
    73%

    28There you will serve gods made by human hands—objects of wood and stone that cannot see, hear, eat, or smell.

  • Exod 23:32
    72%

    32Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods.

  • Deut 5:11
    72%

    11You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who takes His name in vain.

  • Deut 5:20
    72%

    20You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

  • Jer 25:6
    72%

    6Do not follow other gods to serve them or worship them. Do not provoke me to anger with the works of your hands; then I will not bring disaster upon you.'

  • Jer 16:20
    72%

    20Can people make their own gods? Such gods are not gods at all!

  • Isa 17:8
    72%

    8They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, nor will they regard what their fingers have made, neither the Asherim nor the incense altars.

  • Lev 19:28
    71%

    28Do not make cuts on your body for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

  • Num 33:52
    71%

    52you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you, destroy all their stone images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places.

  • Ps 115:4
    71%

    4Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

  • Deut 17:3
    71%

    3and they go and worship other gods, bowing down to them, or to the sun, the moon, or the stars in the sky, which I have not commanded,