Exodus 23:24

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

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

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֤ה לֵאלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙ וְלֹ֣א תָֽעָבְדֵ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תַעֲשֶׂ֖ה כְּמַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם כִּ֤י הָרֵס֙ תְּהָ֣רְסֵ֔ם וְשַׁבֵּ֥ר תְּשַׁבֵּ֖ר מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶֽם׃

Transliteration

Not-tištaḥăweh to-ʾĕlōhêhem and-not tāʿobdēm and-not taʿăśeh as-maʿăśêhem for hārēs tĕhārĕsēm and-šabbēr tĕšabbēr maṣṣēbōtêhem

Grammar Details

• *tištaḥăweh*: hishtaphel imperfect 2nd person masculine singular - bow down/prostrate yourself
• *ʾĕlōhêhem*: noun masculine plural with 3rd person masculine plural suffix - their gods
• *tāʿobdēm*: qal imperfect 2nd person masculine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix - serve/worship them
• *taʿăśeh*: qal imperfect 2nd person masculine singular - do/make
• *maʿăśêhem*: noun masculine plural with 3rd person masculine plural suffix - their deeds/practices
• *hārēs tĕhārĕsēm*: qal infinitive absolute + piel imperfect 2nd person masculine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix - emphatic construction: 'you shall utterly destroy them'
• *šabbēr tĕšabbēr*: piel infinitive absolute + piel imperfect 2nd person masculine singular - emphatic construction: 'you shall utterly shatter'
• *maṣṣēbōtêhem*: noun feminine plural with 3rd person masculine plural suffix - their sacred pillars/standing stones

Word Meanings

• *tištaḥăweh*: bow down/prostrate yourself/worship
• *tāʿobdēm*: serve/worship/work for them
• *maʿăśêhem*: their deeds/practices/customs/works
• *hārēs tĕhārĕsēm*: you shall utterly destroy them/completely demolish them
• *šabbēr tĕšabbēr*: you shall utterly shatter/completely break in pieces
• *maṣṣēbōtêhem*: their sacred pillars/standing stones/monuments

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Thou shalt not bow down{H7812} to their gods,{H430} nor serve{H5647} them, nor do{H6213} after their works;{H4639} but thou shalt utterly{H2040} overthrow{H2040} them, and{H7665} break in pieces{H7665} their pillars.{H4676}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Thou shalt not bow down{H7812}{(H8691)} to their gods{H430}, nor serve{H5647}{(H8714)} them, nor do{H6213}{(H8799)} after their works{H4639}: but thou shalt utterly{H2040}{(H8763)} overthrow{H2040}{(H8762)} them, and quite{H7665}{(H8763)} break down{H7665}{(H8762)} their images{H4676}.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  se thou worshippe not their goddes nether serue them, nether do after the workes of them: but ouertrowe them and breake doune the places of them

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  then shalt thou not worshipe their goddes, ner serue them, nether shalt thou do as they do, but shalt ouerthrowe their goddes, & breake the downe.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Thou shalt not bow downe to their gods, neither serue them, nor doe after the workes of them: but vtterly ouerthrowe them, and breake in pieces their images.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Thou shalt not bowe downe to their gods, neither serue the, neither do after ye workes of them: but ouerthrowe the, and breake downe the images of them.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their practices, but you shall utterly overthrow them and demolish their pillars.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  `Thou dost not bow thyself to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their doings, but dost utterly devote them, and thoroughly break their standing pillars.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and break in pieces their pillars.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and break in pieces their pillars.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Do not go down on your faces and give worship to their gods, or do as they do; but overcome them completely, and let their pillars be broken down.

• World English Bible (2000)

  You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their practices, but you shall utterly overthrow them and demolish their pillars.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  “You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones to pieces.

Referenced Verses

• Exod 20:5 : 5 You 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,
• Num 33:52 : 52 you 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.
• Deut 7:5 : 5 Instead, this is what you must do to them: Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, chop down their Asherah poles, and burn their carved images with fire.
• Deut 12:3 : 3 Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn their Asherah poles with fire, cut down their carved idols, and obliterate the names of their gods from those places.
• Deut 12:30-31 : 30 be careful that you are not ensnared by following them after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.' 31 You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because they practice for their gods every abomination that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
• Lev 18:3 : 3 You must not behave like the people of Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their practices.
• Lev 18:26-30 : 26 But you are to keep my statutes and my judgments. Do not commit any of these abominations, whether you are a native-born or a foreigner residing among you. 27 For all these abominations were committed by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land was defiled. 28 Make sure the land does not vomit you out when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was there before you. 29 For anyone who commits any of these detestable practices will be cut off from among their people. 30 So keep my charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were done before you, so you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.
• Exod 32:20 : 20 He took the calf they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
• Exod 34:13-14 : 13 Instead, you must destroy their altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 For you must not worship any other god, because the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
• Deut 7:25-26 : 25 You 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. 26 Do not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction just like it. Utterly detest and abhor it, for it is set apart for destruction.
• 2 Chr 33:2 : 2 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
• 2 Chr 33:9 : 9 But Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
• 2 Chr 34:3-7 : 3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his ancestor David. In the twelfth year, he started to purify Judah and Jerusalem by removing the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast idols. 4 In his presence, they tore down the altars of the Baals, and he cut down the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast idols, crushing them into powder, and he scattered the dust over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and he purified Judah and Jerusalem. 6 He did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around. 7 He tore down the altars and the Asherah poles, smashed the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
• Ps 101:3 : 3 I will not set any worthless thing before my eyes. I hate the actions of those who turn aside; it will not cling to me.
• Ps 106:35-38 : 35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their ways. 36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. 38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.
• Ezek 16:47 : 47 You not only followed their ways and acted according to their detestable practices but in a very short time, you became more depraved than they were in all your ways.