BIBLE VERSE STUDY
Exodus 20:4 — Prohibiting Graven Images
The second commandment prohibits the making of any carved image or likeness as an object of worship.
Scripture
4Thou 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:
What this passage means
Exodus 20:4 prohibits the fabrication of a פֶּסֶל (pesel), a carved or graven image, and extended the prohibition to any תְּמוּנָה (təmûnāh), likeness or representation of created things. The verse structures the prohibition spatially—above in the heavens, upon the earth, and in the waters beneath the earth—encompassing the entire created order. In context, the commandment targets the manufacture of images for worship rather than the existence of images per se, as verse 5 clarifies that the issue is bowing down to and serving them.
The verb עָשָׂה (ʿāsāh, H6213) carries the broad sense of making or fashioning, indicating that the ban covers the entire process of crafting an object. The pairing of עָשָׂה with the negative particle לֹא (lōʾ, H3808) frames the action as a categorical prohibition. The verse thereby establishes that no created thing—not even the sun, moon, animals, or sea creatures—can serve as a faithful visual stand-in for the God who spoke at Sinai.
By listing the three realms (heavens, earth, waters), the commandment implicitly denies that any region of creation contains the deity's true form. The prohibition is therefore not merely about idolatry in the narrow sense; it is a theological statement about the incomparability of the God who introduced himself in verse 2 as the one who brought Israel out of Egypt. Where God had already acted in history, no image was needed or permitted.
Context
The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17) were delivered at Sinai after God identified himself as the one who brought Israel out of Egypt (v. 2). The second commandment (vv. 4–6) follows directly from the first (v. 3) and explains what it means to have no other gods: no rival deity, real or represented, may be approached through a crafted image. The chapter later reinforces the point in 23:20–23, where the altar commands likewise forbid gods of silver and gold, and the altar itself is to be of unhewn stone, lest human workmanship be mistaken for divine presence.
Deuteronomy 4:15–19 explicitly connects the Sinai event to the image prohibition: because the Israelites saw no form when God spoke from the fire, they must not make any likeness, including of the heavenly bodies. The pairing of Exodus 20:4 with Deuteronomy 5:8, presented verbatim in the cross reference, shows that the prohibition was carried into the second generation at the plains of Moab.
Key words in the original
- H6459 פֶּסֶל (pesel) refers to a carved or graven image, an object fashioned by human craft that then functions as an idol.
- H8544 תְּמוּנָה (təmûnāh) means likeness, form, or representation, broadening the prohibition beyond carved objects to any mental or visual representation of created things.
- H6213 עָשָׂה (ʿāsāh) in the broadest sense means to do or make; with the negation לֹא (lōʾ, H3808) it forms an absolute prohibition against the act of fashioning such images.
Related verses
- Deuteronomy 5:8 The second commandment quoted almost verbatim in Moses' rehearsal of the law at Moab, showing the prohibition was reaffirmed for the next generation.
- Deuteronomy 4:15 Directly grounds the image ban in the Sinai event: because the Israelites saw no form when God spoke, they must make no likeness—linking theology to the prohibition.
- Leviticus 26:1 Picks up the same vocabulary in the covenant blessings and curses, forbidding idols, graven images, pillars, and figured stones as an extension of the second commandment.
Common questions
Does Exodus 20:4 forbid all images, or only images used for worship?
Within the verse itself, the prohibition is framed by verse 5, which addresses bowing down to and serving the images. The verse does not register any distinction between sacred and secular art on its own; the supplied cross references (Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 27:15) likewise attack idolatry rather than artwork in general. The provided text does not discuss the later Christian tradition regarding images.
Why are the three realms—heaven, earth, and waters—listed?
The triadic structure matches the opening of the Genesis creation account, signaling that the entire created order belongs to God and no created thing in any realm can represent him. The chapter itself supports this reading by placing the prohibition immediately after the identifying statement in verse 2.
How does Exodus 20:4 relate to the first commandment in verse 3?
Verse 3 forbids having other gods; verses 4–6 explain how that exclusivity is preserved in practice—by refusing to manufacture any visible representation through which a rival deity might be approached. The supplied text presents them as the opening pair of the Ten Commandments, with verse 2 supplying the divine identity that grounds both.