Leviticus 19:4

Bible in Basic English

Do not go after false gods, and do not make metal images of gods for yourselves: I am the Lord your God.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Don't turn to idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

King James Version
Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God.

Lexham English Bible
You must not turn to idols, and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal; I am Yahweh your God.

New Century Version
"‘Do not worship idols or make statues or gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

New English Translation
Do not turn to idols, and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal. I am the Lord your God.

Amplified Bible
'Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods (images cast in metal); I am the LORD your God.

New American Standard Bible
'Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves cast metal gods; I am the LORD your God.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Ye shall not turne vnto idoles, nor make you molten gods: I am the Lord your God.

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am Yahweh your God.

Complete Jewish Bible
"‘Do not turn to idols, and do not cast metal gods for yourselves; I am Adonai your God.

Darby Translation
Ye shall not turn unto idols, and ye shall not make to yourselves molten gods: I am Jehovah your God.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Do not worship idols. Do not make statues of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

English Standard Version
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.

George Lamsa Translation
You shall not turn to idols nor make to yourselves molten gods; I am the LORD your God.

Good News Translation
"Do not abandon me and worship idols; do not make gods of metal and worship them. I am the Lord your God.

Christian Standard Bible®
Do not turn to idols or make cast images of gods for yourselves; I am the Lord your God.

Literal Translation
Do not turn to the idols; and you shall not make molten gods for yourselves; I am Jehovah your God.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Ye shal not turne youre selues vnto Idols, & ye shal make you no goddes of metall: for I am the LORDE youre God.

American Standard Version
Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am Jehovah your God.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Ye shal not looke vnto idols, nor make you moulten goddes: I am the Lorde your God.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Turn ye not unto the idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

King James Version (1611)
Turne ye not vnto idoles, nor make to your selues molten gods: I am the Lord your God.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Ye shall not follow idols, and ye shall not make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God.

English Revised Version
Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

Berean Standard Bible
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods. I am the LORD your God.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Nyle ye be turned to ydols, nether ye schulen make to you yotun goddis; Y am youre Lord God.

Young's Literal Translation
`Ye do not turn unto the idols, and a molten god ye do not make to yourselves; I [am] Jehovah your God.

Update Bible Version
Don't turn yourselves to idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am Yahweh your God.

Webster's Bible Translation
Turn ye not to idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I [am] the LORD your God.

World English Bible
Don't turn to idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am Yahweh your God.

New King James Version
"Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the LORD your God.

New Living Translation
"Do not put your trust in idols or make metal images of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

New Life Bible
Do not turn to false gods or make gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

New Revised Standard
Do not turn to idols or make cast images for yourselves: I am the Lord your God.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Do not turn unto things of nought, And, molten gods, shall ye not make to yourselves, - I - Yahweh, am your God.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Turn ye not to idols: nor make to yourselves molten gods. I am the Lord your God.

Revised Standard Version
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

THE MESSAGE
"Don't take up with no-god idols. Don't make gods of cast metal. I am God , your God.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the LORD your God.

Contextual Overview

¹ And the Lord said to Moses, ² Say to all the people of Israel, You are to be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. ³ Let every man give honour to his mother and to his father and keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. ⁴ Do not go after false gods, and do not make metal images of gods for yourselves: I am the Lord your God. ⁵ And when you give a peace offering to the Lord, do it in the way which is pleasing to the Lord. ⁶ Let it be used for food on the same day on which it is offered, or on the day after; and whatever is over on the third day is to be burned with fire. ⁷ If any of it is used for food on the third day, it is a disgusting thing and will not be pleasing to the Lord. ⁸ And as for anyone who takes it for food, his sin will be on him, for he has put shame on the holy thing of the Lord: he will be cut off from his people. ⁹ And when you get in the grain from your land, do not let all the grain be cut from the edges of the field, or take up what has been dropped on the earth after the getting in of the grain. ¹⁰ And do not take all the grapes from your vine-garden, or the fruit dropped on the earth; let the poor man, and the man from another country, have these: I am the Lord your God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Exodus 20:3-5, 1 Corinthians 10:14, 1 John 5:21

not unto: Leviticus 26:1

molten gods: Exodus 20:23, Exodus 32:4, Exodus 34:17, Deuteronomy 27:15, Haggai 2:18

Reciprocal: Exodus 20:4 - General Leviticus 18:2 - General Judges 17:3 - a graven image 1 Chronicles 16:26 - all the gods 2 Chronicles 28:2 - molten images Daniel 3:18 - that

Cross-References

Genesis 13:13
Now the men of Sodom were evil, and great sinners before the Lord.

Genesis 18:20
And the Lord said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is very great, and their sin is very evil,

Genesis 19:1
And at nightfall the two angels came to Sodom; and Lot was seated at the way into the town: and when he saw them he got up and came before them, falling down on his face to the earth.

Genesis 19:6
And Lot went out to them in the doorway, shutting the door after him.

Genesis 19:20
This town, now, is near, and it is a little one: O, let me go there (is it not a little one?) so that my life may be safe.

Genesis 19:25
And he sent destruction on those towns, with all the lowland and all the people of those towns and every green thing in the land.

Exodus 16:2
And all the children of Israel were crying out against Moses and Aaron in the waste land:

Exodus 23:2
Do not be moved to do wrong by the general opinion, or give the support of your words to a wrong decision:

Proverbs 4:16
For they take no rest till they have done evil; their sleep is taken away if they have not been the cause of someone's fall.

Proverbs 6:18
A heart full of evil designs, feet which are quick in running after sin;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Turn ye not unto idols,.... From the one only true and living God to them that are not gods, as the word used signifies, who are nothing; for, as the apostle says, an idol is nothing in the world, 1 Corinthians 8:4, is of no worth and value, of no consequence and importance, of no avail and usefulness to its devotees; wherefore to turn from the true God to such as these is the greatest stupidity, as well as wickedness: or "look not" at them g for help or assistance, for they are not able to give it: and to look at them so as to view them attentively, and consider their likeness, the Jews say h is forbidden; and even in the heart and mind, as Aben Ezra observes, to have respect unto them was not right; or in the thoughts, as Gersom:

nor make to yourselves molten gods; of gold, silver, or brass, melted and cast into a mould, as the golden calf was, to which respect may be had. These laws have a respect unto the first and second commandments,

Exodus 20:3:

I [am] the Lord, your God; who only is to be worshipped, and who has forbid the making and worshipping any image, molten or graven, and who will therefore resent idolatry of every sort, and punish for it.

g אל תפנו "ne respiciatis", Montanus, Tigurine version, Drusius. h Pesichta, Maimonides.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Leviticus 19:4. Turn ye not unto idols — אלילם elilim, literally nothings; and to this St. Paul seems to allude 1 Corinthians 8:4, where he says, We know that an idol is NOTHING in the world.