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Deuteronomy 4:16

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 4:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
Deuteronomy 4:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even the ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
14And Jehovah commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.
15Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of form on the day that Jehovah spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire.
16Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
17the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flieth in the heavens,
18the likeness of anything that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;
19and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the host of heaven, thou be drawn away and worship them, and serve them, which Jehovah thy God hath allotted unto all the peoples under the whole heaven.
← Deuteronomy 4:15Deuteronomy 4:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Lest ye corrupt yourselves, etc.] And not themselves only, but the word and worship of God, by idolatry, than which nothing is more corrupting and defiling, nor more abominable to God: and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure; a graven image, in the likeness of any figure, an idea of which they had formed in their minds; the likeness of male or female; of a man or a woman; so some of the Heathen deities were in the likeness of men, as Jupiter, Mars, Hercules, Apollo, etc. and others in the likeness of women, as Juno, Diana, Venus, etc. Some think Osiris and Isis, Egyptian deities, the one male, the other female, are respected; but it is not certain that these were worshipped…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image--The things are here specified of which God prohibited any image or representation to be made for the purposes of worship; and, from the variety of details entered into, an idea may be formed of the extensive prevalence of idolatry in that age. In whatever way idolatry originated, whether from an intention to worship the true God through those things which seemed to afford the strongest evidences of His power, or whether a divine principle was supposed to reside in the things themselves, there was scarcely an element or object of nature but was deified. This was particularly the case with the Canaanites and Egyptians, against whose…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Lest ye corrupt yourselves - Your ways, by worshipping God in a corrupt manner. Deuteronomy 4:19”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“4:16 idol: Idolatry inherently confined the Lord to the artist’s imagination. Israel was not to make idols in the form of any of his creatures (4:17-18). Idols and images could lead to worship of the creature rather than the Creator (5:8-9; Rom 1:23-25).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“corrupt: Deu 4:8, Deu 4:9; Exo 20:4, Exo 20:5, Exo 32:7; Psa 106:19, Psa 106:20; Rom 1:22-24 the likeness: Such as Baal-peor, the Roman Priapus; Ashtaroth or Astarte, the Greek and Roman Venus, and many others. Deu 4:23; Isa 40:18; Joh 4:24; Act 17:29, Act 20:4, Act 20:5; Ti1 1:17 Deuteronomy 4:17”
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Related study paths

Read Deuteronomy 4 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification