BibleWord.ai› Bible› Deuteronomy› Chapter 4› Verse 18

Deuteronomy 4:18

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Deuteronomy 4:18 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “the likeness of anything that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

the likeness of anything that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;
Deuteronomy 4:18 — American Standard Version

Context — Deuteronomy 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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.
20But Jehovah hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as at this day.
21Furthermore Jehovah was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance:
← Deuteronomy 4:17Deuteronomy 4:19 →
← Full Chapter 4 Deuteronomy Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“The likeness of anything that creepeth on the ground, etc.] As serpents by many; and indeed that creature is introduced into almost all the idolatries of the Heathens, which seems to take its rise from the serpent Satan made use of to deceive our first parents: the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth; as the crocodile and hippopotamus, or river horse, by the Egyptians; and Dagon and Derceto, supposed to be figures in the form of a fish, among the Phoenicians.”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

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

Sources and verification