Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Exodus 20:23 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 23. 23Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Exodus 20:23 marks the unit's continuing step with “Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold,” which must be read through 20:22–26.
Read It With
- Exodus 20:22–26
Read Exodus 20:23 with 20:22–26. Exodus 20:23 marks the unit's continuing step with “Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold,” which must be read through 20:22–26. The whole unit shows: Because Israel heard God without an image, silver and gold gods are barred; earth or uncut-stone altars and modest ascent limit the manufacture of worship.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within Exodus 19–24's covenant movement from rescued identity and mountain preparation through the Ten Words, case law, public assent, blood, meal, and mediated access, this unit makes the following contribution: Because Israel heard God without an image, silver and gold gods are barred; earth or uncut-stone altars and modest ascent limit the manufacture of worship. At 20:23, the wording “Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold” makes this verse's contribution precise. Exodus 20:23 marks the unit's continuing step with “Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold,” which must be read through 20:22–26.
What Remains True
Because Exodus 20:23 contributes “Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold” to “Simple Altars Follow a Voice from Heaven,” its proportionate enduring truth is: Israel's worship is ordered by remembered rescue, exclusive covenant loyalty, truthful material practice, time, and limits on human manufacture.
How It Can Shape Life
- At Exodus 20:23, the line “Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold” serves this contextual meaning: Because Israel heard God without an image, silver and gold gods are barred; earth or uncut-stone altars and modest ascent limit the manufacture of worship. The bounded action is: A proportionate application of “Simple Altars Follow a Voice from Heaven” is this: Make worship practices transparent about money, labor, access, and power; remove spectacle or control that obscures the community's stated allegiance.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Exodus 20:22–26 — Simple Altars Follow a Voice from HeavenSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Exodus 20:22–26, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Exodus
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, names, speech, law, ritual vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Exod.xml, words and morphology for 20:22–26
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Exodus with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
eBible.org distribution of the NET Bible, PDF generated 2026-08-12
Supports: Unit-bounded Hebrew, syntax, lexical, textual, name, measure, legal, ritual, and older-English notes; silence is not evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible Exodus PDF, complete 127-page PDF, translation and verse-attached translator notes for 20:22–26
Open source ↗