Exodus
Exodus 20:3–5
3You shall have no other gods before Me.a
4You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Footnotes
- a 20:3 Or besides Me
Word by word
Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.
Exodus 20:3
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You | לְךָ֛֩ | lə·ḵå̄ | Preposition; second person masculine singular | |
| shall have | יִהְיֶֽה־ | yih·yeh- | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | H1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be |
| no | לֹֽ֣א | lō | Adverb - Negative particle | H3808 not |
| other | אֲחֵרִ֖֜ים | ’ă·ḥê·rîm | Adjective - masculine plural | H312 another |
| gods | אֱלֹהִ֥֨ים | ’ĕ·lō·hîm | Noun - masculine plural | H430 God |
| before | עַל־ | ‘al- | Preposition | H5921 height |
| Me | פָּנָֽ֗יַ׃ | på̄·nå̄·ya | Noun - masculine plural construct; first person common singular | H6440 face, before |
Exodus 20:4
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| not | לֹֽ֣א | lō | Adverb - Negative particle | H3808 not |
| make | תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־ | ṯa·‘ă·śeh- | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | H6213 do, make |
| for yourself | לְךָ֥֣ | lə·ḵā | Preposition; second person masculine singular | |
| an idol | פֶ֣֙סֶל֙׀ | p̄ɛ·sɛl | Noun - masculine singular | H6459 idol, image |
| in the form | וְכָל־ | wə·ḵāl | Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct | H3605 the whole, all |
| of anything | תְּמוּנָ֡֔ה | tə·mū·nāh | Noun - feminine singular | H8544 likeness, form |
| in the heavens | בַּשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙׀ | baš·šå̄·ma·yim | Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine plural | H8064 sky, aloft |
| above | מִמַּ֡֔עַל | mim·ma·‘al | Preposition-m; Adverb | H4605 higher part |
| on the earth | בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ | bā·’ā·reṣ | Preposition-b, Article; Noun - feminine singular | H776 earth, land |
| below | מִתַָּ֑֜חַת | mit·tå̄·ḥaṯ | Preposition-m; Adverb | H8478 the under part |
| or in the waters | בַּמַּ֖֣יִם׀ | bam·ma·yim | Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine plural | H4325 water, juice, urine |
| beneath | מִתַּ֥֣חַת | mit·ta·ḥaṯ | Preposition-m | H8478 the under part |
Exodus 20:5
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You shall not | לֹֽא־ | lō- | Adverb - Negative particle | H3808 not |
| bow down | תִשְׁתַּחְוֶ֥֣ה | ṯiš·taḥ·wɛh | Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | H7812 bow down |
| to them | לָהֶ֖ם֮ | lā·hem | Preposition; third person masculine plural | |
| or | וְלֹ֣א | wə·lō | Conjunctive waw; Adverb - Negative particle | H3808 not |
| worship them | תָעָבְדֵ֑ם֒ | ṯā·‘ā·ḇə·ḏêm | Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular; third person masculine plural | H5647 work, serve |
| for | כִּ֣י | kî | Conjunction | H3588 burning, branding |
| I | אָֽנֹכִ֞י | ’ā·nō·ḵî | Pronoun - first person common singular | H595 I |
| the LORD | יְהוָ֤ה | Yah·weh | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H3068 Yahweh |
| your God | אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ | ’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā | Noun - masculine plural construct; second person masculine singular | H430 God |
| am a jealous | קַנָּ֔א | qan·nā | Adjective - masculine singular | H7067 jealous |
| God | אֵ֣ל | ’êl | Noun - masculine singular | H410 god |
| visiting | פֹּ֠קֵד | pō·qêḏ | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular | H6485 attend to, visit, muster, appoint |
| the iniquity | עֲוֺ֨ן | ‘ă·wōn | Noun - common singular construct | H5771 iniquity, guilt, or punishment of iniquity |
| of the fathers | אָבֹ֧ת | ’ā·ḇōṯ | Noun - masculine plural | H1 father |
| on | עַל־ | ‘al- | Preposition | H5921 height |
| children | בָּנִ֛ים | bā·nîm | Noun - masculine plural | H1121 son |
| to | עַל־ | ‘al- | Preposition | H5921 height |
| the third | שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים | šil·lê·šîm | Noun - masculine plural | H8029 pertaining to the third |
| and fourth | רִבֵּעִ֖ים | rib·bê·‘îm | Noun - masculine plural | H7256 pertaining to the fourth |
| of those who hate Me | לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י׃ | lə·śō·nə·ʾå̄y | Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct; first person common singular | H8130 hate |
Cross-references
Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.
Exodus 20:3 Deuteronomy 5:7 · Matthew 4:10 · Psalm 81:9 · Isaiah 46:9 · Deuteronomy 6:5 · Deuteronomy 6:14 · Jeremiah 25:6 · Joshua 24:18–24 · Jeremiah 35:15 · 1 John 5:20–21 · 1 Corinthians 8:6 · Ephesians 5:5
Exodus 20:4 Deuteronomy 5:8 · Leviticus 26:1 · Deuteronomy 4:15–19 · Psalm 97:7 · Leviticus 19:4 · Deuteronomy 27:15 · Acts 17:29 · Revelation 16:2 · Psalm 115:4–8 · Jeremiah 10:14–16 · Isaiah 42:8 · Romans 1:23
Exodus 20:5 Deuteronomy 5:9 · Numbers 14:18 · Deuteronomy 4:24 · Exodus 34:14 · Deuteronomy 6:15 · Joshua 24:19 · Joshua 23:7 · Psalm 109:14 · Nahum 1:2 · Exodus 34:6–7 · Jeremiah 32:18 · Isaiah 65:6–7
Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.