Exodus / Chapter 20

Exodus 20

23 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex 2 traditions available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

God speaks the Ten Commandments (Aseret HaDibberot, 'The Ten Words') directly to all Israel, beginning with self-identification as the God who liberated them. The commandments move from exclusive loyalty to God through Sabbath observance to right treatment of neighbor. The people, terrified, ask Moses to mediate.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The preamble 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt' (v2) establishes that every commandment flows from a prior act of grace — liberation first, then law. The Hebrew chesed ('faithful love,' v6) appears inside the Decalogue itself, set against judgment: three-to-four generations of consequence versus thousands of generations of loyal love. The word qanna ('jealous,' v5) describes passionate exclusive devotion — the jealousy of a covenant partner, not petty envy. The people's fear (v18-19) and request for Moses to mediate establishes the prophetic office.

Translation Friction

The Hebrew devarim ('words') gives the Decalogue its Hebrew name — these are 'words' (declarations of relationship), not merely 'commandments' (legal statutes). We preserved 'commandments' in common references for familiarity but noted the distinction. The phrase al-panai ('before Me/in My presence,' v3) we rendered 'besides Me' to capture the exclusivity claim. The prohibition lo tirtsach (v13) specifically means 'do not murder' (unlawful killing), not 'do not kill' (all killing); we rendered it 'you shall not murder.'

Connections

The Decalogue is restated in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 with significant Sabbath-motivation changes. Jesus summarizes the commandments in Matthew 22:37-40. Paul cites specific commandments in Romans 13:9. The covenant structure (preamble, stipulations, witnesses) parallels ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties. The people's terror at God's voice (v18-19) is cited in Hebrews 12:18-21. **Tradition comparisons:** The Samaritan Pentateuch differs significantly here: THE defining variant of the Samaritan Pentateuch. SP adds a 10th commandment to the Decalogue, compiled from Deuteronomy 11:29a, 27:2b-3a, 27:4a, 27:5-7, and 11:30. This commandment mandates the erect.... See the [Samaritan Pentateuch](/samaritan-pentateuch/exodus). Targum Onkelos interprets this chapter with notable Aramaic renderings: At the giving of the Ten Commandments, Onkelos uses 'the LORD' rather than Elohim, emphasizing that the covenant God of Israel (YHWH) — not a generic deity — delivers the commandments. (3 notable renderings in this chapter) See the [Targum Onkelos on Exodus](/targum/exodus).

Exodus 20:1

וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֵ֛ת כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לֵאמֹֽר׃ {ס}

God spoke all these words, saying,

KJV And God spake all these words, saying,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'God spoke all these words' (vaydabber Elohim et kol-haddevarim ha'elleh) — the Ten Commandments are introduced as God's own direct speech. The word devarim ('words') gives the Hebrew name for the Decalogue: Aseret HaDibberot ('The Ten Words'). These are not commandments in the sense of legal statutes but declarations of covenant relationship.

Targum Onkelos (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)divine-name

"And the LORD spoke all these words."

At the giving of the Ten Commandments, Onkelos uses 'the LORD' rather than Elohim, emphasizing that the covenant God of Israel (YHWH) — not a generic deity — delivers the commandments.

Exodus 20:2

אָֽנֹכִ֖י֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֧ר הוֹצֵאתִ֛יךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֣֥ית עֲבָדִ֑͏ֽים׃

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

KJV I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ anokhi YHWH Elohekha
"I am the LORD your God" — I am YHWH your God, self-declaration of covenant identity

The preamble to the Decalogue. Before any command, God declares identity and relationship. The commandments flow from who God is and what God has done (the exodus), not from abstract moral principles. Obedience is response to liberation.

Translator Notes

  1. The preamble identifies the speaker and establishes the relationship: 'I am the LORD your God' (anokhi YHWH Elohekha). Before any command is given, identity is declared. The exodus is the credential: 'who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.' Every commandment that follows is grounded in this prior act of liberation. Obedience is response to grace, not the condition for it.

Samaritan Pentateuch (4th c. BCE divergence)minor

"I am the LORD your God"

The opening of the Decalogue is identical in content. SP uses Samaritan script but the words are the same.

Exodus 20:3

לֹֽ֣א־יִהְיֶ֥͏ֽה־לְךָ֛֩ אֱלֹהִ֥֨ים אֲחֵרִ֖֜ים עַל־פָּנָֽ͏ַ֗י׃

You must not have any other gods besides Me.

KJV Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'No other gods before Me' (lo yihyeh-lekha elohim acherim al-panai) — the phrase al-panai literally means 'before My face' or 'in My presence.' The commandment does not deny other gods exist (that is a later theological development); it demands exclusive loyalty. In a world of many gods, Israel's God demands undivided allegiance.
Exodus 20:4

לֹֽ֣א־תַעֲשֶֽׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣ פֶ֣֙סֶל֙ ׀ וְכׇל־תְּמוּנָ֔֡ה אֲשֶׁ֤֣ר בַּשָּׁמַ֣֙יִם֙ ׀ מִמַּ֔֡עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩ בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ מִתָּ֑͏ַ֜חַת וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּמַּ֖֣יִם ׀ מִתַּ֥֣חַת לָאָֽ֗רֶץ׃

You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

KJV Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The prohibition of carved images (pesel) extends to 'any likeness' (kol-temunah) of anything in the three-tiered cosmos: heaven, earth, and water below the earth. The scope is comprehensive — no physical representation of deity is permitted. The prohibition targets not all art but specifically images made for worship.
Exodus 20:5

לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥֣ה לָהֶ֖ם֮ וְלֹ֣א תׇעׇבְדֵ֑ם֒ כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵ֠ד עֲוֺ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י׃

You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me,

KJV Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'A jealous God' (El qanna) — the word qanna describes passionate, exclusive devotion. It is the jealousy of a husband for his wife, not petty envy. God's jealousy is the emotional counterpart of the first commandment: exclusive loyalty demanded because exclusive love is given. The generational consequence ('visiting iniquity') describes patterns of sin that perpetuate through family systems, not arbitrary punishment of innocent descendants.
Exodus 20:6

וְעֹ֥֤שֶׂה חֶ֖֙סֶד֙ לַאֲלָפִ֑֔ים לְאֹהֲבַ֖י וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֺתָֽי׃ {ס}

but showing faithful love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

KJV And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

חֶסֶד chesed
"faithful love" — steadfast love, covenant loyalty, faithful love, lovingkindness

Chesed appears in the Decalogue itself, in direct contrast to judgment. Iniquity is visited to three-four generations; chesed extends to thousands. The ratio reveals God's character: mercy massively outweighs judgment.

Translator Notes

  1. 'Showing steadfast love to thousands' (ve'oseh chesed la'alafim) — chesed appears in the Decalogue itself. The contrast is stark: iniquity is visited to the third and fourth generation, but chesed extends to thousands. Judgment is limited; covenant love is boundless. This asymmetry defines God's character: mercy outweighs wrath by orders of magnitude.
Exodus 20:7

לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא׃ {פ}

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold guiltless anyone who takes His name in vain.

KJV Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Take the name of the LORD your God in vain' (tissa et-shem YHWH Elohekha lashshav) — the verb nasa means 'to lift up, to carry, to bear.' To 'bear' God's name in vain (lashshav, 'for emptiness, for falsehood, for nothing') means to invoke God's name without substance — in false oaths, empty worship, or as a tool of manipulation. Israel bears God's name; to bear it emptily is to misrepresent God Himself.
Exodus 20:8

זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ׃

Keep the Sabbath day in remembrance and set it apart as holy.

KJV Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

שַׁבָּת shabbat
"Sabbath" — cessation, rest, stopping, sabbath

From the verb shavat ('to cease, to stop'). The Sabbath is not merely a day off but a participation in the rhythm God established at creation. It is both gift (rest from labor) and sign (covenant identity marker, cf. 31:13).

Translator Notes

  1. 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy' (zakhor et-yom hashabbat leqaddesh0) — the verb zakhor ('remember') is active, not passive. Remembering the Sabbath means structuring life around it, not merely noting its existence. 'To keep it holy' (leqaddesho) means to set it apart — to treat this day as belonging to God in a way the other six do not.
Exodus 20:9

שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת יָמִ֣ים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ כׇּֿל־מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒׃

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

KJV Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Six days of labor are affirmed — work is not a curse but a mandate. The Sabbath rest is meaningful only against the backdrop of productive labor. The creation pattern (Genesis 1-2:3) governs human life: work, then rest.
Exodus 20:10

וְי֨וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔֜י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹֽ֣א־תַעֲשֶׂ֣֨ה כׇל־מְלָאכָ֜֡ה אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבִנְךָ֣͏ֽ־וּ֠בִתֶּ֗ךָ עַבְדְּךָ֤֨ וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֜֙ וּבְהֶמְתֶּ֔֗ךָ וְגֵרְךָ֖֙ אֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽ֔יךָ׃

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work — you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.

KJV But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Sabbath rest extends to every member of the household — sons, daughters, servants, livestock, and even the resident foreigner (ger). No one in Israel's community is excluded from rest. The sojourner provision is remarkable: even non-Israelites within Israel's territory receive the gift of Sabbath. The commandment has a social-justice dimension: those with power over others must grant them rest.
Exodus 20:11

כִּ֣י שֵֽׁשֶׁת־יָמִים֩ עָשָׂ֨ה יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶת־הַיָּם֙ וְאֶת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֔ם וַיָּ֖נַח בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑י עַל־כֵּ֗ן בֵּרַ֧ךְ יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וַֽיְקַדְּשֵֽׁהוּ׃ {ס}

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

KJV For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The theological basis is creation: God made everything in six days and rested on the seventh. The Sabbath is not arbitrary but cosmic — it mirrors the rhythm God established at the foundation of the world. Human rest participates in divine rest. The verb vayyinnach ('rested') means 'ceased and was refreshed.'

Samaritan Pentateuch (4th c. BCE divergence)minor

"For in six days the LORD made"

The Sabbath commandment's creation rationale is identical in MT and SP. SP's distinctive Sabbath motivation from Deuteronomy 5 (exodus rather than creation) does not appear here.

Exodus 20:12

כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִכ֣וּן יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ {ס}

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

KJV Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

כַּבֵּד kabbed
"honor" — honor, give weight to, treat as significant, glorify

From the root kavod ('glory, weight'). To honor parents is to treat them as heavy — weighty, significant, substantial. The same root that describes God's glory describes the respect due to parents. The commandment stands at the hinge between duties to God and duties to neighbor.

Translator Notes

  1. 'Honor your father and your mother' (kabbed et-avikha ve'et-immekha) — the verb kabbed is from the root kavod ('glory, weight, honor'). To honor parents is to treat them as weighty — as significant, substantial, deserving of respect. This is the only commandment with a promise attached: 'so that your days may be long.' The commandment bridges the God-directed commands (1-4) and the neighbor-directed commands (6-10): parents stand at the intersection of divine authority and human relationship.
Exodus 20:13

לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָ֖͏ֽח׃ {ס} לֹ֣֖א תִּֿנְאָ֑͏ֽף׃ {ס} לֹ֣֖א תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב׃ {ס} לֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁקֶר׃ {ס}

You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

KJV Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Four brief commandments in rapid succession: no murder (tirtsach — intentional killing, not all killing), no adultery (tin'af), no stealing (tignov), no false witness (ta'aneh... ed shaqer). Each is a two-word prohibition in Hebrew, compressed to the minimum. The brevity is deliberate: these are absolute, non-negotiable boundaries. The verb ratsach is specifically murder — unlawful, intentional killing — not capital punishment or warfare, which the Torah separately addresses.

Samaritan Pentateuch (4th c. BCE divergence)moderate

"You shall not commit adultery / You shall not murder"

SP reverses the order of the murder and adultery commandments, placing adultery before murder. The LXX (in some manuscripts) and Nash Papyrus also show this order. This may reflect an older arrangement where sexual violations preceded violent ones.

Exodus 20:14

לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד בֵּ֣ית רֵעֶ֑ךָ {ס} לֹֽא־תַחְמֹ֞ד אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֶ֗ךָ וְעַבְדּ֤וֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ֙ וְשׁוֹר֣וֹ וַחֲמֹר֔וֹ וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְרֵעֶֽךָ׃ {פ}

You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

KJV Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'You shall not covet' (lo tachmod) — the final commandment addresses the interior life: desire, not action. Chamad means to desire, to take delight in, to want what belongs to another. The commandment moves from external behavior (murder, adultery, theft) to internal disposition (covetousness). The list — house, wife, servant, ox, donkey, 'anything' — is comprehensive, ending with kol asher lere'ekha ('anything that belongs to your neighbor').

Samaritan Pentateuch (4th c. BCE divergence)moderate

"You shall not commit adultery / You shall not murder"

SP reverses the order of the murder and adultery commandments, placing adultery before murder. The LXX (in some manuscripts) and Nash Papyrus also show this order. This may reflect an older arrangement where sexual violations preceded violent ones.

Exodus 20:15

וְכׇל־הָעָם֩ רֹאִ֨ים אֶת־הַקּוֹלֹ֜ת וְאֶת־הַלַּפִּידִ֗ם וְאֵת֙ ק֣וֹל הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר וְאֶת־הָהָ֖ר עָשֵׁ֑ן וַיַּ֤רְא הָעָם֙ וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ וַיַּֽעַמְד֖וּ מֵֽרָחֹֽק׃

All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.

KJV And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'The people perceived the thunder' (ve'khol-ha'am ro'im et-haqqolot) — the verb ra'ah ('to see') is used for perceiving sound: they 'saw' the thunder. The synesthetic language suggests an experience so overwhelming it crossed sensory boundaries. The theophany is not merely heard but perceived with the whole person.
Exodus 20:16

וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה דַּבֵּר־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּ֖נוּ וְנִשְׁמָ֑עָה וְאַל־יְדַבֵּ֥ר עִמָּ֛נוּ אֱלֹהִ֖ים פֶּן־נָמֽוּת׃

They said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die."

KJV And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Do not let God speak to us, or we will die' (ve'al-yedabber immanu Elohim pen-namut) — the people's terror leads them to request mediation. They want Moses as buffer between themselves and the direct voice of God. This request establishes the prophetic office: Israel will hear God's word through Moses (and later prophets) rather than directly. The people's fear, while understandable, represents a step back from the intimacy God offered.
Exodus 20:17

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶל־הָעָם֮ אַל־תִּירָ֒אוּ֒ כִּ֗י לְבַֽעֲבוּר֙ נַסּ֣וֹת אֶתְכֶ֔ם בָּ֖א הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וּבַעֲב֗וּר תִּהְיֶ֧ה יִרְאָת֛וֹ עַל־פְּנֵיכֶ֖ם לְבִלְתִּ֥י תֶחֱטָֽאוּ׃

Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin."

KJV And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses reframes the fear: God's coming is 'to test you' (lenassot etkhem) and 'so that the fear of Him may be before you' (uv'avur tihyeh yir'ato al-peneikhem). There are two kinds of fear: the terror that drives away (which Moses says to reject) and the reverent awe that prevents sin (which Moses says to embrace). The distinction between fear-as-terror and fear-as-reverence is foundational to biblical wisdom.

Samaritan Pentateuch (4th c. BCE divergence)moderate

"You shall not covet... (9th commandment in SP numbering)"

In MT, the prohibition against coveting is the final commandment. In SP, it is the 9th, because SP adds a 10th commandment after it. See next entry.

Exodus 20:18

וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד הָעָ֖ם מֵרָחֹ֑ק וּמֹשֶׁה֙ נִגַּ֣שׁ אֶל־הָֽעֲרָפֶ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֖ם הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃ {ס}

The people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

KJV And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was' (uMosheh niggash el-ha'arafel asher-sham ha'Elohim) — while the people retreat, Moses advances. The arafel ('thick darkness, deep gloom') is where God dwells. God's presence is simultaneously light to the trusting and darkness to the afraid. Moses enters the darkness; the people stand at a distance.

Targum Onkelos (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)literal

"And all the people were seeing the thunderings."

Onkelos preserves the synesthetic 'seeing the thunderings,' which rabbinic tradition interprets as the people seeing the voice of God — each commandment emerging as visible fire.

Exodus 20:19

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה כֹּ֥ה תֹאמַ֖ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם כִּ֚י מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי עִמָּכֶֽם׃

The LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen that I have spoken with you from heaven.

KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'You have seen that I have spoken with you from heaven' (atem re'item ki min-hashamayim dibbarti immakhem) — God reminds Israel that the theophany came from heaven, not from any earthly image. The prohibition of images (v20) flows directly from the nature of the revelation: God spoke from heaven, invisible. Any image would reduce the heavenly God to an earthly object.

Targum Onkelos (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)anti-anthropomorphism

"And they stood afar off... and let not [a word] be spoken with us from before the LORD, lest we die."

The people's fear of God speaking directly is rendered as fear of speech 'from before the LORD,' adding the reverential circumlocution even in the people's own words.

Exodus 20:20

לֹ֥א תַעֲשׂ֖וּן אִתִּ֑י אֱלֹ֤הֵי כֶ֙סֶף֙ וֵאלֹהֵ֣י זָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א תַעֲשׂ֖וּ לָכֶֽם׃

You shall not make gods of silver alongside Me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.

KJV Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Gods of silver... gods of gold' (elohei khesef... elohei zahav) — the materials are significant. Silver and gold are the very materials Israel took from Egypt (12:35-36). The wealth of liberation must not become the material of idolatry. What God provided for the tabernacle (25:3) must not be redirected to false worship.
Exodus 20:21

מִזְבַּ֣ח אֲדָמָה֮ תַּעֲשֶׂה־לִּי֒ וְזָבַחְתָּ֣ עָלָ֗יו אֶת־עֹלֹתֶ֙יךָ֙ וְאֶת־שְׁלָמֶ֔יךָ אֶת־צֹֽאנְךָ֖ וְאֶת־בְּקָרֶ֑ךָ בְּכׇל־הַמָּקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַזְכִּ֣יר אֶת־שְׁמִ֔י אָב֥וֹא אֵלֶ֖יךָ וּבֵרַכְתִּֽיךָ׃

An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.

KJV An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'An altar of earth' (mizbach adamah) — the simplest possible altar. No ornamentation, no craftsmanship — just soil shaped into a platform. The altar law emphasizes accessibility and humility: worship does not require architectural grandeur. 'In every place where I cause My name to be remembered' (bekhol-hamaqom asher azkir et-shemi) — God chooses the place of worship, not the worshiper.

Samaritan Pentateuch (4th c. BCE divergence)moderate

"in the place where I have caused my name to be remembered"

MT reads 'every place' (כל המקום) with a future/ongoing sense; SP reads 'the place' (המקום) with a past tense, implying a single, already-designated location — Gerizim. This subtle variant transforms an open-ended altar law into a Gerizim-specific one.

Exodus 20:22

וְאִם־מִזְבַּ֤ח אֲבָנִים֙ תַּֽעֲשֶׂה־לִּ֔י לֹֽא־תִבְנֶ֥ה אֶתְהֶ֖ן גָּזִ֑ית כִּ֧י חַרְבְּךָ֛ הֵנַ֥פְתָּ עָלֶ֖יהָ וַתְּחַֽלְלֶֽהָ׃

If you make for Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your chisel on it, you profane it.

KJV And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'If you wield your chisel on it, you profane it' (ki charbkha henafta aleha vatechalelehah) — the tool (cherev, also meaning 'sword') profanes the stone. Instruments of human violence and craftsmanship must not shape God's altar. The altar is natural, uncut, unhewn — shaped by God's creation, not human artifice.
Exodus 20:23

וְלֹֽא־תַעֲלֶ֥ה בְמַעֲלֹ֖ת עַֽל־מִזְבְּחִ֑י אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־תִגָּלֶ֥ה עֶרְוָתְךָ֖ עָלָֽיו׃ {פ}

You shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness is not exposed on it."

KJV Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The prohibition of steps prevents exposure of the priest's body — a practical modesty provision. The altar is approached by a ramp, not by stairs. Every detail of worship protects the dignity of both the worshiper and the act of worship.
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