2nd Commandment: No Idols

The 10 Commandments BibleProject Translation

View our full translation of the 10 Commandments.

Reflection Questions

• Why are humans prone to making idols?

• How does creating an image or idol of Yahweh the creator God diminish him?

• How does creating an idol also diminish human beings?

• How might worshipping idols lead to death, instead of life?

• Instead of making images of God, what are some ways that we as humans can be the image of God in the world?

Chapter 1: Recap and Setup for the 2nd Commandment

In Genesis, we can trace the theme of God’s commands to find that his commands direct his human partners toward enjoying life and avoiding death (e.g., Gen. 2:16-17). The Eden story shows us that God himself is the source of life for the humans, so life naturally flows out of obeying his words. And before entering the promised land, Moses reminds Israel that following Yahweh’s commands will lead to life and blessing (Deut. 30:15-16, 19-20).

Because God gives Israel life by freeing them from slavery in Egypt and establishing a covenant with them, the first commandment states that they should not worship any other god besides their creator and liberator. The second commandment, to not worship idols, is closely related to the first (Exod. 20:2-6).

Chapter 2: Biblical Words for Idols

The biblical authors view idols as foolish objects to worship, compared with Yahweh the creator God (Hab. 2:18-19). It is rational for us to trust in human-made objects for the purposes they were made (like a chair for sitting). But it’s irrational and destructive to trust in such objects for purposes they were not made for, like sustaining our lives.

The Bible uses five words to describe an idol. The first, pesel, appears in the second commandment and refers to objects that humans carve or chisel from stone or wood. Massekhah refers to a graven or molten image made of metal, like the molten calf Aaron makes in Exodus 32:1-4. And tselem, referring to a carved or cut wooden image, is the word used in the creation story to describe humans made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26).

The last two words used for idols, ’elilim and gillul, are more derogatory, referring to useless things or disgusting waste (as in rolls of feces in Ezekiel 4:9,12).

Chapter 3: Ancient Idols Represented as Animals

In the ancient world, gods were often associated with transcendent forces of nature, and animals were accessible visual symbols for these forces. In particular, bulls were chosen for idols because of their strength, power, and usefulness to provide humans with crops. This helps us understand why Aaron fashioned an idol into a bull calf for the people (Exod. 32:4-5). Humans used animal idols as a medium to represent and relate to invisible spiritual forces that they believed governed and sustained the world.

Chapter 4: Why Are Idols Prohibited?

In the Torah, God provides two reasons why humans should not make idols or graven images. First, Yahweh the creator God is so transcendent that any attempt to contain him through visual representation is to reduce his glory. Israel is not to reduce him to any objects on the land or in signs (’ot in Hebrew) in the skies (Gen. 1:14-15).

Second, Yahweh already created images to represent himself on earth: humans. When warning the people against idol worship, Moses metaphorically alludes to this reality by saying that Yahweh “has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt” (Deut. 4:15-20). Fellow humans are the closest we can get on Earth to visualizing God’s transcendence, relationality, and beauty.

Chapter 5: Be the Image

If the negative commandment is, “Do not make an image,” then the inverted positive is “Be the image.” Seek to faithfully represent God’s wisdom, beauty, and goodness in the world. Jesus expresses this by restating commands from the Hebrew Bible to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39; Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18). And John says to love this way because “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

The second commandment declares that Yahweh is a God who is passionate for the well-being of creation. Therefore we must avoid anything that reduces him or humanity, namely idols (Exod. 20:5-6).