Deuteronomy 7:25

25 The carved images of their gods 1you shall burn with fire. You 2shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be 3ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 7:25 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 7:25

The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire
Which is repeated from ( Deuteronomy 7:5 ) , that it might be the more observed and strictly performed, and which unless done, they could not expect the utter destruction of their enemies, who were left in the land to try and prove them with respect to this very thing:

thou shall not desire the silver or gold that is on them:
the raiment of gold or silver with which they were bedecked, or the plates of gold and silver with which they were covered, or any ornament about them, as chains and the like, that were of either of these metals; see ( Ezekiel 16:16 Ezekiel 16:17 Ezekiel 16:18 ) ( Jeremiah 10:9 ) ,

nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein;
nor take it into their possession, or bring it into their houses, as in the next verse, lest they should be under a temptation to worship it, or keep it as a superstitious relic:

for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God;
not only the idol itself, being put in the place of God, and so derogatory to his honour and glory, but the gold and silver on it, being devoted to a superstitious and idolatrous use; and even the taking of it, and appropriating it to a man's own use, was an abomination, and resented by the Lord as such.

Deuteronomy 7:25 In-Context

23 But the LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed.
24 And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.
25 The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God.
26 And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.

Cross References 3

  • 1. ver. 5; Deuteronomy 12:3; [Exodus 32:20; 1 Chronicles 14:12]
  • 2. [Joshua 7:1, 21]
  • 3. See ver. 16
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.