Exodus 23:24

24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them and completely break down their images.

Exodus 23:24 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 23:24

Thou shalt not bow down to their gods
In a way of honour to them, doing them reverence, expressing thereby an high esteem of them, trust in them, and expectation of good things from them;

nor serve them:
in any kind of service in which they usually are served by their votaries; as by offering sacrifice, incense, libations or by praying to them or praising of them, or in whatsoever way they are served by idolaters:

nor do after their works;
the works of the worshippers of idols; all those wicked works in general done by them, which should not be imitated; and those particularly relating to the service and worship of their deities:

but thou shalt overthrow them;
the heathen gods; utterly destroy them, and break them to pieces, or demolish their temples, the idolatrous houses built for them, and their altars; for the word has the signification, of demolishing buildings, and razing up the very foundations of them:

and quite break down their images;
or, "in breaking break down" F15; utterly and entirely break them down, break them to shivers, all their statues of gold or silver, brass, wood, or stone, or of whatsoever materials they were made; none were to be spared, nor any remains of them to be seen, that they might not prove a snare to any to worship them; and hereby they were to express their detestation of idolatry, and their strict and close adherence to the true God, and the worship of him as follows.


FOOTNOTES:

F15 (rbvt rbv) "confringendo confringes", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius, "perfringendo perfringito", Piscator.

Exodus 23:24 In-Context

22 But if thou shalt indeed hear his voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies and an adversary unto those that afflict thee.
23 For my Angel shall go before thee and bring thee in unto the land of the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite the Hivite and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off.
24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them and completely break down their images.
25 But ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread and thy water; and I will take all sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 No women shall abort, nor be barren, in thy land; the number of thy days I will fulfil.
The Jubilee Bible (from the Scriptures of the Reformation), edited by Russell M. Stendal, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010