Exodus 34:17

17 "Don't make molten gods for yourselves.

Exodus 34:17 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 34:17

Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
] Made of a melted liquid, whether gold, or silver, or brass, poured into a mould; and though graven images are not mentioned, they are included, a part being put for the whole, as appears not only from the injunction to break images in general, whether graven or molten, ( Exodus 34:13 ) but from the second command, which expressly forbids the making and worshipping of them; but "molten" ones are particularly mentioned, because it is probable they were chiefly such the Canaanites worshipped, and especially, because the calf the Israelites had lately made and worshipped was a molten one.

Exodus 34:17 In-Context

15 Be careful that you don't make a covenant with the people who live in the land and take up with their sex-and-religion life, join them in meals at their altars,
16 marry your sons to their women, women who take up with any convenient god or goddess and will get your sons to do the same thing.
17 "Don't make molten gods for yourselves.
18 "Keep the Feast of Unraised Bread. Eat only unraised bread for seven days in the month of Abib - it was in the month of Abib that you came out of Egypt.
19 "Every firstborn from the womb is mine, all the males of your herds, your firstborn oxen and sheep.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.