Devarim 7:25

25 The peselim of eloheihem shall ye burn with eish; thou shalt not desire the kesef or zahav that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is a to’evah (abomination) to Hashem Eloheicha.

Devarim 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.

Devarim 7:25 In-Context

23 But Hashem Eloheicha shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be shmad.
24 And He shall deliver their melachim into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their shem from under Shomayim; there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.
25 The peselim of eloheihem shall ye burn with eish; thou shalt not desire the kesef or zahav that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is a to’evah (abomination) to Hashem Eloheicha.
26 Neither shalt thou bring a to’evah (abomination) into thine bais, lest thou be a cherem like it; but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cherem.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.