Exodus 23:24

24 Gij zult u voor hun goden niet buigen, noch hen dienen; ook zult gij naar hun werken niet doen; maar gij zult ze geheel afbreken, en hun opgerichte beelden ganselijk vermorzelen.

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 Maar zo gij Zijner stem naarstiglijk gehoorzaamt, en doet al wat Ik spreken zal, zo zal Ik uwer vijanden vijand, en uwer wederpartijders wederpartij zijn.
23 Want Mijn Engel zal voor uw aangezicht gaan, en Hij zal u inbrengen tot de Amorieten, en Hethieten, en Ferezieten, en Kanaanieten, Hevieten, en Jebusieten; en Ik zal hen verdelgen.
24 Gij zult u voor hun goden niet buigen, noch hen dienen; ook zult gij naar hun werken niet doen; maar gij zult ze geheel afbreken, en hun opgerichte beelden ganselijk vermorzelen.
25 En gij zult den HEERE uw God dienen, zo zal Hij uw brood en uw water zegenen; en Ik zal de krankheden uit het midden van u weren.
26 Er zal geen misdrachtige, noch onvruchtbare in uw land zijn; Ik zal het getal uwer dagen vervullen.
The Dutch Staten Vertaling translation is in the public domain.