Exodus 23:24

24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.

Exodus 23:24 in Other Translations

KJV
24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
ESV
24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.
NLT
24 You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.
MSG
24 So don't worship or serve their gods; don't do anything they do because I'm going to wipe them right off the face of the Earth and smash their sacred phallic pillars to bits.
CSB
24 You must not bow down to their gods or worship them. Do not imitate their practices. Instead, demolish them and smash their sacred pillars to pieces.

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 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.
23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.
24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.
25 Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you,
26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.

Cross References 4

  • 1. S Exodus 20:5
  • 2. Leviticus 18:3; Leviticus 20:23; Deuteronomy 9:4; Deuteronomy 12:30-31; Jeremiah 10:2
  • 3. Exodus 34:13; Numbers 33:52; Deuteronomy 7:5; Deuteronomy 12:3; Judges 2:2; 2 Kings 18:4; 2 Kings 23:14
  • 4. Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 16:22; 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 3:2; 2 Kings 10:26; 2 Kings 17:10; 2 Chronicles 14:3; Isaiah 27:9
Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.