Exodus 20:25 (DRB)

Passage

And if thou make an altar of stone unto me, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou lift up a tool upon it, it shall be defiled.

Nearby Context

Exodus 20:23 You shall not make gods of silver, nor shall you make to yourselves gods of gold.

Exodus 20:24 You shall make an altar of earth unto me, and you shall offer upon it your holocausts and peace offerings, your sheep and oxen, in every place where the memory of my name shall be: I will come to thee, and will bless thee.

Exodus 20:25 And if thou make an altar of stone unto me, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou lift up a tool upon it, it shall be defiled.

Exodus 20:26 Thou shalt not go up by steps unto my altar, lest thy nakedness be discovered.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "make", "altar", "stone", "shalt", "build", and "hewn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "make", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "You shall make an altar of earth..." into verse 26's "Thou shalt not go up by steps...", so "thou" and "make" belong inside that flow. In Exodus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thou" and "make" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.