Exodus 20:23 (GNV)

Passage

Ye shall not make therefore with me gods of siluer, nor gods of golde: you shall make you none.

Nearby Context

Exodus 20:21 So the people stoode afarre off, but Moses drew neere vnto the darkenes where God was.

Exodus 20:22 And the Lord sayde vnto Moses, Thus thou shalt say vnto the children of Israel, Ye haue seene that I haue talked with you from heauen.

Exodus 20:23 Ye shall not make therefore with me gods of siluer, nor gods of golde: you shall make you none.

Exodus 20:24 An altar of earth thou shalt make vnto me, and thereon shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheepe, and thine oxen: in all places, where I shall put the remembrance of my Name, I will come vnto thee, and blesse thee.

Exodus 20:25 But if thou wilt make mee an altar of stone, thou shalt not buylde it of hewen stones: for if thou lift vp thy toole vpon them, thou hast polluted them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "make", "therefore", "gods", "siluer", and "golde". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "make", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "And the Lord sayde vnto Moses Thus..." into verse 24's "An altar of earth thou shalt make...", so "shall" 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 "shall" and "make" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.