Exodus 20:23
ESV
You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.
NIV
Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
NASB
You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.
CSB
Do not make gods of silver to rival me; do not make gods of gold for yourselves.
NLT
Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me.
KJV
Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
NKJV
You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.
What does Exodus 20:23 mean?
Before moving on to regulations about altars (Exodus 20:24–26), God reiterates the banning of idols (Exodus 20:3–6). God is the only deity Who exists (Isaiah 45:5). He is the One responsible for Israel's existence and survival (Exodus 6:7; 14:21–28; 20:2). Worship is owed only to the Lord; giving it to anything or anyone else is offensive. In the ancient world, most people worshipped a variety of deities. They prayed to carvings and sculptures representing these spirits. God's chosen people (Deuteronomy 14:2) are not to participate in this sin.The earlier description of idolatry mentioned "carved" images, from a word sometimes translated as "graven." This is related to the English word "engrave" and literally means "sculpted." Many idols were made by carving wood or stone into shapes and covering them with a thin layer of precious metal. In rare cases, they were made of solid gold or silver. Idols can take many forms, but references to gold and silver "gods" represents the entire idea.
One of Israel's worst moments will come while Moses is on Sinai receiving the Law from God. In direct defiance of these ideas, they will create a golden calf and worship it in place of God (Exodus 32).
