The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.

DEUTERONOMY 7:25KJV
Know the Bible

Deuteronomy 7:25 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 7:25 mean?

Deuteronomy 7:25 tells the Israelites to destroy the carved images of other nations’ gods by burning them, and not to desire or take the silver or gold from those idols, warning that doing so could trap them, since such things are detestable to the LORD their God. The verse strongly warns against keeping or valuing anything connected to idol worship.

Moses is speaking to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the land of Canaan, instructing them on how to deal with the religious objects of the peoples they will encounter. The command is not just to avoid worshiping these idols, but also to reject any material value they might seem to offer, emphasizing that even the precious metals on the idols are off-limits because they are tied to practices the LORD (יהוה, Yahweh) finds abhorrent.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 7:25

  • "images" (פֶּסֶל, pesel): This word refers to carved or sculpted idols, highlighting that these are physical objects made to represent other gods.
  • "desire" (חָמַד, chamad): This word means to covet or long for, showing that the warning is not just about actions but also about inward attitudes toward the wealth associated with idols.
  • "snared" (יָקַשׁ, yaqosh): This word means to be trapped or ensnared, suggesting that taking even valuable parts of idols could spiritually entangle the Israelites and lead them astray.
  • "abomination" (תּוֹעֵבָה, to'evah): This term is used for things that are utterly detestable or repugnant to God, underlining the seriousness of the command.

Why Deuteronomy 7:25 matters

  • The verse clarifies that the danger of idolatry is not just in the act of worship, but also in being attracted to anything associated with it, even valuable materials.
  • It connects to the broader theme in Deuteronomy of keeping the Israelites distinct from the nations around them, especially in matters of worship and loyalty to the LORD.
  • The warning about being "snared" shows that spiritual compromise can start subtly, even with something as seemingly harmless as taking gold or silver, making the command practical and far-reaching.

Where else these words appear

“snared” Hebrew H3369 · used in 8 verses

  • Psalms 124:7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
  • Proverbs 6:2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
  • Isaiah 8:15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

“desire” Hebrew H2530 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
  • Job 20:20 Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired.
  • Proverbs 12:12 The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.

“images” Hebrew H6456 · used in 23 verses

  • Deuteronomy 7:5 But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.
  • Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

“burn” Hebrew H8313 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
  • Joshua 7:25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
  • Psalms 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.