Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.

LEVITICUS 26:1KJV
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Leviticus 26:1 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 26:1 mean?

Leviticus 26:1 commands the Israelites not to make or set up any idols, carved images, or stone figures to worship, because the LORD is their God. The verse is a clear instruction against creating physical objects for the purpose of bowing down to them.

In this verse, God is speaking to the people of Israel through Moses as part of a larger set of laws and instructions. The setting is just after the Israelites have left Egypt, where idol worship was common, and God is setting them apart with different practices. The focus is on exclusive worship of the LORD, rejecting the use of images or statues as objects of devotion.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 26:1

  • "idols" (אֱלִילִים, 'elilim): This word often refers to worthless or powerless gods, highlighting that these objects have no real power.
  • "graven image" (פֶּסֶל, pesel): This term means a carved or sculpted image, usually of wood or stone, made to represent a deity.
  • "standing image" (מַצֵּבָה, matzevah): This refers to an upright stone pillar or monument, which was sometimes used in ancient worship practices.
  • "to bow down" (שָׁחָה, shachah): This verb means to prostrate oneself or show deep respect, often in a religious context, making clear the act of worship is what is forbidden, not just the object itself.

Why Leviticus 26:1 matters

  • Leviticus 26:1 clarifies that the command is not just about making images, but specifically about making them for the purpose of worship, which was a common practice in surrounding cultures.
  • The verse sets the tone for the rest of the chapter, which contrasts blessings for obedience with consequences for disobedience, beginning with the most basic requirement: exclusive loyalty to the LORD.
  • Understanding the specific words used helps distinguish between art or decoration and objects intended for worship, which is the focus of the prohibition here.

Where else these words appear

“image” Hebrew H4906 · used in 6 verses

  • Numbers 33:52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:
  • Psalms 73:7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
  • Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

“idols” Hebrew H457 · used in 18 verses

  • Leviticus 19:4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.
  • Isaiah 2:8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
  • Isaiah 19:3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

“image” Hebrew H6459 · used in 31 verses

  • Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
  • Judges 18:18 And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?
  • Isaiah 44:9 They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.

“image” Hebrew H4676 · used in 31 verses

  • Genesis 28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
  • Exodus 34:13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
  • 2 Kings 23:14 And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.