The Law of Moses

Explore the Ten Commandments

• 1st Commandment
•  2nd Commandment
•  3rd Commandment
•  4th Commandment 
•  5th Commandment
•  6th Commandment
•  7th Commandment
•  8th Commandment
•  9th Commandment
• 10th Commandment

Exodus 20:4-6 (CJB)

 “You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline.
You are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot.” 

The second commandment, which forbids making and worshiping carved images, must be understood within the cultural context of the ancient Near East, where idol worship was central to religious life. Nations surrounding Israel—such as Egypt, Canaan, and Mesopotamia—commonly created physical representations of their gods in the form of statues, symbols, or animals. These idols were believed to embody the presence and power of the gods they represented, making image-based worship a daily part of religious expression. By contrast, the God of Israel revealed Himself as invisible, living, and not confined to any form created by human hands. The second commandment was a radical rejection of the dominant religious norms of the time, setting Israel apart as a people in covenant with a God who could not be shaped, manipulated, or controlled. It emphasized the idea that true worship is based on relationship and obedience—not visual representations—marking a sharp cultural and theological distinction from idol-based religions of the ancient world. 

A common misconception about the second commandment is that it merely forbids creating any kind of artwork or visual representation, including religious art. However, the commandment specifically addresses the making of images for the purpose of worship—not art in general. In fact, the Tabernacle itself, which God commanded Moses to build, included decorative elements like cherubim and symbolic designs. The issue was never the existence of images, but rather the use of those images as objects of worship or attempts to represent God in physical form. Another misunderstanding is that this commandment only applied to ancient idol worship and has no relevance today. In reality, it still speaks clearly against placing anything—whether physical, ideological, or emotional—in the place of God or allowing substitutes to define Him. The second commandment upholds the truth that God is not to be reduced to human ideas or forms, preserving the purity of worship and the holiness of the divine relationship.