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God will wait "until the third and fourth generation" until the measure of sin is complete, once again allowing us to turn away from the idols of our fathers and return to Him. "Visiting the sins of fathers upon children." God's memory is perfect, and His retribution is sure however, He defers punishment and allows the sinner (and his children) to repent and turn to Him. Visting the sins of fathers upon children God is entirely committed to our relationship with Him, but are we putting other desires, affections, or interests ahead of His love? Do we demonstrate our love for God by being faithful to Him? The LORD watches us lovingly and closely, like a faithful and passionate husband watches over his beloved wife. A Jew who engages in idolatry is like a spouse who willfully engages in adultery (indeed, idolatry is a form of spiritual adultery). 4:24 5:9 6:15 1 Kings 19:10, 14)) in memory of the "marriage ceremony" between Israel and God. YHVH identifies Himself as El Kana, the Jealous God (a designation repeated elsewhere in Scripture ( Exod. These verses also link Elohim (God as Judge) with the LORD YHVH (Adonai, reflecting God's attributes of compassion and mercy). It is forbidden to engage in any activity that even resembles such behavior. Drinking before idols (i.e., performing any libation or drinking to them).
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Eating before idols (i.e., partaking of meat offered to them).Offering sacrifices to idols (i.e., offering korbonot or any gift).Prostrating yourself before an idol (in adoration or reverential fear).V'oseh chesed la'alafim, l'ohavai ul'shomrei mizvotai.Įxpressing idolatrous worship is said to involve one (or more of the following): Pokeid 'avon avot 'al-banim 'al-shileishim, v'al-ribei'im l'sonai. Lo-tishtacheveh lahem v'lo ta'ovdem, ki anokhi Adonai Eloheykha El Kana, 32:17).ĭo not worship or serve idols (avodah zarah) Ritual magic and animism is thereby prohibited, as is any form of demonolatry ( Deut. Connected with this prohibition is the astrological deification of the sun, moon, and stars, or fetishes that involve geographical locations. "and any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below." The key word here is temunah, often translated "likeness." Temunah seems to be connected to the idea of "form" or "pattern," which has been generalized to refer to any symbolic representation of the divine. V'khol-temunah asher bashamayim mima'al ba'aretz mitachat.
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Connected with this prohibition is any form of human idealization as represented by a statue (e.g., of Pharaoh or a bust of Caesar). "You shall not make for yourself a carved image." The Hebrew word Pesel is often translated as "graven image" or carved image," and refers to any three dimensional image (regardless of how it may be produced) that is meant to represent the divine.
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Va'asher ba'aretz mitachat va'asher bamayim mitachat la'aretz. Lo ta'aseh-lekha fesel v'khol-temunah asher bashamayim mima'al 20:4) explains in detail what the various profane manifestations of elohim acheirim, the "gods of others," are: Idolatry of any kind applies at all times and to all generations. Since God is eternal and omnipresent, the expression 'al-panai (literally "before My face") means forever and every place. The phrase elohim acheirim should not be understood to mean that actually are other gods other than the God of Israel, but is a reference to the (so-called) gods of other nations or peoples. The first part, lo yiyeh-lekha elohim acheirim, can be rendered, "There shall not be to you the gods of others," which logically flows from the First Commandment that we must attribute all power to the one true God alone. 20:3-6) that contain four separate prohibitions against various aspects of idolatry. The Second Commandment actually spans four verses ( Exod. The Second Commandment: Ne'emanut (נאמנוּת)