2nd Commandment: No Idols
4/20/20261 hr 5 min
The 10 Commandments E5 — In the ancient world, gods (or elohim in Hebrew) were associated with transcendent forces of nature, and humans created statues (mostly of animals) to represent these forces, known as idols. But in Exodus 20:4-6, Yahweh forbids Israel from making idols of himself or any other spiritual being. Why? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the 2nd Commandment to discover how idols diminish the identity of both God and humans.
FULL SHOW NOTES
For chapter-by-chapter summaries, biblical words, referenced Scriptures, and reflection questions, check out the full show notes for this episode.
CHAPTERS
- Recap and Setup for the 2nd Commandment (0:00-14:43)
- Biblical Words for Idols (14:43-29:25)
- Ancient Idols Represented as Animals (29:25-39:57)
- Why Are Idols Prohibited? (39:57-51:57)
- Be the Image (51:57-1:05:26)
OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
View this episode’s official transcript.
THE 10 COMMANDMENTS BIBLEPROJECT TRANSLATION
View our full translation of the 10 Commandments.
REFERENCED RESOURCES
- Find the related animated video for this episode here.
- For more on what it means for humans to be God’s image, check out our “Image of God” video and podcast series.
- For conversations addressing generational consequences for sin from Exodus 20:5-6, check out our “Character of God” podcast series.
- The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus by Nahum M. Sarna
- Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books.
SHOW MUSIC
- “Picnic” by Lofi Sunday feat. dannyfreeman
- “Answered Prayers” by Lofi Sunday feat. PAINT WITH SOUND
- “Silver N Gold” by Lofi Sunday feat. Yoni Charis
- “Know My Name” by Lofi Sunday feat. Opto Music
- BibleProject theme song by TENTS
SHOW CREDITS
Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty writes the show notes. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJon Collins· Host0:00
[upbeat music] The Ten Commandments in the Bible are not introduced as commands. They're called the Ten Words, and that's because they're not a rule book or a simple checklist to follow. The Ten Words are ten foundational ways for finding life.
Tim Mackie· Host0:20
God's commands will always point God's people towards even more life than you're currently experiencing and avoiding the diminishment of your life.
Jon Collins· Host0:28
And this idea of diminishing life connects us to what we'll talk about today, the second word, and it's about idolatry. In its simple form, it reads- "You will not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in the skies above or on the land beneath or in the waters underneath the land." Now, idols are statues, usually of familiar animals, and they're meant to represent God and give you access to God. And while this practice was normal in the ancient world, the creator, God, prohibited Israel from doing it.
Tim Mackie· Host1:07
The moment you image Yahweh by something in your mind first and then give a physical expression to that by something you make, you are reducing the incomprehensible, transcendent reality.
Jon Collins· Host1:22
But interestingly, while God prohibits Israel from making an image of Him, God made an image of Himself. It's in Genesis