Exodus 34:17

Summary

Exodus 34:17 prohibits the making of cast or molten images referred to as "gods." The sentence places the prohibited object at the front of the clause, followed by the negation and the verb of making, addressed to a singular "you."

Key words

• 'elohei ("gods of", H0430J) — masculine plural noun in construct state, meaning it must be joined to the following noun; it does not stand alone as "gods" but as "gods of [something]."
• massekah ("molten metal", H4541A) — feminine singular noun, the item to which 'elohei is bound; together the construct phrase yields "gods of molten metal" or "molten-metal gods."
• lo' ("not", H3808) — the negative particle marking prohibition; it precedes the verb rather than following it, which is the standard position for negated commands in Hebrew.
• ta'aseh ("you must make", H6213H) — Qal imperfect, second person masculine singular; the imperfect form here carries a durative or prohibitive force, functioning as "you shall not make" rather than a single completed act.
• lakh ("for yourself", H9031 with H9005) — preposition plus pronominal suffix, masculine singular "you," indicating the beneficiary or reflexive direction of the forbidden action — the images would be made "for yourself."

What the text says

The clause opens with the construct phrase 'elohei massekah, "gods of molten metal," placed before the negation lo' and the verb ta'aseh. This fronting of the object is a feature of Hebrew syntax that gives emphasis to the item being prohibited — the molten-metal gods are named first, before the prohibition itself is stated. The construct chain 'elohei massekah does not describe two separate things but one category: images made of poured/cast metal that are called "gods."

The verb ta'aseh is second person masculine singular, addressing an individual "you," and the imperfect aspect used with the negative particle lo' functions as a general prohibition, not limited to a single moment but covering ongoing or future action. The final element, lakh ("for yourself"), specifies that the object of prohibition is tied to the maker's own benefit or possession — the forbidden act is making such images for one's own use.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the phrase as θεοὺς χωνευτοὺς ("gods, molten/poured"), using an adjective χωνευτοὺς rather than a construct noun phrase, and addresses the second person with σεαυτῷ, singular "for yourself," matching the Hebrew singular lakh. The Vulgate uses "Deos conflatiles... tibi," also singular, paralleling the Hebrew grammatical number. The BSB, however, translates "for yourselves," shifting to a plural pronoun where the Hebrew lakh and the LXX/Vulgate both preserve the singular addressee.