What 'Idol' Means in Hebrew

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

1. Recap and Setup for the 2nd Commandment (0:00-14:43)
2. Biblical Words for Idols (14:43-29:25)
3. Ancient Idols Represented as Animals (29:25-39:57)
4. Why Are Idols Prohibited? (39:57-51:57)
5. 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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