You shall not worship the LORD your God in this way.
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall not do so to Yahweh your God.
- KJV Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.
- NKJV You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things.
- NASB You shall not act this way toward the Lord your God.
- NLT “Do not worship the Lord your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel must not worship the LORD in the corrupt manner the nations used for their gods. God prescribes how he is to be approached.
Overview
Having ordered the destruction of pagan shrines, Moses warns that Israel must not import those practices into the worship of Yahweh. True worship is defined by God's revelation, not human imagination or surrounding culture. This principle, that God determines how he is to be worshiped, runs through Scripture and finds its fulfillment in worshiping the Father in spirit and truth through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Lev 20:23You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
- Deut 20:18so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.
- Deut 16:21–22Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God,
- Deut 12:30–31be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 12:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.