Can man make gods for himself? Such are not gods!”
Parallel translations
- WEB Shall a man make to himself gods, which yet are no gods?”
- KJV Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?
- NKJV Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods?
- NASB Can a person make gods for himself? But they are not gods!
- NLT Can people make their own gods? These are not real gods at all!”
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
The verse asks how a man can make gods for himself, which are not gods at all. It exposes the folly of idolatry, in which people manufacture and worship what cannot save.
Overview
This pointed question lays bare the absurdity of idol-making: created things fashioned by human hands are no gods at all. Scripture repeatedly mocks the powerlessness of idols against the living Creator (Isaiah 44:9-20). The verse calls all people to abandon every false god and worship the only true God, made known and accessible through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 115:4–8Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.
- Isa 37:19They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.
- Gal 4:8Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
- Ps 135:14–18For the LORD will vindicate His people and will have compassion on His servants.
- Hos 8:4–6They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction.
- Acts 19:26And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, Paul has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.
- Isa 36:19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
- Jer 2:11Has a nation ever changed its gods, though they are no gods at all? Yet My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.
- Gal 1:8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!
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
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 16:20 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.