Leviticus 19:4. Turn ye not unto idols Hebrew, אלילם , Elilim, No gods, or nothings, as the word signifies, and as idols are called, (1 Corinthians 8:4,) many of them having no being but in the fancy of their worshippers, and all of them having no virtue or power to do good or evil, Isaiah 41:23. read more
Miscellaneous matters (19:1-37)Probably the miscellaneous laws collected here were decisions or warnings given by Moses in cases where there was some doubt about what was right or wrong. Often all that was needed was a reminder of existing laws; for example, those concerning respect for parents, Sabbath-keeping, worship of idols and eating of sacrificial food (19:1-8).When harvesting, farmers were always to leave something for the poor (9-10). Employers had to pay wages promptly, and judges had... read more
idols = Hebrew. 'elilim . See Leviticus 26:1 . read more
"Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God.100No idolatry.Both the first and third commandments are reiterated here. (See the full comment on these in Exodus 20.) read more
Leviticus 19:4. Turn ye not unto idols— The word rendered idols אלילים elilim, coming from אליל elil, vain, foolish, false, signifies vain, foolish, or false things: a name given in just contempt by believers to the vain objects of heathen worship, which were nothing in themselves, and to worship which shewed the greater folly; as, having no intellectual existence, they were unable to help: We know that an idol is nothing in the world, says St. Paul, 1Co 8:4 an observation equally true,... read more
Respect for parents and Sabbath observance (Leviticus 19:3) were the foundations for moral government and social wellbeing respectively. Compare the fourth and fifth commandments.Idolatry and image making (Leviticus 19:4) broke the first and second commandments. This verse recalls the golden calf incident (Exodus 32).Regarding the sacrifices, the main expression of worship, as holy (Leviticus 19:5-8), revealed true loyalty to God contrasted with the idolatry of Leviticus 19:4.The preceding... read more
Holiness precepts 19:1-18"This section . . . consists of a list of twenty-one (3x7) laws. These laws are broken up into smaller units by the sevenfold repetition of the phrase ’I am the LORD (your God)’ (Leviticus 19:3-4; Leviticus 19:10; Leviticus 19:12; Leviticus 19:14; Leviticus 19:16; Leviticus 19:18)." [Note: Sailhamer, p. 349.] The clause "I am the Lord" reminded the Israelites that God was their ultimate judge. read more
3. Holiness of behavior toward God and man ch. 19Moses grouped the commandments in this section together by a loose association of ideas rather than by a strictly logical arrangement. They all spring from the central thought in Leviticus 19:2: "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." This sentence is the motto of Leviticus (cf. Leviticus 11:44-45; Leviticus 20:26; Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:16)."Every biblical statement about God carries with it an implied demand upon men to imitate... read more
Various Laws, mainly of a Moral and Humane CharacterThis chapter was very naturally regarded by Jewish authorities as an embodiment of the Decalogue. It will be observed that in general the precepts in Leviticus 19:3-8 correspond to those of the first table of the Decalogue (’Thou shalt love the Lord thy God’), and those in Leviticus 19:9-18 to the second table (’Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’). In this chapter alone the characteristic phrase ’I am the Lord’ (i.e. Jehovah) occurs no... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Leviticus 19:4
This verse contains the laws of piety and of faith. "Turn ye not unto idols" forbids the worship of false gods; "nor make to yourselves molten gods" forbids in addition the sin of worshipping the true God under the form of a molten shape. I. The great temptation to the Jews down to the time of their captivity appears to have been that of taking the gods of the nations round about them as their gods; Baal, Ashtoreth, Molech, Chemosh, drew off their affections from Jehovah. They did... read more