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Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Deuteronomy 4:15

"On the day the Lord spoke to you from the fire at Mount Horeb, you did not see him—there was no shape for God.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   God Continued...;   Horeb;   Idolatry;   Obedience;   Sinai;   The Topic Concordance - Alertness;   Idolatry;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Heedfulness;   Idolatry;   Law of Moses, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Idol, Idolatry;   Image;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - God;   Idol, idolatry;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Fire;   Idol, Idolatry;   Israel;   Jesus Christ, Name and Titles of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Polytheism;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Divination;   Idol;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Baptism of Fire;   Deuteronomy, the Book of;   Theophany;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Deuteronomy;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Quotations;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Horeb ;   Similitude;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Horeb;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Cherub;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Deuteronomy;   Form;   Good;   Heed;   Similitude;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ethics;   God;   Theology;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Take therefore good heed to yourselves; for you saw no manner of form on the day that the LORD spoke to you in Horev out of the midst of the fire.
King James Version
Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
Lexham English Bible
"So you must be very careful for yourselves, because you did not see any form on the day Yahweh spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,
English Standard Version
"Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
New Century Version
Since the Lord spoke to you from the fire at Mount Sinai, but you did not see him, watch yourselves carefully!
New English Translation
Be very careful, then, because you saw no form at the time the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire.
Amplified Bible
"So pay attention and watch yourselves carefully—for you did not see any form [of God] on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire—
New American Standard Bible
"So be very careful yourselves, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,
Geneva Bible (1587)
Take therefore good heede vnto your selues: for ye sawe no image in the day that the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb out of the middes of the fire:
Legacy Standard Bible
"So keep your souls very carefully, since you did not see any form on the day Yahweh spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,
Contemporary English Version
Moses said to Israel: When God spoke to you from the fire, he was invisible. So be careful
Complete Jewish Bible
"Therefore, watch out for yourselves! Since you did not see a shape of any kind on the day Adonai spoke to you in Horev from the fire,
Darby Translation
And take great heed to your souls (for ye saw no form on the day that Jehovah spoke to you in Horeb from the midst of the fire),
George Lamsa Translation
Take therefore good heed to yourselves; for you saw no manner of form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire;
Good News Translation
"When the Lord spoke to you from the fire on Mount Sinai, you did not see any form. For your own good, then, make certain
Christian Standard Bible®
“Diligently watch yourselves—because you did not see any form on the day the Lord spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb—
Literal Translation
Therefore you shall carefully watch over your souls, for you have not seen any likeness in the day Jehovah spoke to you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Kepe well youre soules therfore, for ye sawe no maner of ymage, in the daye wha the LORDE spake vnto you out of the fyre vpon mount Horeb, that ye destroye not youre selues,
American Standard Version
Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of form on the day that Jehovah spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire;
Bible in Basic English
So keep watch on yourselves with care; for you saw no form of any sort on the day when the voice of the Lord came to you in Horeb out of the heart of the fire:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take therfore good heede vnto your selues as pertaynyng vnto your soules, (for ye sawe no maner of image in the day that the Lorde spake vnto you in Horeb, out of the middes of fire)
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves--for ye saw no manner of form on the day that the LORD spoke unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire--
King James Version (1611)
Take ye therfore good heed vnto your selues, (for ye saw no maner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake vnto you in Horeb, out of the midst of the fire)
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And take good heed to your hearts, for ye saw no similitude in the day in which the Lord spoke to you in Choreb in the mountain out of the midst of the fire:
English Revised Version
Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of form on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
Berean Standard Bible
So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor kepe ye bisili youre soulis; ye sien not ony licnesse in the dai in which the Lord spak to you in Oreb, fro the myddis of the fier;
Young's Literal Translation
and ye have been very watchful of your souls, for ye have not seen any similitude in the day of Jehovah's speaking unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
Update Bible Version
Therefore take good heed to yourselves; for you saw no manner of form on the day that Yahweh spoke to you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire.
Webster's Bible Translation
Take ye therefore good heed to yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day [that] the LORD spoke to you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire;
World English Bible
Take therefore good heed to yourselves; for you saw no manner of form on the day that Yahweh spoke to you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire.
New King James Version
"Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
New Living Translation
"But be very careful! You did not see the Lord 's form on the day he spoke to you from the heart of the fire at Mount Sinai.
New Life Bible
"So watch yourselves and be careful. For you saw no body on the day the Lord spoke to you in the fire at Mount Sinai.
New Revised Standard
Since you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire, take care and watch yourselves closely,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Ye must take diligent heed, therefore unto your own souls, for ye saw no manner of form, on the day Yahweh spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Keep therefore your souls carefully. You saw not any similitude in the day that the Lord God spoke to you in Horeb from the midst of the fire:
Revised Standard Version
"Therefore take good heed to yourselves. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
THE MESSAGE
You saw no form on the day God spoke to you at Horeb from out of the fire. Remember that. Carefully guard yourselves so that you don't turn corrupt and make a form, carving a figure that looks male or female, or looks like a prowling animal or a flying bird or a slithering snake or a fish in a stream. And also carefully guard yourselves so that you don't look up into the skies and see the sun and moon and stars, all the constellations of the skies, and be seduced into worshiping and serving them. God set them out for everybody's benefit, everywhere. But you— God took you right out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to become the people of his inheritance—and that's what you are this very day.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,

Contextual Overview

1 "Now, Israel, listen to the laws and to the commands that I teach you. Obey them and you will live. Then you can go in and take the land that the Lord , the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 You must not add to what I command you. And you must not take anything away. You must obey the commands of the Lord your God that I have given you. 3 "You have seen what the Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed all your people who followed the false god Baal at that place. 4 But all of you who stayed with the Lord your God are alive today. 5 "I taught you the laws and rules that the Lord my God commanded me. I did this so you could obey them in the land you are ready to enter and take for your own. 6 Obey these laws carefully. This will show the people of the other nations that you are wise and sensible. They will hear about these laws and say, ‘Truly, the people of this great nation are wise and sensible.' 7 "The Lord our God is near when we ask him to help us. No other nation has a god like that! 8 And no other nation is great enough to have laws and rules as good as the teachings I give you today. 9 But you must be careful! Be sure that as long as you live you never forget what you have seen. You must teach these things to your children and grandchildren. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Horeb. The Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people together to listen to what I have to say. Then they will learn to respect me as long as they live on earth. And they will teach these things to their children.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Take ye: Deuteronomy 4:9, Deuteronomy 4:23, Joshua 23:11, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 1 Chronicles 28:10, Psalms 119:9, Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 4:27, Jeremiah 17:21, Malachi 2:15

of similitude: Deuteronomy 4:12, Isaiah 40:18, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6, Hebrews 1:3

Reciprocal: Exodus 20:4 - General Exodus 23:13 - be circumspect Exodus 32:1 - make Numbers 12:8 - similitude Deuteronomy 5:8 - graven image 2 Kings 10:31 - took no heed 2 Kings 17:12 - Ye shall not Isaiah 40:25 - General Luke 17:3 - heed Romans 1:23 - an image

Cross-References

Genesis 4:24
The punishment for killing Cain was very bad. But the punishment for killing me will be many times worse!"
Leviticus 26:18
"After these things, if you still don't obey me, I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
Leviticus 26:21
"If you still turn against me and refuse to obey me, I will beat you seven times harder! The more you sin, the more you will be punished.
Leviticus 26:24
then I will also turn against you. I—yes, I myself—will punish you seven times for your sins.
Leviticus 26:28
then I will really show my anger! I—yes, I myself—will punish you seven times for your sins.
1 Kings 16:7
That book also has the story of the time the Lord gave the message to Jehu the prophet about Baasha and his family. Baasha did many things the Lord said were wrong, just as Jeroboam and his family had done. This and the fact that Baasha had killed everyone in Jeroboam's family made the Lord very angry.
Psalms 59:11
Don't just kill them, or my people might forget. My Lord and Protector, scatter and defeat them with your strength.
Psalms 79:12
Punish the nations around us! Pay them back seven times for what they did to us. Punish them for insulting you.
Ezekiel 9:4
Then the Lord said to him, "Go through the city of Jerusalem. Put a mark on the forehead of everyone who feels sad and upset about all the terrible things people are doing in this city."
Hosea 1:4
The Lord said to Hosea, "Name him Jezreel, because soon I will punish the family of Jehu for the people he killed at Jezreel Valley. Then I will put an end to the kingdom of the nation of Israel.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves,.... As to keep all the laws given them, so particularly to avoid idolatry:

for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire; and therefore, as they had nothing that directed and led them, so they had nothing that could be a temptation to them, to make any form or likeness, and worship it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 4:15. Ye saw no manner of similitude — Howsoever God chose to appear or manifest himself, he took care never to assume any describable form. He would have no image worship, because he is a SPIRIT, and they who worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth. These outward things tend to draw the mind out of itself, and diffuse it on sensible, if not sensual, objects; and thus spiritual worship is prevented, and the Holy Ghost grieved. Persons acting in this way can never know much of the religion of the heart.


 
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