KJV King James Version
And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
Exodus 20:25
And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.
WEB World English Bible
If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it.
ASV American Standard Version
And if thou make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
‘And if an altar of stones thou dost make to Me, thou dost not build them of hewn work; when thy tool thou hast waved over it, then thou dost pollute it;
Surrounding context — Exodus 20
22 And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
וְאִם־H518 · imifמִזְבַּ֤חH4196 · miz.be.achaltarאֲבָנִים֙H68 · e.venstoneתַּֽעֲשֶׂה־H6213 · a.sahto make: doלִּ֔יH9030 · nimeלֹֽא־H3808 · lonotתִבְנֶ֥הH1129 · ba.nahto buildאֶתְהֶ֖ןH853 · et[Obj.]גָּזִ֑יתH1496 · ga.zitcuttingכִּ֧יH3588 · kiforחַרְבְּךָ֛H2719 · che.revswordהֵנַ֥פְתָּH5130 · nuphto sprinkleעָלֶ֖יהָH5921 · aluponוַתְּחַֽלְלֶֽהָ׃H2490 · cha.lalto bore
Cross-references
Deuteronomy 27:5-6And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up [any] iron [tool] upon them.Joshua 8:31As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up [any] iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
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