Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God. The prohibition on idols echoes the first and second commandments: no other gods, no images. The metal gods — molten images — specifically recalls the golden calf disaster of Exodus 32. The I am the Lord your God formula closes the prohibition: the God who is Israel's God cannot coexist with the idols Israel might make. The prohibition on idols in the Holiness Code communicates that the ethical regulations of chapters 18–27 are inseparable from the exclusive worship of the covenant God.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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