Exodus 20:23:8Exod.20.23.W8TAB
לֹ֥א
lo
“not”
- Transliteration
- LO
- Extended
- LOH
- IPA
- /ˈloː/
Meaning by language
- English
- not
Alphabet Analysis
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points |
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The word
Word in context
- word
LO
- phraseyour reading level
LO ta-ah-SU
- clause
e-lo-HEI KHE-sef ve-e-lo-HEI za-HAV LO ta-ah-SU la-KHEM
- sentence
LO ta-ah-SUN it-TI e-lo-HEI KHE-sef ve-e-lo-HEI za-HAV LO ta-ah-SU la-KHEM
Exegesis
The prohibition begins with the negative particle lo {לֹא | lōʾ} ‘not’ immediately before the verb taasu {תַעֲשׂוּן | ta-ʿă-śûn} ‘you shall make,’ a formulaic marker of covenant commands.
The second clause echoes lo taasu {לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ | lōʾ ta-ʿă-śû} ‘do not make’ and adds lachem {לָכֶם | lā-ḵem} ‘for yourselves,’ broadening the ban from communal worship items to private devotion. This repetition and parallelism underscore the all-encompassing nature of the idolatry prohibition.
Root and etymology
Rootlamed-aleph-kaph
“to do work”
In context — Exodus 20:23
You must not make with Me gods of silver or gods of gold; you must not make them for yourselves.
About this coordinate
Exodus 20:23:8 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 8 of Exodus 20:23, so the Hebrew word לֹ֥א (lo) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Exod.20.23.W8, which extends further down to each syllable (Exod.20.23.W8.S1) and character.