23 Bible Verses about Idols

Most Relevant Verses

Leviticus 26:1

Ye shall make no idols for yourselves nor graven image, neither shall you raise up a title, neither shall ye place any painted stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I AM your God.

Isaiah 44:9-20

Those that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and that which is most precious to them is useful for nothing; and they are their own witnesses that they do not see, nor understand; therefore, they shall be ashamed. Who has formed God? And who cast a graven image that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed; for the workmen, they are of men; even if all of them are gathered together and stand, they shall fear and shall be ashamed together.read more.
The smith shall take the tongs; he shall work among the coals; he shall give it form with the hammers and bring forth in it the arm of his strength; though he is hungry and his strength fails: he shall not drink water, even if he faints. The carpenter stretches out his rule; he measures it with a line; he fits it with planes; he marks it out with the compass; he makes it after the form of a noble man, in the likeness of the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house. He shall hew down cedars and take the cypress and the oak, and he shall strengthen himself with the trees of the forest; he shall plant a fir tree, which shall be nourished with the rain. The man shall then use of it for firewood; for he will take thereof and warm himself; he will kindle it and bake bread; he will also make a god and worship it; he will fabricate an idol and shall kneel down before it. He shall burn part of it in the fire; with another part thereof he shall eat flesh; he shall roast meat and shall satisfy himself. Afterwards he shall warm himself and say, Aha, I have warmed myself, I have seen fire; the residue of it he turns into god, into his graven image; he humbles himself before it and worships it and prays unto it and says, Deliver me; for thou art my god. They did not know nor understand; for he has anointed their eyes that they not see and their hearts that they not understand. He does not return to his right mind; he does not have knowledge nor intelligence to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; I have also baked bread upon the coals of it; I have roasted flesh and eaten it and shall I make the residue of it an abomination? Do I have to humble myself before the trunk of a tree? The ashes feed him; his deceived heart inclines him, that he not deliver his soul and say, Is not the lie at my right hand?

Genesis 35:2

Then Jacob said unto his household and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you and be clean and change your garments:

Deuteronomy 4:25

When thou shalt beget children and grandchildren and ye shall have remained long in the land and shall corrupt yourselves and make a graven image or the likeness of any thing and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger,

Exodus 20:4

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath nor that is in the water under the earth.

Leviticus 19:4

Do not return unto idols nor make to yourselves molten gods. I AM your God.

Exodus 32:4

who took them from their hands and fashioned it with a graving tool and made of it a molten calf. Then they said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 27:15

Cursed is the man that makes any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and puts it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

Exodus 34:17

Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.

From Thematic Bible


Brass » Articles made of » Idols

Daniel 5:4

They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Revelation 9:20

And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons and the images of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which neither can see nor hear nor walk.

Brass » Made into » Idols

Daniel 5:4

They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Revelation 9:20

And the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons and the images of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which neither can see nor hear nor walk.

Gold » Was used for » Idols

Daniel 5:4

They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Exodus 20:23

Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

Psalm 115:4

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

Idols » Vanity of

Jeremiah 50:38

A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up; for it is the land of graven images, and they are become mad upon their idols.

Daniel 5:23

but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy princes, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; furthermore, thou hast praised gods of silver and of gold, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand is thy soul and whose are all thy ways, thou hast never honoured.

Acts 17:29

Being therefore of the lineage of God, we ought not to think that which is Divine is like unto gold or silver or stone, bearing the mark of art and man's imagination.

Jeremiah 10:15

They are vanity and the work of scorn: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

Habakkuk 2:18

Of what profit is the graven image that its maker has sculpted; the molten image, that teaches lies, so that in making dumb images the maker trusts in his work?

Idols » Put away

2 Kings 3:2

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and like his mother, for he put away the images of Baal that his father had made.

2 Chronicles 15:8

And when Asa heard the words and prophecy of Oded, the prophet, he was comforted and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin and out of the cities which he had taken in Mount Ephraim and repaired the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.

1 Samuel 7:3

And Samuel spoke unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you and prepare your hearts unto the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

Genesis 35:2

Then Jacob said unto his household and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you and be clean and change your garments:

Joshua 24:14

Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in perfection and in truth and put away from among you the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt, and serve ye the LORD.

Iron » Made into » Idols

Daniel 5:4

They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Daniel 5:23

but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy princes, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; furthermore, thou hast praised gods of silver and of gold, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand is thy soul and whose are all thy ways, thou hast never honoured.

Iron » First recorded use of » Articles made of » Idols

Daniel 5:4

They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Daniel 5:23

but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou and thy princes, thy wives and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; furthermore, thou hast praised gods of silver and of gold, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, which do not see, nor hear, nor know; and the God in whose hand is thy soul and whose are all thy ways, thou hast never honoured.

Daniel 2:33

its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of baked clay.

Protection » Not to be found in » Idols

Isaiah 46:7

They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him and set him in his place. There he is; he does not move from his place; they cry unto him, and neither does he answer, nor save from the tribulation.

Deuteronomy 32:37-39

And he shall say, Where are their gods, their strong one in whom they trusted, who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you, and be your protection. See now that I, I am he, and there are no gods with me; I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; and there is not one that can deliver out of my hand.

Sacrifice » Meat » Idols

Romans 14:14-23

I know and trust in the Lord Jesus that for his sake there is nothing unclean, but to him that esteems any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother is grieved because of thy food, now thou dost not walk in charity. Do not destroy him with thy food, for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of; read more.
for the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he that in these things serves the Christ is well pleasing unto God and approved of men. Let us, therefore, follow after the things which make for peace and the edification of each one to the others. Because of food, do not destroy the work of God. All things indeed are clean, but it is evil for that man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine nor do any thing by which thy brother stumbles or is offended or is sick. Thou hast faith; have it to thyself before God. Blessed is he that does not condemn himself with that thing which he allows. And he that makes a difference is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat by faith; and whatsoever is not out of faith is sin.

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Now as concerning things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies. And if anyone thinks that they know anything, they know nothing yet as they ought to know. But if anyone loves God, the same is known of him. read more.
As concerning, therefore, the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For though there are some that are called gods, whether in heaven or in the earth (as there are many gods and many lords), but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. Howbeit there is not in everyone that knowledge, for some with conscience of the idol unto now, eat it as a thing offered unto an idol, and their conscience being weak is defiled. But food does not make us more acceptable unto God; for neither if we eat are we the better, neither if we eat not are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours becomes a stumblingblock to those that are weak. For if anyone sees thee who hast this knowledge sit at food in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols? and through thy knowledge the weak brother shall perish, for whom Christ died. In this manner, therefore, sinning against the brethren and wounding their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother to fall, I will never eat flesh nor do anything which may cause my brother to fall.

1 Corinthians 10:14-33

Therefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the blood of the Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the fellowship of the body of the Christ? read more.
For one loaf of bread means that many are one body, for we are all partakers of that one loaf. Behold Israel after the flesh: are not those who eat of the sacrifices participants of the altar? What do I say then? that the idol is anything or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything? But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I would not that ye should be participants of demons. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; ye cannot be participants of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but all things do not edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of the other. Whatever is sold in the market, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake; for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. If any of those that do not believe bid you to a feast, and ye are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you asking no questions for conscience sake. But if anyone says unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, do not eat it for the sake of him that disclosed it and for conscience sake; for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof: conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other, for why should my liberty be judged by another man's conscience? For if I by grace am a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatever ye do, do everything for the glory of God. Be without offense, neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the congregation of God; even as I please everyone in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Salvation » Sought in vain from » Idols

Isaiah 45:20

Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, all ye that are escaped of the Gentiles. They have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image and pray unto the god that does not save.

Jeremiah 2:28

But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? Let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble, for according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah.

Silver » Made into » Idols

Isaiah 2:20

In that day man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold (which they made each one for himself to worship) into the caves of the moles and of the bats,

Psalm 115:4

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

Isaiah 30:22

Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver and the protection of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Go away from here.

Silver » Idols

Hosea 13:2

And now they sin more and more, and of their silver they have made molten images according to their own intelligence, idols, all of it the work of the craftsmen; they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.

Exodus 20:23

Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

Isaiah 30:22

Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver and the protection of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Go away from here.

Wicked, the, are compared to » Idols

Psalm 115:8

Let those that make them become like unto them, and every one that trusts in them.

Topics on Idols

Abandoning Idols

Deuteronomy 7:25

The graven images of their gods ye shall burn in the fire; thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them nor take it unto thee lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.

Bronze For Idols

2 Kings 18:4

He removed the high places and broke the images and cut down the groves and broke in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days, the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.

Carrying Idols

Isaiah 45:20

Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, all ye that are escaped of the Gentiles. They have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image and pray unto the god that does not save.

Food Offered To Idols

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Now as concerning things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies.

Idols Not Existing

1 Corinthians 8:4

As concerning, therefore, the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Impotence Of Idols

Jeremiah 10:5

They compare them to the palm tree, and they do not speak: they must be carried, because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither do they have power to do good.

Making Idols

Leviticus 26:1

Ye shall make no idols for yourselves nor graven image, neither shall you raise up a title, neither shall ye place any painted stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I AM your God.

Not Like Idols

Leviticus 26:1

Ye shall make no idols for yourselves nor graven image, neither shall you raise up a title, neither shall ye place any painted stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I AM your God.

Not Worshipping Idols

Ezekiel 18:15

that he does not eat upon the mountains, neither lifts up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiles his neighbour's wife,

Trusting Idols

Psalm 115:8

Let those that make them become like unto them, and every one that trusts in them.

Never miss a post

Related Readings

Theasaurus: Idols