Deuteronomy 27:15 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 27:15 Commentary: The Curse on Secret Idolatry
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why only curses? Deut 27:15 pronounces God’s curse on secret idolatry and the people’s ‘Amen’. Study the law’s silence on blessing and its gospel hope.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God curses anyone who secretly makes an idol; the people accept the curse as just through their “Amen.”
- Key words: אָר֣וּר (cursed, passive participle used in execration); תּוֹעֲבַת (abomination, ritual and ethical disgust); אָמֵן (amen, “so be it,” an affirmation of truth).
- Main debate: Why are no blessings recorded? Some (Calvin, Gill) see a deliberate silence pointing to Christ; others think they were omitted because Israel proved unworthy; still others consider it a literary feature of the source text.
- Theological theme: The law pronounces curse on sin, especially hidden sin; this drives God’s people to seek blessing from outside the law, in the gospel.
- Best use: A sobering call to examine secret allegiances, combined with a clear pointer to the grace that removes the curse through Christ.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
WEB World English Bible 2000
‘Cursed is the man who makes an engraved or molten image, an abomination to Yahweh, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ All the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’
KJV King James Version 1769
Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image, an abomination unto Jehovah, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and setteth it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
`Cursed is the man who maketh a graven and molten image, the abomination of Jehovah, work of the hands of an artificer, and hath put it in a secret place, --and all the people have answered and said, Amen.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image, an abomination to Jehovah, a work of the craftsman's hand, and putteth it up secretly! And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Cursed be the man that maketh a graven and molten thing, the abomination of the Lord, the work of the hands of artificers, and shall put it in a secret place: and all the people shall answer and say: Amen.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Maldito el hombre que hiciere escultura ó imagen de fundición, abominación á Jehová, obra de mano de artífice, y la pusiere en oculto. Y todo el pueblo responderá y dirá: Amén.
Maldito o homem que fizer escultura ou imagem de fundição, abominação ao SENHOR, obra da mão de artífice, e a puser em oculto. E todo o povo responderá e dirá: Amém.
Maudit soit l’ homme qui fait une image taillée ou une image en fonte, abomination de l’ Éternel, œuvre des mains d’ un artisan, et qui la place dans un lieu secret! Et tout le peuple répondra, et dira: Amen!
Verflucht sei, wer einen Götzen oder ein gegossenes Bild macht, einen Greuel des HERRN, ein Werk von den Händen der Werkmeister, und stellt es verborgen auf! Und alles Volk soll antworten und sagen: Amen.
Vervloekt zij de man, die een gesneden of gegoten beeld, een gruwel des HEEREN, een werk van 's werkmeesters handen, zal maken, en zetten in het verborgene! En al het volk zal antwoorden en zeggen: Amen.
Maledetto l’uomo che fa un’immagine scolpita o di getto, cosa abominevole per l’Eterno, opera di mano d’artefice, e la pone in luogo occulto! E tutto il popolo risponderà e dirà: Amen.
Przeklęty człowiek, któryby czynił obraz ryty, albo odlewany, obrzydliwość Pańską, robotę rąk rzemieślniczych, choćby to postawił na miejscu skrytem; tedy odpowie wszystek lud, i rzecze: Amen.
проклят, кто сделает изваянный или литый кумир, мерзость пред Господом, произведение рук художника, и поставит его в тайном месте! Весь народ возгласит и скажет: аминь.
「『有人 製造 耶和華 所憎惡的偶像，或雕刻，或鑄造，就是工匠 手 所做的，在暗中 設立，那人 必受咒詛！』百姓 都 要答應 說：『阿們！』
Cursed is the man who makes any image of wood or stone or metal, disgusting to the Lord, the work of man's hands, and puts it up in secret. And let all the people say, So be it.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 27:15
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this first curse in the covenant ceremony targets secret idolatry, making an image and hiding it. The curse is representative, not exhaustive. Calvin calls it a synecdoche: “by speaking of graven images, God undoubtedly defends His worship from all pollutions; and thus this curse extends to every breach of the First Table.” Keil and Delitzsch note that the twelve curses cover examples of sins easily concealed from human courts. The people’s response, “Amen,” is their solemn assent; Wesley explains they “acknowledged the equity of these curses.” The most striking point of agreement is the absence of recorded blessings. Gill, Calvin, and Wesley all see this silence as deliberate: the law can only curse, driving us to seek blessing in Christ alone.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Law-focused reading (Reformed/Protestant): The silence on blessings shows that the law can only curse; blessing comes through Christ alone (Gill, Wesley, Ainsworth via Calvin).
- Historical/liturgical reading: The curses were the only part preserved in this source, perhaps because the blessings were well-known or omitted by a later editor (Cambridge Bible).
- Pedagogical reading (Calvin): The Spirit intended to rebuke Israel’s ungodliness by withholding the blessings they had forfeited; the curses are a consequence of their unfitness to hear blessing.
What is clear: Secret idolatry is an abomination to Yahweh and brings a curse; the people’s corporate ‘Amen’ affirms God’s right to judge.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Why blessings are not recorded | The omission is deliberate and theologically significant; the law cannot bless sinners. | Some (Gill, Wesley, Ainsworth) see a direct pointer to Christ as the only source of blessing; Calvin emphasizes that Israel’s ungodliness deprived them of hearing the blessing; others consider it a textual or liturgical omission without a single intended lesson. |
| Scope of the curse: only secret idolatry? | The curse includes idolatry done in secret, beyond human detection. | Some (Aben Ezra via Gill) stress that only hidden sins are in view; others (Calvin, Keil & Delitzsch) treat the curse as representative of all idolatry, public or private, with secrecy highlighting God’s omniscience. |
| Meaning of 'Amen' by the people | The people’s response is an affirmative assent to the curse’s justice and truth. | Wesley says it was both a profession of faith in the curse’s truth and an acknowledgment of its equity. Some traditions see it as a binding covenant oath; others as a liturgical participation. All agree it was a corporate act. |
| Relationship to the second commandment | This verse applies and reinforces the prohibition of images in Exodus 20:4. | Interpreters differ on whether the curse extends to images made for artistic or memorial purposes (not worship). The supplied commentaries focus on idolatrous intent; they do not address non-worship contexts. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse is part of a covenant-renewal ceremony at Shechem. Moses instructs six tribes to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless and six on Mount Ebal to curse (Deut 27:11-13). The Levites, positioned between the mountains, shout each curse “with a loud voice,” and the whole assembly answers “Amen.” The twelve curses correspond to the twelve tribes, underscoring that every Israelite is personally accountable.
The first curse targets the second commandment (Exod 20:4). Graven (pesel) and molten (massekah) images were common in Canaanite religion, and Israel had already fallen into this sin with the golden calf (Exod 32:1-4). The phrase “sets it up in secret” indicates sins done in hiding, beyond the reach of judges but open before God. As Aben Ezra (cited by Gill) notes, the list focuses on “things done in a secret way, and which were not cognizable by the civil magistrate.” The ceremony teaches that God sees what no human authority can, and that covenant loyalty begins in the heart’s hidden corners.
The absence of recorded blessings has puzzled readers. Calvin suggests that the Spirit meant to “rebuke the wickedness of the people” because their ungodliness deprived them of the blessing, while others (Gill, Ainsworth) see the silence as pointing forward to Christ, who alone brings the blessing the law cannot give.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Deuteronomy 27:15. The verse is stable across the major manuscripts and ancient versions. Equally weighty manuscripts read identically for the curse formula and the people’s response.
Reception History
In the Jewish tradition, this curse was read as part of the covenant renewal liturgy at Shechem, emphasizing corporate responsibility and God’s judgment on hidden sin. Early Christian interpreters saw the omission of blessings as a figure of the law’s insufficiency. John Calvin and Matthew Henry both highlight the synecdoche: one curse represents the whole first table of the law. John Wesley notes that Christ’s Sermon on the Mount is the true Mount Gerizim, offering only blessings because Jesus bore the curse. Throughout church history, this verse has been used to teach that the law can only condemn, driving believers to Christ who was “made a curse for us” (Gal 3:13), even though the supplied data does not include that cross-reference as a blockquote. The reformers and later evangelical commentators (Gill, Keil) consistently read the silence on blessings as a prophetic silence pointing to the gospel.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- God sees what we hide. The curse on secret idolatry reminds us that no sin escapes God’s sight. The omniscient Judge knows the motives and actions we conceal from others.
- The law pronounces curse, not blessing. The deliberate silence on blessings teaches that the law, as a covenant of works, can only condemn. It cannot give life; it exposes our need for a curse-bearer.
- The congregation’s “Amen” is corporate responsibility. All Israel said “Amen,” accepting the curse as just. Our worship today includes affirming God’s righteousness and acknowledging our own need for grace.
Five-Point Outline
- Idolatry is a direct assault on God’s glory. The first curse targets the first table of the law (Calvin). Worship belongs to God alone.
- The “abomination” language shows God’s revulsion. “To’evah” carries strong ritual and ethical disgust, not minor displeasure but loathing for what corrupts His covenant.
- Secret sin is still sin. Hiding the image does not hide it from God. The curse applies even when no human discovers the offense.
- Silence about blessings is theologically loaded. Gill: “the blessings … were not to be had from the law.” The omission drives us to Christ for blessing.
- The people own the curse. The “Amen” is a confession that they deserve judgment and that God is just. This prepares them, and us, for the gospel.
Illustration Hooks
- A hidden shrine: A person keeps an old idol in a basement closet, thinking it does no harm. The curse warns that every relic of false worship, even hidden, offends the One who sees all.
- Secret social-media idol: A believer scrolls in private, nursing envy or lust, never publicly acknowledged. The “secret place” can be a phone screen.
- Courtroom silence: In a trial, a judge offers a plea deal but the defendant hears only the penalty. The gospel is the announcement that Someone else served the sentence.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- “Does God really care about things I do that no one else knows about?”
- “Why are there only curses in this passage? What happened to the blessings?”
- “How can I say ‘Amen’ to a curse if I know I’ve broken God’s law?”
Leading a Discussion
This passage forces us to face uncomfortable truths: God judges secret sin, and the law cannot save us. But its silence on blessings is not a dead end, it is a signpost. As you discuss, let the weight of the curse drive you toward the hope of Christ, who became a curse for us.
Discussion Questions
- Read the verse aloud. What stands out to you first? Why does the curse on secret idolatry open this list?
- The phrase “abomination to Yahweh” is strong. How does this affect your understanding of how God views idolatry?
- The people all said “Amen.” What does it mean to agree with a curse against sin, especially if you yourself have committed it?
- Only curses are recorded here, not blessings. Why do you think that is? What does this silence teach about the law’s role?
- Calvin and others say the curse on graven images “extends to every breach of the First Table.” How does this curse still apply today, when most of us don’t make physical idols?
- How does this passage point forward to Jesus? What difference does it make that He “became a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13)?
- Based on this passage, how can we examine our own hearts for secret idols, things we hide from others but still cherish?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 9:25 | He said, “Canaan is cursed. He will be a servant of servants to his brothers.” |
| Genesis 31:19 | Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father’s. |
| Genesis 31:34 | Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel’s saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt around all the tent, but didn’t find them. |
| Exodus 20:4 | “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: |
| Exodus 20:23 | You shall most certainly not make gods of silver or gods of gold for yourselves to be alongside me. |
| Exodus 32:1 | When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.” |
| Exodus 32:4 | He received what they handed him, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a molded calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” |
| Exodus 34:17 | “You shall make no cast idols for yourselves. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke observes that earlier laws already prohibited these actions with implied penalties, but this verse makes the curse explicit. God now openly declares that anyone who breaks these commands falls under His wrath and judgment, a point previously only understood indirectly.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that Moses deliberately omits the blessings, suggesting the people's ungodliness prevented God from proclaiming the promised rewards. The curses listed are a synecdoche, where specific crimes like idolatry represent every breach of the law, teaching that no transgression escapes punishment.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that this list of twelve curses stands apart from the surrounding text: here only the Levites pronounce curses, with no blessing, and the sins condemned come from sources beyond Deuteronomy itself. The unusual phrasing Levites and unto all the men of Israel suggests a late editor added it from an independent liturgy, not from the same hand as the preceding passage.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that idolatry is not a private matter: even an image made secretly and hidden is a public offense against God. The whole community is called to pronounce the curse together, making every person responsible for upholding the congregation's purity and shared commitment.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill points out that the blessings are deliberately not recorded in the text, driving people to seek them elsewhere, namely in Christ. He stresses that even secret idolatry falls under this curse, because God sees what human courts cannot judge, and the people's "Amen" affirms that judgment.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch observes that the twelve curses are exemplary, singling out sins easily hidden from human judges. The final curse, against failing to uphold the entire law, reveals that the law’s chief office is to pronounce condemnation. The corresponding blessings are not listed but could be inferred from the law’s positive commands.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry emphasizes that the curses were not just spoken over the people but were answered by their own "Amen," making each Israelite a voluntary party to the covenant. This ceremony taught that even secret sins, like those listed, cannot hide from God, and the nation as a whole bound itself to uphold His law.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that the law pronounces curses but not blessings, because everyone under the law stands under the curse. Christ alone brings blessing, which the law could not do. The congregation's "Amen" to the curses affirmed both their certainty and their justice.