Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
Thou shalt not make . . . any graven image . . . thou shalt not bow down thyself to them—that is, "make in order to bow." Under the auspices of Moses himself, figures of cherubim, brazen serpents, oxen, and many other things in the earth beneath, were made and never condemned. The mere making was no sin—it was the making with the intent to give idolatrous worship.
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Exodus 20:4:
Exodus 20:8
Exodus 32:4
Leviticus 26:1
Psalms 106:19-23
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