You shall not make for yourself is literally “Not you shall make for you,” with the not coming first in the sentence. (See the discussion of this form in the introduction above and at verse 3.) The word for graven image comes from the verb “to carve,” so a three-dimensional image is implied. It refers to something made or carved into the shape of an animal, human, or some other object, from stone, clay, wood, or metal, and was made for the purpose of worship. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “a sculptured image,” New Jerusalem Bible and Revised English Bible have “a carved image,” and New American Bible has “You shall not carve idols for yourselves.” In languages where there is no specific term for graven image or “idol,” it will be necessary to translate the underlying meaning; for example, “You shall not carve out the likeness of anything living in…,” where “likeness” means “the image of.”

Or any likeness of anything is literally “and any form.” The words of anything are added to complete the thought. The conjunction waw is translated three times as or; here it suggests that any likeness is in addition to the graven image, so many translations use or (as in Revised Standard Version). But New Revised Standard Version and Durham take the series of three or‘s to mean “whether … or … or.” In this case, the likeness would not be in addition to the graven image, but would mean the same thing. So New American Bible has “idols … in the shape of anything,” and New International Version has “an idol in the form of anything.” Good News Translation follows this interpretation: “images of anything in heaven…,” and Contemporary English Version has “Do not make idols that look like anything.” As noted in the preceding paragraph, the underlying meaning of graven image will be translated in some languages as “in the likeness of,” and in that case the following phrase, likeness of anything, will be redundant. So translators are encouraged to follow either Good News Translation or New Revised Standard Version, interpreting the first or in the sense of “whether.”

That is in the heaven above is literally “which [is] in the heavens from above.” New American Bible, Translator’s Old Testament, and Contemporary English Version have “sky,” and that will be a suitable translation in many languages. Or that is in the earth beneath is literally “and which [is] in the earth from below.” In some languages this may be expressed as “or on the earth below the sky” or simply “on earth” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). Or that is in the water under the earth is literally “and which [is] in the waters from below the earth.” The words above and beneath may be omitted, since they are understood. But the phrase under the earth should not be omitted (as in New International Version), since this reflects the ancient concept of a three-level universe (see Genesis 1).

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .