Psalm 106:20
New International Version
They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass.

New Living Translation
They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull.

English Standard Version
They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.

Berean Standard Bible
They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox.

King James Bible
Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.

New King James Version
Thus they changed their glory Into the image of an ox that eats grass.

New American Standard Bible
So they exchanged their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass.

NASB 1995
Thus they exchanged their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass.

NASB 1977
Thus they exchanged their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass.

Legacy Standard Bible
Thus they exchanged their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass.

Amplified Bible
Thus they exchanged [the true God who was] their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass.

Christian Standard Bible
They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating ox.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating ox.

American Standard Version
Thus they changed their glory For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.

Contemporary English Version
of a bull, instead of you, their glorious God.

English Revised Version
Thus they changed their glory for the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They traded their glorious God for the statue of a bull that eats grass.

Good News Translation
they exchanged the glory of God for the image of an animal that eats grass.

International Standard Version
They exchanged their glory with the image of a grass-eating bull.

Majority Standard Bible
They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox.

NET Bible
They traded their majestic God for the image of an ox that eats grass.

New Heart English Bible
Thus they exchanged their glory for an image of a bull that eats grass.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.

World English Bible
Thus they exchanged their glory for an image of a bull that eats grass.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And change their glory "" Into the form of an ox eating herbs.

Young's Literal Translation
And change their Honour Into the form of an ox eating herbs.

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will change their glory into the likeness of an ox eating grass.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they changed their glory into the likeness of a calf that eateth grass.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they exchanged their glory for the likeness of a calf that eats hay.

New American Bible
They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bull.

New Revised Standard Version
They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Thus they changed their Glorious One into the likeness of an ox that eats grass.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they changed their glory into the likeness of an ox eating grass.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thus they exchanged their glory For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and they changed their glory into the similitude of a calf that feeds on grass.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Give Thanks to the LORD, for He is Good
19At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped a molten image. 20They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox. 21They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,…

Cross References
Romans 1:23
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Exodus 32:4
He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”

Jeremiah 2:11
Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.

Deuteronomy 4:16-18
that you do not act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves of any form or shape, whether in the likeness of a male or female, / of any beast that is on the earth or bird that flies in the air, / or of any creature that crawls on the ground or fish that is in the waters below.

Acts 7:41
At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.

Hosea 4:7
The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; they exchanged their Glory for a thing of disgrace.

1 Kings 12:28-30
After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” / One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. / And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.

Isaiah 44:9-20
All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. / Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing? / Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are only human. Let them all assemble and take their stand; they will all be brought to terror and shame. ...

2 Kings 17:15-16
They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate. / They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal.

1 Corinthians 10:7
Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”

Isaiah 40:18-20
To whom will you liken God? To what image will you compare Him? / To an idol that a craftsman casts and a metalworker overlays with gold and fits with silver chains? / One lacking such an offering chooses wood that will not rot. He seeks a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.

2 Chronicles 11:15
And Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf idols he had made.

Ezekiel 20:16
because they kept rejecting My ordinances, refusing to walk in My statutes, and profaning My Sabbaths; for their hearts continually went after their idols.

1 Corinthians 12:2
You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.

Isaiah 46:5-7
To whom will you liken Me or count Me equal? To whom will you compare Me, that we should be alike? / They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship. / They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.


Treasury of Scripture

Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eats grass.

thus

Psalm 89:17
For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

Jeremiah 2:11
Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.

Romans 1:22,23
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, …

their glory.

into

Exodus 20:4,5
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, or that is in the water under the earth: …

Isaiah 40:18-25
To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? …

Jump to Previous
Bull Change Changed Eateth Eating Eats Exchanged Food Form Glory Grass Herbs Honour Image Likeness Ox Similitude
Jump to Next
Bull Change Changed Eateth Eating Eats Exchanged Food Form Glory Grass Herbs Honour Image Likeness Ox Similitude
Psalm 106
1. The psalmist exhorts to praise God
4. He prays for pardon of sin, as God pardoned the fathers
7. The story of the people's rebellion, and God's mercy
47. He concludes with prayer and praise














They exchanged
The Hebrew root for "exchanged" is "תָּמַר" (tamar), which implies a deliberate act of trading or substituting something of great value for something of lesser worth. This word choice highlights the gravity of the Israelites' decision to forsake their divine relationship with God for an idol. In a spiritual context, it serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of prioritizing worldly desires over spiritual truths.

their Glory
The term "Glory" here is derived from the Hebrew word "כָּבוֹד" (kavod), which signifies weightiness, honor, and splendor. In this context, it refers to the presence and majesty of God Himself. The Israelites' glory was not in their own achievements but in their unique relationship with the Almighty. By exchanging their Glory, they were forsaking the divine presence that set them apart as God's chosen people.

for the image
The word "image" comes from the Hebrew "תַּבְנִית" (tabnit), meaning a form or likeness. This term underscores the superficiality and emptiness of idols, which are mere representations without life or power. The use of "image" contrasts sharply with the living and active presence of God, emphasizing the futility of idol worship.

of an ox
The ox, or "שׁוֹר" (shor) in Hebrew, was a common symbol of strength and fertility in ancient Near Eastern cultures. However, in the context of Israel's history, it recalls the golden calf incident at Mount Sinai (Exodus 32), where the people crafted a calf idol, betraying their covenant with God. The choice of an ox highlights the absurdity of worshipping a created being rather than the Creator.

that eats grass
This phrase emphasizes the mundane and earthly nature of the idol. The ox, a creature that "eats grass," is dependent on the earth for sustenance, unlike God, who is self-sustaining and eternal. The imagery serves to ridicule the idea of attributing divine power to something so ordinary and finite. It is a stark reminder of the folly of idolatry, which elevates the created above the Creator.

(20) Their glory--i.e., Jehovah, as shown by Jeremiah 2:11.

Similitude.--This is also a Deuteronomic word (Deuteronomy 4:16; Deuteronomy 4:18), meaning originally "structure," from a root meaning "to build," and so "form," "model."

Verse 20. - Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass; i.e. they exchanged the spiritual revelation of Jehovah, in all his glorious attributes, for a material emblem, which would naturally suggest low and unworthy thoughts of the supreme Being. So Schultz and Cheyne. The expression, "an ox that eateth grass," emphasizes the contempt of the writer for a people who could so act. He has, probably, in his thoughts not only the golden calf, but the Apis bulls of Egypt.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They exchanged
וַיָּמִ֥ירוּ (way·yā·mî·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 4171: To alter, to barter, to dispose of

their Glory
כְּבוֹדָ֑ם (kə·ḇō·w·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3519: Weight, splendor, copiousness

for the image
בְּתַבְנִ֥ית (bə·ṯaḇ·nîṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 8403: Structure, a model, resemblance

of an ox
שׁ֝֗וֹר (wr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7794: A head of cattle (bullock, ox, etcetera)

that eats
אֹכֵ֥ל (’ō·ḵêl)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

grass.
עֵֽשֶׂב׃ (‘ê·śeḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6212: Herb, herbage


Links
Psalm 106:20 NIV
Psalm 106:20 NLT
Psalm 106:20 ESV
Psalm 106:20 NASB
Psalm 106:20 KJV

Psalm 106:20 BibleApps.com
Psalm 106:20 Biblia Paralela
Psalm 106:20 Chinese Bible
Psalm 106:20 French Bible
Psalm 106:20 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Psalm 106:20 Thus they exchanged their glory (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 106:19
Top of Page
Top of Page