Exodus 20:24
ESV
An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
NIV
" ‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you.
NASB
You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
CSB
"Make an earthen altar for me, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your flocks and herds. I will come to you and bless you in every place where I cause my name to be remembered.
NLT
Build for me an altar made of earth, and offer your sacrifices to me — your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats, and your cattle. Build my altar wherever I cause my name to be remembered, and I will come to you and bless you.
KJV
An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
NKJV
An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.
What does Exodus 20:24 mean?
Many of God's laws in the Mosaic covenant (Exodus 19:5–6; 2 Chronicles 5:10) created clear separation between Israel and surrounding nations. Beyond forbidding idols (Exodus 20:3–6, 23), God also rejects overcomplicated altars. Israel instead is to use altars "of earth." In a sense, this means dirt, or soil, but in context it mostly refers to natural stones (Exodus 20:25). Unlike complex, massive pagan altars, Israel was to use only simple, natural components. Just as they are not to make "gods" with their hands, they are not to shape the stones of the altar with their hands.Further, the people are not to make altars accessed by stairs or steps (Exodus 20:26). The purpose is modesty; climbing a staircase risked exposing what was under a priest's robe. It also prevented making altars unnecessarily large and impressive. Old covenant laws about worship emphasized order and humility (Exodus 25:9; Deuteronomy 11:13).
God will give instructions for Israel to build a relatively simple altar for use specifically in the tabernacle (Exodus 27:1–8). Until then, altars needed to be properly arranged.
