hen neighbors, such as the Egyptians and the
Moabites. The command to make no graven image was, it seems,
directed not against the public idols but against the private
images. These were usually made of wood and were cherished in many
a Hebrew family, as for example, that of Jacob (cf. the story of
his flight from Laban, Gen. 31) or of David (I Sam. 19). The
spirit of the law is truly interpreted by the later priestly
commentator who places completely under the ban all attempts
visibly to represent the Deity. Is the spirit of this command
disregarded by the modern Greek church? In certain parts of the
Roman Catholic world? In any phases of Protestant worship?

How is the third command interpreted to-day? The exact meaning of
the original Hebrew is not entirely clear. It may be interpreted
literally: "Thou shall not invoke the name of Jehovah, thy God, in
vain." The interpretation turns on the meaning of the phrase, in
vain. This admits of four different translations: (1)
Purposelessly, and therefore needlessly or irreverently; (2) for
destruction, as when a man calls down a curse upon another; (3) for
nothing, that is in swearing to what is not true; and (4) in the
practice of sorcery or witchcraft, for this word was frequently
used by the Hebrews as a scornful designation of heathen
abominations. Is it possible that the original command was
intended to guard against each of these evils? If so, it broadens
and deepens its modern application. Its fundamental idea is
evidently reverence and sincerity.

Why did the Hebrew law-givers place these three laws, which
emphasize absolute loyalty to Jehovah, at the beginning of the
decalogue? What do we mean to-day by loyalty to God? Loyalty to
Jehovah was not only the corner stone of Israel's religion but also
of the Hebrew state. During the wilderness period and far down
into later periods it was the chief and at times practically the
only bond that bound together the individual members of the tribe
and nation. Disloyalty to Jehovah was treason, and even the mild
code found in the book of Deuteronomy directs that apostasy be
punished by public stoning. Loyalty to God or at least to the
individual sense of right to-day as in the past is the first
essential of effective citizenship. Which is the more essential
for the welfare of the state, the manual, the mental or the
religious training of its citizens? Where is the chief emphasis
placed to-day? Is this r