graven image

American  

noun

1. an idol.

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graven image British  

noun

1. Bible a carved image used as an idol

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Usage

What does graven image mean? A graven image is an idol—an object or image, such as a statue, that is worshiped as the representation of a deity or god.The word graven means “carved” or “sculpted.” Graven image refers to some kind of object or image that has been made to represent a god.The word idol can also refer to the deity or god that is being worshiped, but graven image is not typically used this way.The worship of such an idol is called idolatry (or idol worship) and the people who do it can be called idolaters. Like these terms, graven image is most commonly used in a religious context in a negative, judgmental way, implying that the god that the image represents is not actually real and that such worship is wrong or sinful. In this way, graven images are sometimes called false idols.A well-known example of an idol often referred to as a graven image comes from the Bible. A story in the book of Exodus tells how the Israelites made a statue of a golden calf to worship while Moses was away receiving the Ten Commandments, which prohibit the worship of graven images. Different religions have different interpretations of what constitutes a graven image.Like the word idol, both graven image and golden calf are sometimes used in a metaphorical way to compare something to an object of religious devotion and worship, as in Many people treat money as a graven image. This sense of the phrase is also used in a critical way.Example: Followers of certain forms of Christianity are sometimes accused of being idolaters by other Christians, who consider religious icons to be graven images.

Etymology

Origin of graven image

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Some passed him like he was one of the graven images carved into the columns.

From The Verge

As Jehovah’s Witnesses who believed that venerating the flag violated God’s prohibition against bowing to graven images, the Gobitas family argued that the flag salute infringed the children’s First Amendment rights.

From Salon

By every measure, we are again in an era defined by a hostility to graven images.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Phillips is not a church, a political pamphleteer or a schoolchild being forced to honor a graven image.

From New York Times

Here are some Jefferson quotes that visitors will not find on his memorial, a Roman pantheon-style temple to liberty where the Sage of Monticello's graven image keeps vigil over the Tidal Basin in Washington DC.

From BBC

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