Thou shalt worship no other gods before me

Just wondering how the evangelical right base reconcile this...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/15/trump-lawyer-jenna-ellis

Idolatry is a very strong word to Christians, isn't it?

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ChipmunkErnie · 70-79, M

First, that's from the Jewish texts. Second, I've always wondered about that tranalation because to me it makes it sound like the hod of the Hebrews is telling his people that there ARE other gods, but they should consider him their chief/main god.

BohemianBabe · M

@ChipmunkErnie A common interpretation is that by "other gods" it just means things you elevate higher than yourself. So worshiping a tree would be having that tree as a god.
But before Judaism was a thing, the ancient Israelites actually did believe in many gods. They just believed that Yahweh was their tribal god. The other tribes had their own gods. After Christianity, when Judaism and Jewish identity developed, the rabbis made it clear that there is only one actual god.

val70 · 51-55

@ChipmunkErnie Yes, Ernie, you're aright about being suspicious. Of course, reading the text nowadays we don't think that the people of Judea or Israel would know other gods then. But then there's the second of God's covenants with man too. Jesus, both the Son of Man and the Son of God 🙂

LadyGrace ·

@ChipmunkErnie

I've always wondered about that tranalation because to me it makes it sound like the God of the Hebrews is telling his people that there ARE other gods, but they should consider him their chief/main god.

God has never told people to worship other gods. This verse does not mean that the Lord God must be the first of many gods. He told them very clearly NOT to worship idols that they had made into their own gods. We worship God because He is worthy.Our worship ascribes worth to Him because of who He is and what He does/did for us.

Psalm 86 12: - I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore. For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.