What does "gods" mean in the 1st commandment?

Question

The 1st commandment says we can't have any other "gods" before God...

Does someone know the translation of "gods"? In church they always say it means things like "money" or other earthly desires. If thats what they meant, they would have written "desires"...

Does someone know the translation? Are there other gods besides THE God?

Answer 1

You must understand the culture in which these commands were written. They were not written for Christians or anyone else, but for the HEBREWS of that time period. They lived in a world in which each nation had its own gods that were seen as protectors of that nation. Each nation also tended to regard each other's gods as false. The Hebrews were no exception--their god was named Yahweh, and he probably started out as a sun deity, given his association with heat, burning, fire, etc. Thus, when Yahweh said not to worship other gods, he meant the gods of those other nations. You can see this again and again throughout the O.T. whenever he warns them not to follow the strange gods of other nations or to worship idols of stone and wood, calling them false gods.

It has nothing to do with any modern interpretation of money or wealth or earthly desires; the Hebrews/Israelites believed that if you were rich and had many cattle and children, it's because God was blessing you. Yahweh even says so, saying he will bless them with abundance if they worship him, and curse them with poverty, war, and plague if they don 't.

Answer 2

The word used there was "elohim", and it means (surprise) "gods". While there is only one God (and that is stated many times in scripture including in Exodus where this commandment is found), there were still many people who believed in multiple or other Gods. So God's first law was that none of these other "gods" were to be worshipped instead of him.

Today in Western Culture, there are few people who worship multiple gods. So the principle of not worhsipping something besides God has been taken and applied to other things such as money, fame, etc., that we sometimes treat like "gods" in out lives. But that was not the original intend of the commandment.

Answer 3

There are always people who believe in other gods, whether it is power or wealth, or any of the multitude of pagan gods that people feel the need to worship, such as Baal. Think.. this is why the chosen kept getting into trouble. They would turn to God, but then they would hook up with the locals and start worshipping whoever the locals were praying to.

Answer 4

The poster above relatively does not recognize what he's speaking approximately. Yahweh isn't a acceptance in any respect. that's an attempt to fill out the Tetragrammaton YHVH. you will no longer locate it everywhere in Jewish writings - basically in Christian translations. the purpose of writing L-rd or G-d arose in writing. that's seen very disrespectful to jot down the completed be conscious on paper the place it may desire to be thrown away. Tanakhs are dealt with with particular understand - i can not keep in mind the custom for disposal off the real of my head. there is war of words as to if that custom is easily mandatory on line simply by fact the words are basically digital, yet easily if written on paper. Letting the titles be destroyed casually could be *very much* disrespectful. with a bit of luck a number of Jewish contacts will answer this and intricate greater totally. HaShem is utilized in writing considering that's a connection with the call or call, no longer the call or call itself.

Answer 5

There are lots of other gods besides the Abrahamic god. Most cultures have had their own pantheon of gods & goddesses. The commandment means that not to worship any of the other gods, only the Abrahamic god.

Answer 6

I believe that gods are something you worship, like in mythology they had a god for everything. Nowadays very few people believe in multiple gods, but they do put money or friends, or family up on a pedistol above God. I think He wants to be #1 and doesn't want anything/one above Him.

Answer 7

When I read this, (accidentally) I thought that it meant that there were thousands of gods, all competing for the grand ruler ship. They had a series of competitions, like swimming, digging, running, and other such nonsense, but all had different powers. (i.e. Poseidon won swimming, Hades digging and so for). They formed the Earth and it's inhabitants, and whichever god got EVERYONE to believe in them, they won the competition, and would gain supreme ruler ship.

Answer 8

Anything that takes your focus off of the true God can be considered a false idol or a false god. Once you devote your life to something like gambling or pornography, God is no longer the focus in your life, thus creating a false god.

Answer 9

Strange Gods before Me.....your not suppose to make a Object and call it God.... like Sun..or Animals

Answer 10

Anything you but before God. What stops you from being obediant? What do you have a fear of losing? What is your greatest desire? Whom do you love the most or like the most?