Thou shalt have no other gods before me

"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Hebrew: לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל פָּנָי, romanized: Lōʾ yihyeh lək̲ā ʾĕlōhîm ʾăḥērîm ʿal pānāi) is one, or part of one depending on the numbering tradition used, of the Ten Commandments found in the Hebrew Bible at Exodus 20:3 and Deuteronomy 5:6.^[1] According to the Bible, the commandment was originally given to the ancient Israelites by Yahweh at biblical Mount Sinai after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt, as described in the Book of Exodus.^[2]^[3]

Prohibition of idolatry is the central tenet of the Abrahamic religions and the sin of worshipping another god other than the Lord is called idolatry.^[4] Historically, the punishment for idolatry was often death.

The Bible describes how the ancient Israelites, despite being strictly warned not to do so, repeatedly engaged in idolatry and were therefore punished severely by the Lord.^[5] Many of the stories in the Bible from the time of Moses to the Babylonian captivity are predicated on the choice between exclusive worship of the Lord and false gods.^[6] The Babylonian exile, itself a punishment for idolatry, seems to have been a turning point after which the Jews became committed to monotheism, even when facing martyrdom before worshipping any other god.^[7]

The Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael and its accompanying blessing/curse reveals the intent of the commandment to include love for the Lord and not only recognition or outward observance.^[8] In the Gospels, Jesus quotes the Shema as the first and Greatest Commandment,^[9] and the apostles after him preached that those who would follow Christ must turn from worshipping false gods.

Christian theologians teach that the commandment applies in modern times and prohibits the worship of physical idols, the seeking of spiritual activity or guidance from any other source (e.g. magical, astrological, etc.), and the focus on temporal priorities such as self (food, physical pleasures), work, and money, for example.^[10] The Catechism of the Catholic Church commends those who refuse even to simulate such worship in a cultural context, since “the duty to offer God authentic worship concerns man both as an individual and as a social being.”^[11]

^ Ten Commandments, in HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 1996, Achtemeier Paul J., ed., New York:HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-060037-3. LXX gives two slightly different renditions of the identical Hebrew verses: οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ vs. οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πρὸ προσώπου μου
^ God: names of God, in Illustrated Dictionary & Concordance of the Bible, 1986. Wigoder, Geoffrey, ed., G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House ISBN 0-89577-407-0
^ Moses, World Book Encyclopedia 1998, Chicago:World Book Inc., ISBN 0-7166-0098-6
^ Richard Liong Seng Phua (4 December 2005). Idolatry and Authority. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-567-28910-0. 'Unfaithfulness' or 'betrayal' defines idolatry when another god or an alien cult other than the Lord is worshipped, which may also be seen as a form of 'rebellion'. In this case, the breach of the covenant would be viewed as idolatry.
^ Deuteronomy 12:4,31; Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Deuteronomy 12
^ Idolatry, HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 1996, Achtemeier Paul J., ed., New York:HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-060037-3
^ Idol: In the Exile and After, in HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 1996, Achtemeier Paul J., ed., New York:HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-060037-3
^ Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Wylen, Stephen M., Settings of Silver: an introduction to Judaism, 2000, Paulist Press, ISBN 0-8091-3960-X pp.104
^ Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27; Shema, in HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 1996, Achtemeier Paul J., ed., New York:HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-060037-3
^ Idolatry: Figurative, in The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, 2006. Unger, Merrill F., Harrison, R.K., ed., Chicago: Moody Publishers, ISBN 0-8024-9066-2
^ Cite error: The named reference Catechism2136 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] Ten Commandments, in HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 1996, Achtemeier Paul J., ed., New York:HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-060037-3. LXX gives two slightly different renditions of the identical Hebrew verses: οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ vs. οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πρὸ προσώπου μου

[2] God: names of God, in Illustrated Dictionary & Concordance of the Bible, 1986. Wigoder, Geoffrey, ed., G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House ISBN 0-89577-407-0

[Moses,_1998-3] Moses, World Book Encyclopedia 1998, Chicago:World Book Inc., ISBN 0-7166-0098-6

[Phua2005-4] Richard Liong Seng Phua (4 December 2005). Idolatry and Authority. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-567-28910-0. 'Unfaithfulness' or 'betrayal' defines idolatry when another god or an alien cult other than the Lord is worshipped, which may also be seen as a form of 'rebellion'. In this case, the breach of the covenant would be viewed as idolatry.

[5] Deuteronomy 12:4,31; Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Commentary on Deuteronomy 12

[Idolatry,_1996-6] Idolatry, HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 1996, Achtemeier Paul J., ed., New York:HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-060037-3

[7] Idol: In the Exile and After, in HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 1996, Achtemeier Paul J., ed., New York:HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-060037-3

[8] Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Wylen, Stephen M., Settings of Silver: an introduction to Judaism, 2000, Paulist Press, ISBN 0-8091-3960-X pp.104

[9] Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27; Shema, in HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 1996, Achtemeier Paul J., ed., New York:HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-060037-3

[10] Idolatry: Figurative, in The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, 2006. Unger, Merrill F., Harrison, R.K., ed., Chicago: Moody Publishers, ISBN 0-8024-9066-2

[Catechism2136-11] Cite error: The named reference Catechism2136 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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