Does the First Commandment imply that other gods exist, that God has peers? Why or why not?
Ex 20:2-3: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me."
Ex 20:2-3: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me."
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No.
It only indicates that other deities are worshiped.
It does not indicate that those other deities exist, or that they are actual deities.
For example: if I say, "Thor is the Norse god of thunder"
no one assumes that I believe that Thor exists and is a real deity.
Everyone realizes that I am using the term "god" in the sense "worshiped as a deity".
Likewise when the Biblical authors refer to deities other than the Judeo-Christian God.
Hogie
No. An examination of the etymology of the words, as well as the balance of Scripture makes it plain that there is but the One God who is the Creator of all that exists. Other gods are the product of men's imagination.
?
Genesis shows that some of the spirit persons came to earth the ones God created. They wanted to be worshipped so they set up false religions. Which they do today. So in these false religions they have humans worship them. When they were in Egypt they were surrounded by false Gods. Or the worship of spirit persons. So he has no peers or other Gods he is the only creator of spirit persons, and humans.
?
Other gods exist but none are like unto God.
Psalm 86:8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
Exodus 8:10 And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God.
Exodus 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Deuteronomy 6:12 Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Deuteronomy 8:14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
Joshua 24:17 For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
Ezra 9:9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
Anonymous
Yes.