Deuteronomy 10:17

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Moses addresses the assembly of Israel at Moab in his farewell address, immediately after the covenant renewal that followed the golden calf (Deut 9:9–11:32).

The words — The superlative construct אֱלֹהֵי הָאֱלֹהִים ("God of gods") places the plural elohim in the second position, a literal "God of gods" that marks Yahweh as supreme over all divine beings.

The thread — The "no partiality" clause recurs in Acts 10:34 and Romans 2:11, and Job 34:19 makes the same point: God does not favor the rich over the poor.

Why it lands — The verse is the theological warrant for what follows in v. 18 (justice for the fatherless and widow, care for the foreigner); it asks the reader to ground ethical obligation in God's character rather than in tradition or self-interest.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

כִּ֚יkifor יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahweh אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם'e.lo.hei./KhemGod/ your ה֚וּאhu'he אֱלֹהֵ֣י'e.lo.Hei[is] [the] God of הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔יםha./'E.lo.Himthe/ gods וַאֲדֹנֵ֖יva./'a.do.Neiand/ [the] lord<s> of הָאֲדֹנִ֑יםha./'a.do.Nimthe/ lords הָאֵ֨לha./'Elthe/ God הַגָּדֹ֤לha./ga.Dol<the>/ great הַגִּבֹּר֙ha./gi.Bor<the>/ mighty וְהַנּוֹרָ֔אve./ha./no.Ra'and/ <the>/ awesome אֲשֶׁר֙'a.Sherwho לֹא־lo'-not יִשָּׂ֣אyi.Sa'he lifts up פָנִ֔יםfa.Nimface וְלֹ֥אve./Lo'and/ not יִקַּ֖חyi.Kachhe takes שֹֽׁחַד׃Sho.chada bribe

King James Version

For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:

Cross-references

Acts 10:34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,
Romans 2:11 For God does not show favoritism.
Job 34:19 who is not partial to princes and does not favor rich over poor? For they are all the work of His hands.
Daniel 2:47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”
Galatians 2:6 But as for the highly esteemed—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—those leaders added nothing to me.
Nehemiah 9:32 So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God who keeps His gracious covenant, do not view lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, and upon our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.
Deuteronomy 7:21 Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.
Ephesians 6:9 And masters, do the same for your slaves. Give up your use of threats, because you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.
Revelation 19:16 And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Joshua 22:22 “The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows, and may Israel also know. If this was in rebellion or breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today.