Deuteronomy 5:7

Study note

Setting — Yahweh speaks to the Israelites immediately after declaring His role as their deliverer from Egyptian slavery. Moses conveys this command as the opening directive of the covenant renewal at the edge of the Promised Land.

The words — The phrase relies on לֹא (loʾ), meaning "not," and עַל־פָּנַי ('al-pānay), literally "on my face" or "before Me." Together with אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים ('ĕlōhîm ʾăḥērîm), "other gods," they form a strict prohibition against rival divine claims.

The thread — This command appears identically in Exodus 20:3 and is quoted by Jesus in Matthew 4:10 as the basis for exclusive worship. The apostle John later reinforces the boundary in 1 John 5:21 by warning believers to keep themselves from idols.

Why it lands — The text demands exclusive allegiance to Yahweh, rejecting any competing claims to divine authority. It requires the reader to prioritize worship and service solely toward the God who initiated the covenant relationship.

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.