Deuteronomy 5:7

5 ^aI stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for ^byou were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said:

6 ^a‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of¹ bondage.

7 ^a‘You shall have no other gods¹ before Me.

8 ^a‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;

9 you shall not ^abow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,² visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

10 ^abut showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and¹ keep My commandments.

11 ^a‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him¹ guiltless who takes His name in vain.

12 ^a‘Observe the Sabbath day, to¹ keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.

13 ^aSix days you shall labor and do all your work,

14 but the seventh day is the ^aSabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.

15 ^aAnd remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there ^bby a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

16 ^a‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, ^bthat your days may be long, and that it may be well with ^cyou in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

17 ^a‘You shall not murder.

18 ^a‘You shall not commit adultery.

19 ^a‘You shall not steal.

20 ^a‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

21 ^a‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’

22 “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And ^aHe wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

The People Afraid of God’s Presence

23 ^a“So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Deuteronomy 5:7 Mean?

Deuteronomy 5:7-10

God does care how we worship Him; He gives specific commands about how He wants to be glorified according to His standards and not our own. It does matter whether or not we share in the celebration of this world's pagan religious holidays. Though the Bible—the Word of God—makes no direct references to New Year's Eve, Lent, Easter, Halloween, or Christmas, the origins of these pagan holidays are mentioned as being abominations to God.

Martin G. Collins
Pagan Holidays

Deuteronomy 5:7

In the first commandment (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7), God tells us, "You shall have no other gods before Me." I used to think that this meant simply that I was to make sure God was my first priority. Put God first, then family, job, etc. I have come to see, however, that God is a jealous God (Deuteronomy 5:9) and that what He means, I believe, is that nothing—absolutely nothing—can be worshipped in our lives except Him. God will not abide us placing family, work, or possessions in competition with Him.

The Amplified Bible words verse 7, "You shall have no other gods before or besides Me." In my opinion, the Moffatt translation has it best: "You shall have no gods but Me." How clear that is! None, nada, zip, zilch! One God and one God only. Anything that we put ahead of God is "another god." Anything that competes with God for the time that belongs to Him is "another god."

It is imperative that we examine our lives and rid ourselves of any other gods. This does not mean we should leave our families and renounce all material possessions, but we should determine if anything competes with God in our minds and begin to make the changes that will bring matters back into balance. God has a plan for each of us, and for that plan to come to fruition in our lives, He must be first. His overall plan will be completed with or without us. Our continued participation in it is due to His mercy and grace and our humble, yielded obedience.

Mike Ford
Abraham's One God

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The People Afraid of God’s Presence

What Does Deuteronomy 5:7 Mean?

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