God’s Word Translation
Exodus 20:3
3“Never have any other god.
Exodus 20:3 in other versions
Context of Exodus 20:3
1Then God spoke all these words: 2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt. “Never have any other god. 4Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. 5Never worship them or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a God who does not tolerate rivals. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.
Read all of Exodus 20Exodus 20:3 word by word
לֹֽ֣א יִהְיֶֽה־לְךָ֛֩ אֱלֹהִ֥֨ים אֲחֵרִ֖֜ים עַל־פָּנָֽ֗יַ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 20:3
- Exodus 15:11“Who is like you among the gods, O Lord? Who is like you? You are glorious because of your holiness and awe-inspiring because of your splendor. You perform miracles.
- Deuteronomy 5:7“Never have any other gods.
- Deuteronomy 6:5Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
- Joshua 24:18The Lord forced out all the people ahead of us, including the Amorites who lived in this land. We, too, will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
- 2 Kings 17:29But each group ⌞that settled in Samaria⌟ continued to make its own gods. They put them at the illegal places of worship, which the people of Samaria had made. Each group did this in the cities where they lived:
- Psalms 29:2Give to the Lord the glory his name deserves. Worship the Lord in ⌞his⌟ holy splendor.
- Psalms 73:25As long as I have you, I don’t need anyone else in heaven or on earth.
- Psalms 81:9Never keep any strange god among you. Never worship a foreign god.
- Isaiah 26:4Trust the Lord always, because the Lord, the Lord alone, is an everlasting rock.
- Isaiah 43:10“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord. “I have chosen you as my servant so that you can know and believe in me and understand that I am the one ⌞who did this⌟. No god was formed before me, and there will be none after me.
- Isaiah 44:8Don’t be terrified or afraid. Didn’t I make this known to you long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God except me? There is no ⌞other⌟ rock; I know of none.
- Isaiah 45:21Speak and present your case. Yes, let them consult one another. Who revealed this in the distant past and predicted it long ago? Wasn’t it I, the Lord? There is no other God except me. There is no other righteous God and Savior besides me.
- Isaiah 46:9Remember the first events, because I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there’s no one like me.
- Jeremiah 25:6Don’t follow other gods to serve and worship them. Don’t make me furious about the idols your hands have shaped. Then I won’t harm you.
- Jeremiah 35:15I have sent all my servants the prophets to you again and again. They said, “Turn from your evil ways, do what is right, and don’t follow other gods in order to serve them. Then you will live in the land that I gave you and your ancestors.” However, you refused to listen to me or obey me.
- Matthew 4:10Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! Scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”
Commentaries on Exodus 20:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Thou shalt have no other gods before me - אחרים אלהים elohim acherim, no strange gods - none that thou art not acquainted with, none who has not given thee such proofs of his power and godhead as I have done in delivering thee from the Egyptians, dividing the Red Sea, bringing water out of the rock, quails into the desert, manna from heaven to feed thee, and the pillar of cloud to direct, enlighten, and shield thee. By these miracles God had rendered…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-17Verses 1-17 The Hebrew name which is rendered in our King James Version as the ten commandments occurs in Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 10:4. It literally means “the Ten Words.” The Ten Commandments are also called the law, even the commandment Exodus 24:12, the words of the covenant Exodus 34:28, the tables of the covenant Deuteronomy 9:9, the covenant Deuteronomy 4:13, the two tables Deuteronomy 9:10, Deuteronomy 9:17, and, most…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-11Verses 3-11 The first four of the ten commandments, commonly called the FIRST table, tell our duty to God. It was fit that those should be put first, because man had a Maker to love, before he had a neighbour to love. It cannot be expected that he should be true to his brother, who is false to his God. The first commandment concerns the object of worship, JEHOVAH, and him only. The worship of creatures is here forbidden. Whatever comes short of perfect…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Not recognizing any other god is the first step toward learning the truth that there are no other gods besides the Lord (see Deuteronomy 4:35; 6:4; Isaiah 43:10–11; 45:21–22).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Thou shalt have no other gods before me--in My presence, beside, or except Me.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 20:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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