I am the Lord your God
Encyclopedia
I am the Lord your God is the opening phrase of the Ten Commandments
, which are widely understood as moral imperatives by ancient legal historians and Jewish and Christian biblical scholars.
The text of the Ten Commandments according to the Book of Exodus begins:
The conventional "the " in English translations
renders YHWH in the Hebrew text, the proper name of the God of Israel, reconstructed as Yahweh
. The translation "God" renders Elohim
, the normal Biblical Hebrew word for "god, deity
".
The introduction to the Ten Commandments establishes the identity of God by both his personal name and his historical act of delivering Israel from Egypt. The language and pattern reflects that of ancient royal treaties in which a great king identified himself and his previous gracious acts toward a subject king or people.
Establishing his identity through the use of the proper name, Yahweh
, and his mighty acts in history distinguishes Yahweh from the gods of Egypt which were judged in the killing of Egypt's firstborn (Exodus 12) and from the gods of Canaan, the gods of the gentile nations, and the gods that are worshipped as idols, starry hosts, or things found in nature, and the gods known by other proper names. So distinguished, Yahweh demands exclusive allegiance from the Israelites. “I am the your God” occurs a number of other times in the Bible also.
The text follows an ancient royal treaty pattern, where the speaking monarch begins by identifying himself by name and notable deeds.
Yahweh thus establishes his position relative to the Israelites, who are expected to render complete submission, allegiance, and obedience to him.
The covenant
logic establishes an exclusive relationship in which the subject population may have only one sovereign, as expressed explicitly in the following you shall have no other gods before me
.
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy when tempted to worship Satan in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world.
Jesus repeats the Shema as the most important commandment.
Those who eat food sacrificed to idols are rebuked. Just as in the Old Testament, where sacrificing to other gods is portrayed as sacrificing to demons, idolatry is connected with the worship of demons in the New Testament, and God is described as jealous regarding idolatry.
The New Testament asserts that God brings consequences to those who worship other gods. It suggests that during the Old Testament age, God winked at the idolatry of nations other than Israel, but that in the New Testament age, God commands “all people everywhere to repent.” Idols are described as “worthless things” and people are exhorted to turn away from them to the living God. The teaching of Moses and the experience of Israel when they departed from it are used to support the insistence that believers abstain from idolatry and sexual immorality.
In their explanation of the first commandment, the Roman Catholic Catechism quotes Justin Martyr’s dialogue to support their teaching that Christians and Jews have trusted the same God.
The Catholic Catechism describes the phrase “I am the ” at the beginning of the Ten Commendments as an expression of God’s existence and his authority.
It goes on to explain how the Christian virtue of faith is central to obedience to the first commandment.
The first commandment is also concerned with despair and presumption as sins against hope.
Love and charity are viewed as essential elements of obedience to the first commandment.
Prayer, sacrifice, promises, and vows are also seen as essential duties required by observance of the first commandment. However, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that individuals maintain a liberty of conscience under the first commandment, not that any kind of worship is morally acceptable, but that each person should follow his convictions with free will without the threat of force from an outside agent.
According to Catholic teaching, the first commandment condemns superstition, idolatry, divination, magic, irreligion, atheism and agnosticism.
Catholic teaching also asserts that divination (seeking guidance regarding the future through horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, etc.) are prohibited by the first commandment, because these forbidden practices contradict the honor we owe to God. Likewise, magic and sorcery and similar sources of supernatural power over others are prohibited, even if for the sake of restoring health.
Catholic teaching also regards the first commandment as a prohibition of atheism and agnosticism.
viewed “I am the thy God” as a preface to the Decalogue and “have no other gods” as the first commandment. However, he also allowed for viewing “I am the thy God” as the first commandment, provided one also allows it to serve as a preface to the whole Decalogue. In his commentary on the first commandment, Calvin describes superstition as akin to a wife committing adultery in front of her husband.
Martin Luther
describes the first commandment as prohibiting both the literal honoring of other gods as well as trusting in idols of the heart: money, good works, superstition, etc.
Like Calvin, Matthew Henry
considers “I am the thy God” to be a preface. Henry explains the preface and the first commandment from a covenant viewpoint: God delivered Israel from Egypt, and they belong to him by mutual agreement, so they are bound to obey his covenant stipulations.
John Wesley
makes the common observation that Israel is obligated to obey God’s commandments because he delivered them from Egypt, and he adds the observation that Christians are likewise obligated to serve Christ, having been rescued out of bondage to sin.
John Wesley uses the first commandment in Deuteronomy 5 as a motivation to pose a list of introspective questions.
In his exposition of Exodus 20 on the “Thru The Bible” radio program, J. Vernon McGee
, quotes Romans 1:21-25 and Colossians 3:5 to support his assertion that the idolatry forbidden by the first commandment includes not only the worship of idols and foreign gods, but also idols of the heart such as greed, alcohol, and sexual immorality.
"Do not make an image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above..." This prohibits the construction or fashioning of "idols" in the likeness of created things (beasts, fish, birds, people) and worshipping them.
Thus, Leviticus 18 gives a number of commands prohibiting sexual perversions and the sacrifice of children. It demands that God’s people behave differently from the nations around them, lest they be destroyed in the same manner.
In a similar manner, Leviticus 19 gives additional commands regarding separation from mediums and spiritists, the honoring of the aged, and kindness to foreigners.
The prophet Isaiah
asserts that failure to obey the commandments is the reason for Israel’s captivity and had the nation obeyed the commandments, they would have had peace like a river.
The prophet Joel
looks forward to future blessing through which God’s people will know that Yahweh is their God through his wondrous deeds on their behalf.
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
, which are widely understood as moral imperatives by ancient legal historians and Jewish and Christian biblical scholars.
The text of the Ten Commandments according to the Book of Exodus begins:
The conventional "the " in English translations
English translations of the Bible
The efforts of translating the Bible from its original languages into over 2,000 others have spanned more than two millennia. Partial translations of the Bible into languages of the English people can be traced back to the end of the 7th century, including translations into Old English and Middle...
renders YHWH in the Hebrew text, the proper name of the God of Israel, reconstructed as Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
. The translation "God" renders Elohim
Elohim
Elohim is a grammatically singular or plural noun for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language. When used with singular verbs and adjectives elohim is usually singular, "god" or especially, the God. When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually plural, "gods" or...
, the normal Biblical Hebrew word for "god, deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
".
The introduction to the Ten Commandments establishes the identity of God by both his personal name and his historical act of delivering Israel from Egypt. The language and pattern reflects that of ancient royal treaties in which a great king identified himself and his previous gracious acts toward a subject king or people.
Establishing his identity through the use of the proper name, Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
, and his mighty acts in history distinguishes Yahweh from the gods of Egypt which were judged in the killing of Egypt's firstborn (Exodus 12) and from the gods of Canaan, the gods of the gentile nations, and the gods that are worshipped as idols, starry hosts, or things found in nature, and the gods known by other proper names. So distinguished, Yahweh demands exclusive allegiance from the Israelites. “I am the your God” occurs a number of other times in the Bible also.
Hebrew Bible
By saying, “I am the your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery,” the God of Israel it introduces, himself by name to establish his authority behind the stipulations that follow. The implicit imperative is to believe that God exists and that his proper name is “Yahweh.” This verse also serves as the motive clause for the following imperatives.The text follows an ancient royal treaty pattern, where the speaking monarch begins by identifying himself by name and notable deeds.
Yahweh thus establishes his position relative to the Israelites, who are expected to render complete submission, allegiance, and obedience to him.
The covenant
Covenant (biblical)
A biblical covenant is an agreement found in the Bible between God and His people in which God makes specific promises and demands. It is the customary word used to translate the Hebrew word berith. It it is used in the Tanakh 286 times . All Abrahamic religions consider the Biblical covenant...
logic establishes an exclusive relationship in which the subject population may have only one sovereign, as expressed explicitly in the following you shall have no other gods before me
You shall have no other gods before me
You shall have no other gods before me is one of the Ten Commandments found in the Hebrew Bible .This commandment establishes the exclusive nature of the relationship between the nation of Israel and its national god, Yahweh the God of Israel, a covenant initiated by Yahweh after delivering the...
.
New Testament view
Since the New Testament is predominantly of Jewish origin, the traditional Jewish view of the need for the individual to adhere to God alone and avoid idolatry is found throughout the New Testament. For example,Jesus quotes Deuteronomy when tempted to worship Satan in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world.
Jesus repeats the Shema as the most important commandment.
Those who eat food sacrificed to idols are rebuked. Just as in the Old Testament, where sacrificing to other gods is portrayed as sacrificing to demons, idolatry is connected with the worship of demons in the New Testament, and God is described as jealous regarding idolatry.
The New Testament asserts that God brings consequences to those who worship other gods. It suggests that during the Old Testament age, God winked at the idolatry of nations other than Israel, but that in the New Testament age, God commands “all people everywhere to repent.” Idols are described as “worthless things” and people are exhorted to turn away from them to the living God. The teaching of Moses and the experience of Israel when they departed from it are used to support the insistence that believers abstain from idolatry and sexual immorality.
Interpretation in Roman Catholicism
The Roman Catholic Catechism teaches that “The first commandment summons man to believe in God, to hope in him, and to love him above all else.” It cites the requirement of the Shema, that “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength” and Jesus answer when tempted by Satan.In their explanation of the first commandment, the Roman Catholic Catechism quotes Justin Martyr’s dialogue to support their teaching that Christians and Jews have trusted the same God.
The Catholic Catechism describes the phrase “I am the ” at the beginning of the Ten Commendments as an expression of God’s existence and his authority.
It goes on to explain how the Christian virtue of faith is central to obedience to the first commandment.
The first commandment is also concerned with despair and presumption as sins against hope.
Love and charity are viewed as essential elements of obedience to the first commandment.
Prayer, sacrifice, promises, and vows are also seen as essential duties required by observance of the first commandment. However, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that individuals maintain a liberty of conscience under the first commandment, not that any kind of worship is morally acceptable, but that each person should follow his convictions with free will without the threat of force from an outside agent.
According to Catholic teaching, the first commandment condemns superstition, idolatry, divination, magic, irreligion, atheism and agnosticism.
Catholic teaching also asserts that divination (seeking guidance regarding the future through horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, etc.) are prohibited by the first commandment, because these forbidden practices contradict the honor we owe to God. Likewise, magic and sorcery and similar sources of supernatural power over others are prohibited, even if for the sake of restoring health.
Catholic teaching also regards the first commandment as a prohibition of atheism and agnosticism.
Reformation and Post-Reformation Views
John CalvinJohn Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
viewed “I am the thy God” as a preface to the Decalogue and “have no other gods” as the first commandment. However, he also allowed for viewing “I am the thy God” as the first commandment, provided one also allows it to serve as a preface to the whole Decalogue. In his commentary on the first commandment, Calvin describes superstition as akin to a wife committing adultery in front of her husband.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
describes the first commandment as prohibiting both the literal honoring of other gods as well as trusting in idols of the heart: money, good works, superstition, etc.
Like Calvin, Matthew Henry
Matthew Henry
Matthew Henry was an English commentator on the Bible and Presbyterian minister.-Life:He was born at Broad Oak, a farmhouse on the borders of Flintshire and Shropshire. His father, Philip Henry, had just been ejected under the Act of Uniformity 1662...
considers “I am the thy God” to be a preface. Henry explains the preface and the first commandment from a covenant viewpoint: God delivered Israel from Egypt, and they belong to him by mutual agreement, so they are bound to obey his covenant stipulations.
John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
makes the common observation that Israel is obligated to obey God’s commandments because he delivered them from Egypt, and he adds the observation that Christians are likewise obligated to serve Christ, having been rescued out of bondage to sin.
John Wesley uses the first commandment in Deuteronomy 5 as a motivation to pose a list of introspective questions.
In his exposition of Exodus 20 on the “Thru The Bible” radio program, J. Vernon McGee
J. Vernon McGee
John Vernon McGee, Th.D., LL.D, was an ordained Presbyterian minister who later pastored an interdenominational church, a Bible teacher, theologian, and was also a radio minister.-Early Years and Education:...
, quotes Romans 1:21-25 and Colossians 3:5 to support his assertion that the idolatry forbidden by the first commandment includes not only the worship of idols and foreign gods, but also idols of the heart such as greed, alcohol, and sexual immorality.
Jewish interpretation
"I am the your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me..." Maimonides interpreted this as a command requiring belief in God. Ibn Ezra interpreted this as a command to believe that Yahweh alone is God. This command prohibits belief in or worship of any additional deities:"Do not make an image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above..." This prohibits the construction or fashioning of "idols" in the likeness of created things (beasts, fish, birds, people) and worshipping them.
Other occurrences
The phrase "I am the your God" appears a number of times in the Hebrew Bible outside of the Decalogue.Thus, Leviticus 18 gives a number of commands prohibiting sexual perversions and the sacrifice of children. It demands that God’s people behave differently from the nations around them, lest they be destroyed in the same manner.
In a similar manner, Leviticus 19 gives additional commands regarding separation from mediums and spiritists, the honoring of the aged, and kindness to foreigners.
The prophet Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
asserts that failure to obey the commandments is the reason for Israel’s captivity and had the nation obeyed the commandments, they would have had peace like a river.
The prophet Joel
Joel (prophet)
Joel was a prophet of ancient Israel, the second of the twelve minor prophets and the author of the Book of Joel. He is mentioned by name only once in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, in the introduction to his own brief book, as the son of Pethuel...
looks forward to future blessing through which God’s people will know that Yahweh is their God through his wondrous deeds on their behalf.
See also
- The Ten Commandments
- God of Israel
- YahwehYahwehYahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
- Biblical law in ChristianityBiblical law in ChristianityChristian views of the Old Covenant have been central to Christian theology and practice since the circumcision controversy in Early Christianity. There are differing views about the applicability of the Old Covenant among Christian denominations...