**[Exodus 20:3](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+20:3&version=NIV)** (NIV) reads, "You shall have no other gods before Me." According to the Tanakh (Old Testament), YHWH / Yahweh / (God) is an individual divine being, and the only God. Some sections of the Scriptures seem to state that He is the universe’s only (truly existing) God; however, others portray him as a supreme god among other gods (that actually exist). [Deuteronomy 4:35](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+4:35&version=NIV) , “YHWH is God; there is **none else beside him**.” [Isaiah 44:6–8](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+44:6-8&version=NIV) , it says, “Thus says YHWH…: I am the first, and I am the last; and **beside me there is no God**… Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.” Thus, Yahweh is the *only* God that exists. ---------- But in [Exodus 15:11](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+15:11&version=NIV) , after the Israelites escape slavery in Egypt, they sing, “Who is like you, O YHWH, **among the gods** [Elohim]?” [Deuteronomy 6:14](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+6:14&version=NIV) : "Do not follow other gods, **the gods of the peoples around you**" In [Deuteronomy 10:17](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+10:17&version=NIV) , it says, “For YHWH your God is the **God of gods**, and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and terrible, who does not regard people or take bribes.” In [Psalm 95:3](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+95:3&version=NIV) , it says, “YHWH is a great God, and **a great king above all gods**.” And in [Exodus 12:12](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+12:12&version=NIV) , it says, “On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and smite every firstborn, both man and beast, and **I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am YHWH**.” ---------- What are we to make of this, then? Are there lesser/other gods? Do the words used for god, perhaps, have other implied contextual meanings in some passages?

Are any Greek or Roman gods mentioned by name in the Bible? Also, are any Greek or Roman mythological characters or creatures mentioned in the Bible?

From this question , and the comments, I am under the impression that Isaiah 44:6-8 >6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. > >7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. > >8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. **Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.** implies to many Christians that an omniscience God knows of no other gods because there are no other gods. >He is the only God ... He also says that He knows of no other God >there is only one God, period, He just said so Psalm 82 seems to indicate otherwise >1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; **he judgeth among the gods.** > >2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. > >3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. > >4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. > >5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. > >6 I have said, **Ye are gods;** and all of you are children of the most High. > >7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. > >8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. This Psalm is quoted/referenced later by Jesus in John 10:33-36 . Other scriptures that seem to indicate multiple gods is 1 Cor 8:5-6 How do non-LDS Christians (the other question was focused on Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints understanding of the Isaiah verse), interpret these scriptures together? Or am I misunderstanding other Christian's interpretation of Isaiah 44?

I came across an article that described how Dr. Michael Heiser shows that sections of scripture such as Psalm 82 talk about the Hebrew God as the head of a divine council of elohim, i.e. gods. So did the Israelites once believe that the Egyptian gods were part of that council? or was it just limited to Mesopotamian deities?

Michael S. Heiser has a podcast and a number of books mostly on heavenly beings, and makes a number of extraordinary claims. Among them: - In Psalm 82, the psalmist writes that God renders judgement among the gods - and Heiser claims these are other heavenly beings, probably the gods of the surrounding nations. - Heiser supports the historicity of 1st Enoch (at least, in broad strokes. I don't recall him endorsing it explicitly, but he mentions it a lot). Demons are thus the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim which don't have anywhere to go. - Heiser claims that the world is overseen by heavenly beings, each with their own nation to look after - and that all of them are doing a poor job (apart from God Himself). I might have some of it wrong - I've only started listening to/reading his works. My question, therefore, is: Who disagrees with Heiser and has published a reputable rebuttal? His conclusions seem unobjectionable from what he brings up, so I want to make sure it's not just a matter of him skipping over things that disagree or misrepresenting the solidity of his premises. Is he merely revealing the obvious when we actually look at everything the Bible says about heavenly beings? I want to be clear that I neither support Heiser (though some of his conclusions mesh well with my previous convictions) nor oppose him at this juncture; I merely want to understand better.

I read the book **Unseen Realm** by Michael Heiser a few years ago. In that book, Dr. Heiser begins the book by talking about how Psalm 82 opened his eyes to the council of multiple gods in the divine council. If I understand Dr. Heiser correctly, he then goes on to point out 3 different turning points in man's falling away from the Most High God, namely the fall in Eden in Genesis 3, the rise of the Nephilim in Genesis 6, and then the dispersion of mankind after Babel in Genesis 11. After Babel, then the Most High God takes it upon Himself to redeem mankind through Abraham and Abraham's descendants. According to Dr. Heiser, when the Most High God focused on building a relationship with Abraham and his descendants, then the Most High God also left the management of the other peoples of the earth to the other members of the council of the gods. Psalm 82 is then a condemnation by the Most High God of these other gods not doing their job very well. My question concerns whether there is any evidence that these other gods in the council of the gods can be seen as the gods that we now see in different world religions, like those found in Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Shintoism, and so forth. Is there any evidence in other scriptures that might suggest such a connection? In other words, do the gods of the divine council found in Psalm 82 correspond to the gods found in world religions today?

We see the Lord telling the Israelite at Ex 20:5: > Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. We also read at Deut 6: 13-15 : > Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. A person is said to be jealous when some one else usurps the commitment due to him/her, and his/her jealousy is directed to the other person who plays the usurper. We come to a situation where God's “jealousy” is directed against the “other gods” who usurp the commitment of Israelite. But then, how can someone who is non-existent, usurp someone else's love and affection? Are we therefore, to believe that there have been Lesser Gods in the Scheme of Things, who are not devils but are not adversaries of human beings? My question therefore is: What are the teachings of Catholic Church on the existence or otherwise of Lesser Gods in the context of Ex 20:5?

Did God choose to reveal his being to us as a male instead of a female or is that something which can be attributed to our understanding? Thank you for your answers.

Ok, so I am doing research for a fictional book and in my research I have come across the names of 2 fallen angels (book of Enoch ) that take advantage of mankind and allow man to worship them like god. Abezethibou (Egypt) and Nisroch (Babylon). I realize that the book of Enoch isn't considered Canon to most Christian groups, but I'm wondering about similar recorded accounts recognized by any Christian groups, Scripture, or Deuterocanonical books? My question is this: Are there other fallen angels that humans worshiped recorded or recognized as described above?

**Judges 6:31 NIV** > But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to > plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him > shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can > defend himself when someone breaks down his altar. and **1 Kings 18:21 NIV** > Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver > between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is > God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. However, found here > The name Ba'al (), apparently as an equivalent for Yhwh, occurs as an > element in a number of compound proper names, such as Jerubbaal, > Ishbaal, Meribaal, etc. Some of these names, probably at a time when > the name of Baal had fallen into disrepute (comp. Hosea ii. 16, 17), > seem to have been changed by the substitution of El or Bosheth for > Baal (comp. II Sam. ii. 8, iv. 4, v. 16; I Chron. viii. 33, 34; ix. > 39, 40; xiv. 7). I've also seen "Baʿal of Tyre". So is Ba'al a title or an entity?