Is There More than One God in the Bible?
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All those gods they never told you about...
Just for starters, I’ll share Psalms 82:1: “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods…” and Psalms 86:8: “Among the gods [there is] none like unto thee, O Lord; neither [are there any works] like unto thy works.” *
Read these with care. And read them, if you must, in as many translations of the Bible as you wish. You will be hard pressed to interpret away the fact that these two passages of Scripture clearly refer to other gods. Jehovah is not alone. He may rule, or think he rules, but he has his rivals in heavenly places.
It’s easy to listen to the Jewish Shema, which says, in essence, “Hear, O Israel. The Lord our God is One” and get the idea that it means there is only one god in the universe. But is that what it really means? Maybe, maybe not. I will not argue that point here.
Suffice it to say that if one takes the Bible literally, one must accept that their god is not the only one mentioned. Even in the Creation Story, the words read something like “Let US make man in OUR own image.” Some have dismissed this as the Royal We, as in the British monarchy where the Queen refers to herself as “We.” But that would be stretching it a bit far.
These two passages in Psalms are just the tip of the iceberg. If you Google the words “More than one god in the Bible,” you will find long lists of scriptural references that make it clear: God is not singular.
What does that mean in the final analysis? It means simply that whoever authored the various books of the Hebrew Bible were well versed in the mythology of the times and the places in which they wrote. They knew that there were gods aplenty. And they accepted them as part of a particular pantheon that could rival the best that Rome or Greece would come to offer.
One final word… If you find this article offensive, don’t blame me. Read your Bible—and read it carefully. All those gods you don’t believe in? They will show themselves. And then, you can deal with them as you will.
Have fun doing your research. I know I have.
* King James Version
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Actually, there are no gods, just a lot of mythology that keeps moving from generation to generation. But, I might be wrong. Always open to that possibility. Doubt it, though.
Thanks for the comment.
Hi.mmmh! So much for the inerrant bible more so the KJV version.i read psalms 86:8 and i think it really is saying that among the many gods the writer was versed with,he thought his god was the greatest.on the other hand it could be that he was using mock language on other cultures or people's beliefs about the gods they believed in.Again,this thought crosses my mind,this writer was supposed to know the torah 'oh israel the lord your god is one' but anyways he chooses to write,'he judgeth among the gods' and the others.
Is it a case literary carelessness or one beating his chest and telling other people,the gods you believe in are nothing.
Trinidad49: And that's where we run into various and differing interpretations. Seeking to take the entire Bible literally becomes a challenge when you run into passages, concepts, and doctrines like these. The Bible is replete with them, numbering well into the thousands. Each will say, "Well, what it really means is..." and the race is on: My interpretation is better than your interpretation. I'm right, you're wrong, so there.
Catholic, meet Protestant, meet Evangelical, meet Mormon, meet JW, meet Seventh Day Adventist, meet... Well, you get the point, I am sure.
But, the bottom line? It is indeed all mythology and the one who sees it that way has probably secured the best interpretation.
Apostle Jack Level 3 Commenter 15 months ago
There are many gods.