Saturday, November 9, 2019

EXODUS 20:3 FIRST COMMANDMENT

What a wonderful testimony indeed when these three men obeyed the First Commandment given by Adonai




Ex. 20:3
לֹא יִהְיֶה־לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים
עַל־פָּנָיַ

You shall have no other gods before MeYes 






From this verse, we have a little bit more insight into the original text:

(1) We know that God spoke to the Israelites as individuals, rather than as a nation. The hint is in the use of the syllable, 
ךָ
This syllable is used for second person masculine singular.


(2) Here, we see the two words 
אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים which explains that the usage of the suffix 'im' ים- here represents plurality. How do we know that Elohim here is plural and elsewhere Elohim is used as a singular noun?

The hint is in the adjective 'other' 
אֲחֵרִים which also has the suffix '-im' to it. In Hebrew, when the noun is plural, the adjective describing it will always end with '-im' יםas well. 
Therefore, in this verse, אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים refers to 'other gods.'


END.

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