The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 20:3-6
These two commandments are complementary: one God only to be worshipped, one way only in which to worship him. Consider:— I. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT . 1 . How Israel would understand it . "No foreign god in opposition to me." The natural idea would be that Jehovah was one amongst many deities; that possibly, away from Egypt, some other god might have higher authority (cf. 2 Kings 18:33-35 ). In any case it would be hard to realise that he was more than God of gods; others might... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 20:3-6
The first and seceded commandments: against polytheism and image-worship. These two commandments seem to be bound together naturally by the reason given in Exodus 20:5 . There Jehovah says, " I am a jealous God;" obviously such a feeling of jealousy applies with as much force to the worship of other gods as to the making of graven images. Consider— I. THE POSSIBLE TRANSGRESSION HERE INDICATED . The having of other gods than Jehovah, and the representation of them by... read more