“You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations,
Parallel translations
- WEB You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are around you;
- KJV Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
- BSB Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.
- NKJV You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you
- NASB You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel must not follow the gods of surrounding nations. Idolatry is forbidden because God demands exclusive worship.
Overview
Moses warns against turning to the gods of neighboring peoples, a constant temptation in Canaan. Covenant faithfulness means refusing all rival deities. This call to exclusive worship is fulfilled in the gospel, where Christ alone is Lord and all idolatry is renounced (1 John 5:21).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Jer 25:6Don’t go after other gods to serve them or worship them, and don’t provoke me to anger with the work of your hands; and I will do you no harm.”
- 1 Jn 5:21Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
- Deut 13:7of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth;
- Deut 8:19It shall be, if you shall forget Yahweh your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish.
- Deut 11:28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you today, to go after other gods, which you have not known.
- Exod 34:14–16for you shall worship no other god: for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 6:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.