Is There More than One God in the Bible?
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
