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Psalm 81:9

There shall be no strange god in you, neither shall you worship any foreign god.

7You called in trouble, and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah.” Selah.
8“Hear, my people, and I will testify to you, Israel, if you would listen to me!
9There shall be no strange god in you, neither shall you worship any foreign god.
10I am the LORD, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11But my people didn’t listen to my voice. Israel desired none of me.
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← Psalm 81:8Psalm 81:10 →
Notice

The ban on foreign gods leaves no room for divided worship, a sharp demand from the God who has just recalled Israel's rescue.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

How does God's rescue from Egypt shape your reading of his command against foreign gods?

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What would undivided worship of God look like in your choices this week?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

7 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Exodus 20:3“You shall have no other gods before me.Both commands exclude other gods from the worship and allegiance God's people owe him.
Isaiah 43:12I have declared, I have saved, and I have shown, and there was no strange god among you. Therefore you are my witnesses”, says the LORD, “and I am God.Both passages speak of a strange god having no place among the people the LORD addresses.
Deuteronomy 32:12The LORD alone led him. There was no foreign god with him.The psalm forbids worship of any foreign god; Deuteronomy describes the LORD leading without any foreign god beside him.
1 Corinthians 8:5–6For though there are things that are called “gods”, whether in the heavens or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”—Both mention other gods, though the psalm forbids their worship and the supplied Corinthian verse acknowledges things called gods.
Psalm 44:20If we have forgotten the name of our God, or spread out our hands to a strange god,Both concern worship directed toward a strange god, with Psalm 44 describing hands spread out in that worship.
Deuteronomy 6:14You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are around you,Both forbid turning to other gods, with Deuteronomy naming the gods of surrounding peoples.
Malachi 2:11Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loves, and …The psalm forbids foreign worship, while Malachi condemns Judah's marriage to the daughter of a foreign god.
Where this verse fits

Praise and worship. temptation.

What the Bible says about worship →What the Bible says about temptation →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Read Psalm 81:7–11 and mark God's command and his rescue

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Encouragement

God addresses Israel as his people before giving this command. His demand for undivided worship comes within a bond he has already shown through rescue.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 81:9. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 81 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).