Skal man respektere andre folks guder?

Her har vi igen problemet med, at den ene af de to guder i Det Gamle Testamente hedder "Elohim", der betyder "de mandlige og kvindelige guder". Det oversættes i reglen til "Gud", og det er derfor, Gud kan skabe både mand og kvinde »i vort billede, så de ligner os«.

Hvis Gud/guderne er subjekt (den aktive part) i en sætning, kan man se på, hvordan verbet er bøjet. Hvis verbet er bøjet i ental, er det Gud med stort "G", ellers er det guder i flertal. Men her er "elohim" objekt (den, det "går ud over"), og så hjælper grammatikken os ikke.

I den græske teksttradition, Septuaginta, er der slet ikke noget at misforstå, for der står "theous", dvs. guder i flertal.

Den jødiske filosof, Filon af Alexandria, fremhævede dette forbud mod at nedgøre andre guder (selvom de var falske), fordi alt hvad der havde navn af gud var helligt.

XXVI. But, as it seems, he is not now speaking of that God who was the first being who had any existence, and the Father of the universe, but of those who are accounted gods in the different cities; and they are falsely called gods, being only made by the arts of painters and sculptors, for the whole inhabited world is full of statues and images, and erections of that kind, of whom it is necessary however to abstain from speaking ill, in order that no one of the disciples of Moses may ever become accustomed at all to treat the appellation of God with disrespect ; for that name is always most deserving to obtain the victory, and is especially worthy of love.
(On the life of Moses, III)

Philon mente, at baggrunden for forbuddet var, at hvis man fornærmede andre folks guder, kunne de finde på til gengæld at fornærme den sande Gud.

(53) Moreover, he also enjoins his people that, after they have given the proselytes an equal share in all their laws, and privileges, and immunities, on their forsaking the pride of their fathers and forefathers, they must not give a license to their jealous language and unbridled tongues, blaspheming those beings whom the other body looks upon as gods, lest the proselytes should be exasperated at such treatment, and in return utter impious language against the true and holy God; for from ignorance of the difference between them, and by reason of their having from their infancy learnt to look upon what was false as if it had been true, and having been bred up with it, they would be likely to err.
(The Special Laws, I)

Den jødiske historiker, Josephus, læste Anden Mosebog på samme måde:

10. ₂₀₇ Let no one blaspheme the gods that other cities revere; nor may one steal what belongs to the temples of others, nor take away the gifts dedicated to any god.
(Jødernes Oldtid, bind 3, kapitel 8, afsnit 10)

Og Josephus forsvarede netop jødedommens tolerance, hvor "Vores Lovgiver" (dvs. Moses) havde forbudt jøderne at håne dem, som andre anså for guder:

₂₃₇ I have no desire to examine the norms of other nations, for our ancestral custom is to keep to our own, and not to indict those of others. Our Legislator has even forbidden us to mock and revile what others deem to be gods, since such statements include the name of God
(Against Apion, bind 2, afsnit 12)

For at det ikke skal være løgn, er der enkelte oversættelser, der hverken skriver "Gud" eller "guder", men dommere:

2 Mosebog 22,28 Die Richter sollst du nicht lästern, und einem Fürsten deines Volkes sollst du nicht fluchen.
(Elberfelder, 1871)

2 Mosebog 22,28 Thou shalt not revile the judges, nor curse a prince amongst thy people.
(John Nelson Darby, 1890)