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62 lines
3.9 KiB
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# god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
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## Definition:
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A false god is something that people worship instead of the one true God. The term “goddess” refers specifically to a female false god.
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* These false gods or goddesses do not exist. Yahweh is the only God.
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* People sometimes make objects into idols to worship as symbols of their false gods.
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* In the Bible, God’s people frequently turned away from obeying him in order to worship false gods.
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* Demons often deceive people into believing that the false gods and idols they worship have power.
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* Baal, Dagon, and Molech were three of the many false gods that were worshiped by people in Bible times.
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* Asherah and Artemis (Diana) were two of the goddesses that ancient peoples worshiped.
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An idol is an object that people make so they can worship it. Something is described as “idolatrous” if it involves giving honor to something other than the one true God.
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* People make idols to represent the false gods that they worship.
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* These false gods do not exist; there is no God besides Yahweh.
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* Sometimes demons work through an idol to make it seem like it has power, even though it does not.
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* Idols are often made of valuable materials like gold, silver, bronze, or expensive wood.
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* An “idolatrous kingdom” means a “kingdom of people who worship idols” or a “kingdom of people who worship earthly things.”
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* The term “idolatrous figure” is another word for a “carved image” or an “idol.”
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## Translation Suggestions:
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* There may already be a word for “god” or “false god” in the language or in a nearby language.
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* The term “idol” could be used to refer to false gods.
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* In English, a lower case “g” is used to refer to false gods, and upper case “G” is used to refer to the one true God. Other languages also do that.
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* Another option would be to use a completely different word to refer to the false gods.
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* Some languages may add a word to specify whether the false god is described as male or female.
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(See also: [God](../kt/god.md), [Asherah](../names/asherim.md), [Baal](../names/baal.md), [Molech](../names/molech.md), [demon](../kt/demon.md), [image](../other/image.md), [kingdom](../other/kingdom.md), [worship](../kt/worship.md))
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## Bible References:
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* [Genesis 35:02](rc://en/tn/help/gen/35/02)
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* [Exodus 32:01](rc://en/tn/help/exo/32/01)
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* [Psalms 031:06](rc://en/tn/help/psa/031/06)
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* [Psalms 081:8-10](rc://en/tn/help/psa/081/008)
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* [Isaiah 44:20](rc://en/tn/help/isa/44/20)
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* [Acts 07:41](rc://en/tn/help/act/07/41)
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* [Acts 07:43](rc://en/tn/help/act/07/43)
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* [Acts 15:20](rc://en/tn/help/act/15/20)
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* [Acts 19:27](rc://en/tn/help/act/19/27)
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* [Romans 02:22](rc://en/tn/help/rom/02/22)
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* [Galatians 04:8-9](rc://en/tn/help/gal/04/08)
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* [Galatians 05:19-21](rc://en/tn/help/gal/05/19)
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* [Colossians 03:05](rc://en/tn/help/col/03/05)
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* [1 Thessalonians 01:09](rc://en/tn/help/1th/01/09)
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## Examples from the Bible stories:
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* __[10:02](rc://en/tn/help/obs/10/02)__ Through these plagues, God showed Pharaoh that he is more powerful than Pharaoh and all of Egypt’s __gods__.
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* __[13:04](rc://en/tn/help/obs/13/04)__ Then God gave them the covenant and said, “I am Yahweh, your God, who saved you from slavery in Egypt. Do not worship other __gods__.”
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* __[14:02](rc://en/tn/help/obs/14/02)__ They (Canaanites) worshiped false __gods__ and did many evil things.
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* __[16:01](rc://en/tn/help/obs/16/01)__ The Israelites began to worship the Canaanite __gods__ instead of Yahweh, the true God.
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* __[18:13](rc://en/tn/help/obs/18/13)__ But most of Judah’s kings were evil, corrupt, and they worshiped idols. Some of the kings even sacrificed their children to false __gods__.
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## Word Data:
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* Strong’s: H205, H367, H410, H426, H430, H457, H1322, H1544, H1892, H2553, H3649, H4656, H4906, H5236, H5566, H6089, H6090, H6091, H6456, H6459, H6673, H6736, H6754, H7723, H8163, H8251, H8267, H8441, H8655, G1493, G1494, G1495, G1496, G1497, G2299, G2712
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