2.7 KiB
2.7 KiB
false god, foreign god, god, goddess
Definition:
A false god is something that people worship instead of the one true God. The term "goddess" refers specifically to a female false god.
- These false gods or goddesses do not exist. Yahweh is the only God.
- People sometimes make objects into idols to worship as symbols of their false gods.
- In the Bible, God's people frequently turned away from obeying him in order to worship false gods.
- Demons often deceive people into believing that the false gods and idols they worship have power.
- Baal, Dagon, and Molech were three of the many false gods that were worshiped by people in Bible times.
- Asherah and Artemis (Diana) were two of the goddesses that ancient peoples worshiped.
Translation Suggestions:
- There may already be a word for "god" or "false god" in the language or in a nearby language.
- The term "idol" could be used to refer to false gods.
- 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.
- Another option would be to use a completely different word to refer to the false gods.
- Some languages may add a word to specify whether the false god is described as male or female.
(See also: god · asherim · baal · molech · idol · demon · image)
Bible References:
Examples from the Bible stories:
- 10-02 Through these plagues, God showed Pharaoh that he is more powerful than Pharaoh and all of Egypt's gods.
- 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."
- 14-02 They (Canaanites) worshiped false gods and did many evil things.
- 16-01 The Israelites began to worship the Canaanite gods instead of Yahweh, the true God.
- 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.