You asked

what understanding of 'god' or 'gods' did the psalmist likely have when writing this text?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Psalm 96:4-5

“For Yahweh is great, and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but Yahweh made the heavens.”

This psalm is a call to worship Yahweh, the God of Israel, and to proclaim his greatness among all nations. It is a song of praise, likely used in communal worship, inviting the whole earth to acknowledge his sovereignty.

What does this psalmist's understanding of God compel us to recognize about the divine in our own lives and world?

Then — the setting

The psalmist, writing in ancient Israel (likely during or after the period of the monarchy, perhaps even post-exile, roughly 10th-5th centuries BCE), lived in a world steeped in polytheism. Surrounding nations like Egypt, Mesopotamia, Canaan, and Assyria worshipped a pantheon of gods and goddesses associated with natural forces, fertility, war, and specific cities or peoples. These gods were often depicted in idols and had elaborate cults and temples. The psalmist's assertion of Yahweh's supremacy directly confronts this prevalent worldview, positioning the God of Israel not merely as one god among many, but as uniquely sovereign.

Across the Testaments

In the Old Testament, particularly in texts like this psalm and the prophetic books, Yahweh is consistently presented as the one true God, distinct from and superior to the 'gods of the peoples.' These other gods are often dismissed as 'idols' (Hebrew: אֱלִילִים, 'elilim), implying worthlessness or non-existence. The New Testament affirms this monotheistic stance, explicitly stating that 'there is no God but one' (1 Corinthians 8:4). While acknowledging that 'there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'' in popular belief, the New Testament clarifies that for Christians, there is 'one God, the Father' and 'one Lord, Jesus Christ,' through whom all things exist, further solidifying the singular nature of the divine, now understood through the lens of the Trinity.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Deuteronomy 6:4
Declares the singularity of God within Israel.
Isaiah 44:6
Emphasizes Yahweh as the first and the last, beside whom there is no other God.
1 Corinthians 8:4-6
Acknowledges the existence of 'gods many and lords many' but affirms for believers there is only one God.

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