Text: Psalms 81:9-10
OT Text Referred to: Deuteronomy 32:12
Subject: Monotheistic claim (B)
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: Psalm 81:9-10 commands "There shall be no foreign god (אֵל זָר, el zar) among you, nor shall you bow down to an alien god (אֵל נֵכָר, el nekhar). I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt." Deuteronomy 32:12 declares that "the LORD alone (יְהוָה בָּדָד, YHWH badad) led him, with no foreign god (אֵל נֵכָר, el nekhar) alongside Him." The shared terminology el nekhar ("foreign god") connects the psalm's liturgical admonition with the Song of Moses's historical assertion. The Song presents monotheistic faithfulness as Israel's intended condition during the wilderness; the psalm repurposes this declaration as a festival warning, reminding worshipers that the God who led them alone demands exclusive devotion.