Deuteronomy 6:14 (KJV)

Passage

Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 6:12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Deuteronomy 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

Deuteronomy 6:14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;

Deuteronomy 6:15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 6:16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "after", "other", "gods", "people", and "round". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "after", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God..." into verse 15's "For the LORD thy God is a...", so "shall" and "after" belong inside that flow. In Deuteronomy context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "after" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.