Deuteronomy 6:14 (WEB)

Passage

You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are around you;

Nearby Context

Deuteronomy 6:12 then beware lest you forget Yahweh, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Deuteronomy 6:13 You shall fear Yahweh your God; and you shall serve him, and shall swear by his name.

Deuteronomy 6:14 You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples who are around you;

Deuteronomy 6:15 for Yahweh your God among you is a jealous God; lest the anger of Yahweh your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 6:16 You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "after", "other", "gods", "peoples", and "around". 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 "You shall fear Yahweh your God and..." into verse 15's "for Yahweh your God among you is...", 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.