Exodus 20:3
Exodus 20:33You shall have no other gods before Me.
JWs cite the first commandment — "You must not have any other gods besides me" — to argue that Jesus cannot be God because worshipping two gods would violate strict monotheism. The NWT's rendering of c as "the Word was a god" is defended on the basis that "god" (theos) can be used as a title for powerful beings without implying full deity. The commandment is read as applying only to "Almighty God," leaving room for lesser divine beings.
The first commandment does not say "no other almighty gods" — it says "no other gods." Full stop. The NWT's rendering of as "the Word was a god" creates an inescapable trilemma: either Jesus is (1) a true god — which is polytheism, violating , , and ; (2) a false god — in which case Christians should reject him entirely; or (3) the one true God — which is the trinitarian position. closes the door: "Before me no god was formed, and after me there has been none." adds: "Is there any God but me? There is no other Rock; I know not one." First Corinthians 8:4 confirms: "there is no God but one." If no other gods exist, Jesus cannot be "a god" — he is either a false god or he is Jehovah.