oa ‘Gij zult van goden geen kwaad spreken’

The background of the LXX’s use of the plural theoi instead of the expected ‘God’ is probably to be explained as apologetically directed against the charges from Alexandrian antisemites who accused Moses of antireligious crimes. Jewish authors explain that Moses wrote this in the hope that abstention from reviling the pagan gods might bring the gentiles closer to Israel’s God. Christian authors either have to defend themselves against the argument of pagan authors who asserted that this text proves that Moses condoned polytheism or they explain the words ‘gods’ as referring to ecclesiastical or worldly authorities.