אַחֵר

From the study of Isaiah 65:15

Range of meaning

Other, another, different, subsequent.

Against the English

'Another' can sound like simply a second label. In context it means a different name that replaces the old identity.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 62:2 has 'a new name (shem chadash)'. The Septuagint's 'a new name (onoma kainon)' here makes the link explicit. That Greek wording is echoed in Revelation 2:17 and 3:12.

From the study of Deuteronomy 5:7

Range of meaning

'Other, another, different, following after.' It is the ordinary word for something that is not the thing already mentioned.

Against the English

'Other' is accurate. NLT's singular 'any other god' is an acceptable paraphrase, though the Hebrew is plural.

Used elsewhere in the period

'Other gods' (ʾĕlōhîm ʾăḥērîm) is a set phrase in Deuteronomy, appearing some eighteen times (e.g. 6:14; 7:4; 11:16; 13:2; 17:3; 28:14; 31:18). It is also frequent in Jeremiah and in Kings. The Septuagint has θεοὶ ἕτεροι. It usually comes with verbs of loyalty: 'go after,' 'serve,' 'bow down to.'

From the study of Isaiah 48:11

Range of meaning

"Other, another, different." In religious contexts it appears in the set phrase "other gods" (ʾelohim ʾaḥerim), the standard term in Deuteronomy and the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:3; Deut 5:7; 6:14).

Against the English

English "another" is accurate but bare. Readers often take it to mean "another person," so that it covers human beings who take credit. The NLT spells out the context with "idols."

How it drifted

Without the parallel in 42:8, "another" reads as general and is often applied to human pride. In Isaiah's argument it names a rival deity.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isa 42:8 puts "to another" in parallel with "to idols" (pesilim). Deuteronomy's ban on "other gods" is the background vocabulary.