The Lord is called "Jehovah" in the Bible when the text is referring to his essence, which is love itself. He is called "God" when the text is referring to the expression of that love -- which is called Divine Truth. References to other gods, both positive and negative, reflect that meaning. In positive cases -- such as when angels and people are called gods, or when the Lord is referred to as the God of gods -- those gods represent true ideas that come to us from the Lord. In negative cases -- such as when the people of Israel repeatedly adopt the gods of their neighbors -- those gods represent false and twisted thinking that attacks what is good and true.

8613. 'One on one side, and one on the other' means in every direction. This is clear from the consideration that 'one on this side, and one on that' means on the right and on the left, and in the spiritual sense on the right and on the left means in every direction. For right or left is not limited to some specific direction but extends to all directions; for in whichever direction he turns they remain constant. This is especially so in the spiritual world, where the nature of spatial directions is altogether different from in the world. In the spiritual world what is on the right appears on the right at every turning or movement around; and the like applies to things on the left, see 4321, 4882.