Elohim (אֱלוֹהִים , אלהים ) is a Hebrew word which expresses
concepts of divinity. It is apparently related to the Hebrew word ēl, though morphologically it consists of the Hebrew word Eloah
(אלוה with a plural suffix. Elohim is the third word in the
Hebrew text of Genesis and occurs frequently throughout the Hebrew Bible. Its exact significance is often disputed.
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Hebrew grammar
Elohim has plural morphological form in Hebrew, but it is used with singular verbs and adjectives in the Hebrew text when the particular meaning of
the God of Israel (a singular deity) is traditionally understood. Thus the very first words of the Bible are bre bara Elohim, where bara
ברא is a verb inflected as third person singular masculine perfect. If Elohim were an ordinary plural word, then the plural verb
form bar'u בראו would have been used in this sentence instead. Such plural grammatical forms are in fact found in cases where
Elohim has semantically plural reference (not referring to the God of Israel).
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The choice of word or words for God varies in the Hebrew Bible. Some scholars view these variations as evidence of different source texts, the
documentary hypothesis. According to many proponents of this theory, Elohim is consistently used in texts that reflect the early northern traditions
of the Kingdom of Israel, whereas Yahweh ('Jehovah', Latin 'Iéhova') is consistently used in texts that derive from the early southern
traditions, of the Kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem. Biblical scholars have found it useful to distinguish between "E" traditions and "J" traditions,
the "Elohist" and the "Yahwist."
Etymology
The etymology of the word Elohim is unknown. There are many theories, however, including the following:
*The most commonly accepted root of this source among Jewish scholars is that the word literally translates to "powers" meaning God is the One in
control of these powers.
*The most likely derivation comes from the word Elohim ('lhm) found in the Ugarit archives, meaning the family or pantheon associated with the
Canaanite father God El.
*Hebraist Joel M. Hoffman derives the word from the common Canaanite word elim, with the mater lectionis heh inserted to distinguish the Israelite God
from other gods. He argues that elohim thus patterns with Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah.
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The form of the word Elohim, with the ending -im, is plural and masculine, but the construction is usually singular, i.e. it governs a singular verb
or adjective when referring to the Hebrew god, but reverts to its normal plural when used of heathen divinities (Psalms 96:5; 97:7). There are many
theories as to why the word is plural:
*In one view, predominant among anthropomorphic monotheists, the word is plural in order to augment its meaning and form an abstraction meaning
"Divine majesty".
Among orthodox Trinitarian Christian writers it is sometimes used as evidence for the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
*In another view that is more common among a range of secular scholars, heterodox Christian and Jewish theologians and polytheists, the word's
plurality reflects early Judaic polytheism. They argue it originally meant "the gods", or the "sons of El," the supreme being. They claim the word may
have been singularized by later monotheist priests who sought to replace worship of the many gods of the Judean pantheon with their own singular
patron god YHWH alone.
A plural noun governing a singular verb may be according to oldest usage. The gods form a heavenly assembly where they act as one. In this context,
the Elohim may be a collective plural when the gods act in concert. Compare this to English headquarters, which is plural but governs a singular verb:
there are many rooms or quarters, but they all serve one purpose. Thus, it is argued, the meaning of Elohim therefore can mean one god, with many
attributes.
The alternative polytheist theory would seem to explain why there are three words built on the same stem: El, Elohim, and eloah. El, the father god,
has many divine sons, who are known by the plural of his name, Elohim, or Els. Eloah, might then be used to differentiate each of the lesser gods from
El himself.
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The meaning of Elohim is further complicated by the fact that it is used to describe the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel, raised by Saul in 1 Samuel
28:13. The witch of Endor tells Saul that she sees 'gods' (elohim) coming up out of the earth; this seems to indicate that the term was indeed used
simply to mean something like 'divine beings' in ancient Israel.
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