Jews for judaism oneness of god the meaning of elohim. Pdf the origins of adonai in the hebrew scriptures ren. Hebrew grammar for dummies this is a basic crib sheet i designed for myself. The elohim of my father and i will exalt yahweh is a man of war, yahweh is his name. In the hebrew bible, elohim usually refers to a single deity, particularly the god of israel. Apr 01, 2021 please study this short, five paragraph hebrew grammar course with val as the soul you save could be your own. Do you see a male or a female, or do you see seven males. Learning biblical hebrew grammatical concepts through english grammar.
Reprinted, with minor changes, from bountiful harvest. In the beginning, god elohim created the heavens and the earth genesis 1. The house of creation is then the life of the universe. In hebrew, a numerically plural noun has three characteristics. In genesis 1, for example where the reader is first introduced to elohim the creator the hebrew verb form is always in the third masculine singular whenever9 we. This course is designed to give busy pastors and lay people who want to learn the biblical languages an opportunity to. In the hebrew bible, elohim usually refers to a single deity, particularly but not always the god.
Inasmuch as every time in scripture where the words yahweh elohim appear which in every case is singular, every mention of elohim of genesis chapter 1 is the same elohim as the yahweh elohim of chapter 2 and beyond. The word elohim is definitely plural and does indeed mean gods and it actually contains two forms of the singular word for god inside of itself. The very first verse of the bible, then, reveals the triune nature of god, further indicated by the use of the plural form of the name elohim with the singular verb bara he created. Elohim appears over 2000 times throughout the hebrew scriptures and in virtually every instance it has a singular verb. It is virtually always singular in form throughout the tanakh. Does elohim, since it is structurally plural in hebrew. When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually.
Pictured here is the word elohim as it would appear in the hebrew bible. Besides this evidence from the hebrew bible, i have also posted examples from ancient mesopotamian texts akkadian from the famous elamarna texts where the plural word for gods ilanu refers to a single person or god just as in. A careful investigation of the actual use of this word in the jewish scriptures unequivocally shows that elohim, while plural in form, is singular in concept. For this reason, modern english translations often obscure the hebrew texts references to plural elohim. Even if hebrew grammar makes it clear the author means to singularize his god, the hebrew plural word ending im, seems to be a vestige from the polytheistic world from which the hebrews began. The verb must modify the plural noun, elohim, to a singular usage. This would be consistent with the rules of hebrew grammar. This makes the god of the bible, elohim, the truly unique one, the creator of all. The word god is translated from the hebrew word elohim, and it refers to our one god. Normally, one would expect that with the plural noun elohim, a plural verb form would be used. The truth about elohim glorifytheonlyunbegottenfatherindoctrine. With this broad range of usage of elohim in the hebrew bible in mind, we can now turn to beginnings of the usage of elohim in latterday saint.
Biblical hebrew grammar regathering the 10 lost tribes of israel. Does elohim, since it is structurally plural in hebrew, always mean. In the beginning god, elohim, created the heavens and the earth. Biblical hebrew has its own ways of telling us if elohim means one person or many gods. These gods are of course the aliens the anunnaki in sitchins work, and so it is argued that the bible actually says the extraterrestrial gods created humankind. Like most words in english, elohim can mean several things. Several instances of this word are plural, which may seem to indicate polytheism. Net bible states, this frequently used hebrew name for god is a plural form. Hebrew grammar allows for this nominallyplural form to mean. Name name in hebrew meaning example verse ehyeh asher ehyeh. Wherever we find god throughout the old testament, it is most likely elohim. Well this is true when only looking at the hebrew grammar one cannot still know for. All of this is just basic grammar and every language has grammar. While the word elohim is plural in form, its meaning can be either plural or singular.
Here the word for god is elohim, having a plural form as though it meant gods. Elohim is a plural noun, which is first and primarily used in scripture to describe the one true god family, which includes god the father and our creatorredeemer, jesus christ. Oct 18, 2017 you also probably recognize elohim as one of gods names, despite the fact that the form of the word is plural. The name elohim, being a plural title for a singular god, stresses the doctrine of the trinity three in one. Sitchin and his followers claim that the word elohim commonly translated god is plural, and so it must be translated gods where it occurs. However, some trinitarians teach that since the word elohim is plural it implies a compound unity when it refers to god. In english we make words plural by adding s or es or ies rats, horses, stories. Ithe plural elohim is in several passages judges 11, 24. Although this usage would seem to violate the rules of subject and. Second, elohim is a common noun, used to refer to deity. These canaanite words were accepted into the hebrew language many years after the writings of the holy scriptures. For the to read and pronounce these names in prayer, join us for the hebrew quest lessons at. Trinitarians maintain that this is proof that god is a plurality. Now there will be hebrew scholars who will claim that one can not make this assertion based on the hebrew grammar.
The point is that each god is called an elohim all you need to do is count up to one. The hebrew equivalent of demon daimon in the original sense is simply or elohim, commonly rendered god. The hebrew bible also does not distinguish in person or being between this elohim and jehovah, and therefore, elohim was used as the name or title that was given to jehovah, the elohim of israel. Sons and daughters of elohim, i ask you to look into your mirror. Parashat bereshit quick summary hebrew for christians. Gesenius hebrew grammar palmer theological seminary. What denotes all the figures called in the hebrew bible have one thing in common. I am aleph and tav,e beginning and,e ending, sai,e lord adonai elohim which is, and which was, and which is 9 come,e almighe. None of the ancient people used the name elohim to speak of only one of their gods, but they used elohim to speak of their gods as a whole.
Always and elohim he spoke to moses never and elohim they spoke to moses adjective ps 7. However, when referring to the jewish god, elohim is usually understood to be grammatically singular i. In the beginning god created the heavens and the earth. In our modern culture we tend to view god in masculine terms and imagery. Speak and understand some biblical hebrew in a fun and inspiring way. Usage of the title elohim religious studies center. And over 2,000 additional references of elohim to the one god. The pdf files below illustrate from the hebrew that elohim often refers to a god or god proper name. Elohim, the archetype original pattern of the universe 1. That is, they are by nature not part of the world of humankind, a world of necessary embodiment.
Although this usage would seem to violate the rules o. Jehovah elohim lord god introduction this paper will look at the divine name zjehovah elohim lord god. Well this is true when only looking at the hebrew grammar one cannot still know for certain if this is what moses meant. Here we find elohim god repeated in almost every verse. There was developed among the scribes a cursive script which served the scribes quick flowing hand. In hebrew grammar, when elohim is grammatically associated to the following word, the m of elohim drops off called the construct relationship in hebrew. Adonai is the masculine principle of god and elohim is the feminine principle of god. Most uses of the term elohim in the later hebrew text imply a view that is at least monolatrist at the time of wri. Both the context and the grammatical construction show tha. Elohim, the archetype original pattern of the universe 3 elohim, the archetype original pattern of the universe 4 elohim, the archetype original pattern of the universe 5. We will extract the meaning of the name by the composition of the hebrew letters. But theres no good argument that the grammar of hebrew somehow points to the elohim who is speaking in 1. The form of the verb used in hebrew when elohim the true god is the subject is also instructive. The first place a name of god is revealed is in the first chapter of genesis.
It matches the noun elohim to singular or plural verbs, or with singular or plural pronouns to use sheep again as an example. Tetragrammaton, the fourlettered name for the hebrew god pronounced jehovah through misapplication, dating back to 1270, of the vowels of adonai lord to the consonants j, h, v, h. Thats because you dont read hebrew and dont understand hebrew grammar. Indeed, later in this parashah we will read a direct quotation from this elohim that uses plural personal pronouns. The word elohim is always found in the plural form and is often called a uniplural noun. Modern hebrew an essential grammar third edition this new edition of modern hebrew. Jul 19, 2018 bad grammar at least the way we understand it and all, elohim is awesome. Elohim is actually a plural noun indicated by the im as in cherubim and seraphim. The first letter of revelation from the lord, then, is the bet found in this word. The scriptures begin with the book of genesis, but in hebrew this book is named after its first word.
An essential grammar is an uptodate and practical reference guide to the most important aspects of modern hebrew as used by contemporary native speakers of the language. Just one elohim did what the greeks thought hundreds of gods would have done. Hebrew actually uses elohim since its a generic word for god for foreign goddesses see i kings 11. Jewish god, elohim is usually understood as a grammatical singular i. Despite the im ending common to many plural nouns in hebrew, the word elohim when referring to god is grammatically singular, and takes a singular verb in the hebrew bible. Biblical hebrew basic grammar of the hebrew old testament. The masculine plural ending does not mean gods when referring to the true god of israel. Jun 05, 2008 one of my earliest pdf files regarding sitchins work dealt with the word elohim in the hebrew bible. Well this is true when only looking at the hebrew grammar one cannot still know for certain if. There is some repetition because i use some of the information in my writing, so this allows me to cut and paste things which i need topics.
When used with singular verbs and adjectives elohim is usually singular, god or especially, the god. Elohim god introduction this paper will look at the divine name zelohim god. That is because in hebrew a verb like bara which is a third person singular for create can not leave the hebrew elohim as a plural. Most often over 2,000 times in the hebrew bible it is singular, referring to the god of israel. What is the difference between yahweh and elohim squarespace. It presents an accessible description of the language, focusing on the real. The letter bet means house and is composed of three vavs, which add up to 18, the same value for chai, or life. Sep 21, 2010 first, yhwh is a proper noun, the personal name of israels deity. Dont individual singular people say us all the time. In hebrew grammar, when elohim is grammatically associated to the following word, the m of elohim drops off called the. Elohim as gods in the old testament the hebrew word elohim lies behind the word god in the ot.
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