TWells and webboffin,
The discussion has been interesting to read. Just thought some information on Elohim would be interesting.
The discussion has been interesting to read. Just thought some information on Elohim would be interesting.
from:Elohim and Echad by Lindsey KillianIn Biblical Hebrew, a noun that is plural in form is not necessarily plural in meaning. For instance, the Hebrew words chayim (chayeem, "life") and panim (paneem, "face," "presence," "countenance") are plural in form, but almost always singular in meaning. Another word, adon, "lord," "master," is often plural in form. In its plural form it is sometimes used of a single person - Abraham (Gen. 24:9-10), Joseph (Gen. 42:30, 33), the king of Egypt (Gen. 40:1) and an anonymous "fierce king" under whose rule the Egyptians were prophesied to come (Isa. 19:4, NRSV). There are instances of other plural Hebrew words employed in the Hebrew Bible with singular meaning.
Equally striking is the fact that the same term elohim is used of the individual false gods of Israel's surrounding nations. Elohim is used of Dagon, the god of the Philistines (I Sam. 5:7); of Chemosh, the god of Ammon and Moab (Jud. 11:24; I Kings 11:33); of Ashtarte (or Ashtoreth), the god(dess) of the Sidonians (I Kings 11:33); and Milcom, another god of the Ammonites (I Kings 11:33). In Smith's Bible Dictionary and the New International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (NISBE) no plurality in any one of these gods is even hinted at. Additionally, in Ezra's prayer in Nehemiah 9:18, elohim is used to refer to the single golden calf made by Israel in the wilderness.
Elohim is also used of single human figures. Moses in both Exodus 4:16 and 7:1 and the Messianic king in Psalm 45:6 (verse 7 in the Hebrew Bible) are each referred to as Elohim.
What all this indicates is that in Biblical Hebrew, plural nouns in general and Elohim in particular do not always have plural meanings. In the case of the word Elohim, in fact, it would appear as though we should almost always understand it as singular in meaning unless the context indicates that "gods" are referred to.
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