# Hebrew word



## Scot (Mar 18, 2005)

While discussing the trinity on another board, someone said that the Hebrew word "ELOHIM" means "Gods". In other words there are three divine beings. The heresy that Finis Dake held.

I'm not a Hebrew expert. Can anyone explain the meaning of ELOHIM?


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## fredtgreco (Mar 18, 2005)

From BDB:

482 ~yhil{a/ n.m.pl. (f.) pl. in number. a. rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power. b. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels. c. angels; cf. ~yhla (h) ynb = (the) sons of God, or sons of gods = angels. d. gods. 2. Pl. intensive. a. god or goddess, always with sf. b. godlike one. c. works of God, or things specially belonging to him (vid. lae 5). d. God (vid. 3 & 4). 3. ~yhil{a/h' the (true) God; in many phrases, as ~yhlah vya the man of God, acting under divine authority and influence: = (a) angel, (b) prophet (the term coming into use in the Northern kingdom in the age of Elijah: of Moses; of Samuel; of David; Shemaiah; Elijah, Elisha, and others of their time; unnamed prophet; Hanan. 4. ~yhil{a/ = God. (pg 43)


From TWOT:

93c ×Ö±×œÖ¹×”Ö´×™× (Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m) gods, God.
Ë’lh is the assumed root of Ë’Ä“l, Ë’Ä•lÅah, and Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m, which means "œgod" or "œGod." The Ugaritic term for "œgod" or the "œchief god" is Ë’il, plural Ë’ilm, occasionally plural Ë’ilhm (cf. UT 19: no. 163). The Phoenician term is Ë’l "œEl"; the plural is Ë’lm which seems to be construed sometimes as a singular (cf. Z. Harris, Grammar of the Phoenician Language, Jewish Publication Society, 1936, p. 77). The Aramaic is Ë’Ä•lÄh, plural Ë’Ä•lÄhÄ±Ì‚n. The Akkadian form is ilu.
The view that the three Hebrew terms come from one root is much disputed and a final verdict is lacking. Some hold that the two are distinct, deriving Ë’Ä“l from the root Ë’wl (strong). Others see Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m derived from the root Ë’lh, together with Ë’Ä•lÅah, that root meaning "œfear." Still others hold that both Ë’Ä“l and Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m come from Ë’Ä•lÅah.
More probable is the view that Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m comes from Ë’Ä•lÅah as a unique development of the Hebrew Scriptures and represents chiefly the plurality of persons in the Trinity of the godhead (see Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m).
Ë’Ä•lÅah is also a basic Hebrew term for the God of Israel, but is used less frequently (see Ë’Ä•lÅah and Ë’Ä“l, a separate though perhaps related generic term for God).
×Öµ×œ (Ë’Ä“l). God, god, mighty one, strength. In the common use of the word to denote either the generic name "œgod" or "œthe God" of Israel, the ASV and RSV are usually alike. However, in some specialized uses of the term they differ from KJV and from one another, e.g. ASV and RSV treat Jud 9:46 as a proper noun "œEl-Berith" while KJV translates "œgod"; Ps 29:1, RSV translates "œheavenly beings" while ASV has "œsons of the mighty"; Ps 50:1, ASV and RSV have "œmighty one," KJV "œmighty God;" Ps 80:10 [H 11], ASV renders "œcedars of God," RSV has "œmighty cedars" and KJV simply "œgoodly cedars": Ps 82:1, ASV says "œcongregation of God" but RSV translates "œDivine counsel"; Ps 89:6 [H 7]) ASV and KJV "œsons of the mighty" but RSV "œHeavenly beings"; Isa 57:5, KJV has "œidols" but ASV, RSV read as another Hebrew word, "œoaks"; and finally, Ezk 32:21, KJV and ASV "œstrong among the mighty" while RSV renders it simply "œmighty chiefs."
The primary meanings of this root as used in Scripture are "œgod" (pagan or false gods), "œGod" (the true God of Israel) and less frequently, "œthe mighty" (referring to men or angels). By far the predominant usage is for the true God and it is to this usage that we will give major attention.
The name "œEl" is a very ancient Semitic term. It is also the most widely distributed name among Semitic-speaking peoples for the deity, occurring in some form in every Semitic language except Ethiopic. Pope, in his study of "œEl" in the Ugaritic, notes that it is the most frequently occurring name for the deity in proper names throughout the ancient Semitic world (Marvin Pope, El in the Ugaritic Texts, p. 1).
We must agree with Pope that etymologically the bottom of the barrel has been scraped with little success (Pope, El in the Ugaritic Texts, p. 19). Most frequently mentioned suggestions for an original meaning are "œpower" or "œfear" but these are widely challenged and much disputed. [It may be noted that even if the origin of the word in Canaanite or proto-Semitic is from a root meaning power, this by no means indicates the connotation in Hebrew religious usage. Our word "œdeity" comes from a root known in Sanskrit to mean "œsky" but we do not worship a sky-god. r.l.h.]
The question of the relationship between the biblical use of Ë’Ä“l and the Semitic concepts of El has received much attention particularly since the discovery of the Ugaritic texts, which have apparently established the fact that the term El was used in reference to a personal god and not merely as a generic term in the ancient Semitic world.
Space will not allow us to develop the various points of view on this matter. The article by Frank M. Cross, published in 1975, in the first volume of the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, gives much attention to this. Certainly we do not have to accept the view that assumes an ancient polytheism in Israel which was gradually refined so that various gods such as El, Shaddai, and Elyon were finally merged into Hebrew monotheism under the heading of Elohim or Yahweh. The bibliography following this article suggests further reading for those who would like to pursue this matter.
A. B. Davidson has observed the pronounced tendency in Scripture to accompany Ë’Ä“l with epithets. Indeed, as we study the word as used in Scripture, we must conclude that it is almost always qualified by words or descriptions which further define the word. This leads A. B. Davidson to conclude that these qualifications both elevate the concept of El in Scripture and distinguish the term as used biblically from others who might be so named (A. B. Davidson, Theology of the Old Testament, p. 61).
A study of the various accompanying descriptions of El where the name occurs in Scripture leads to the rather solid conclusion that, from the beginning of the use of this term in Scripture, it was intended to distinguish the true El (God) from all false uses of that name found in other semitic cultures.
We note first the use of El in terms denoting God´s greatness or superiority over all other gods: haË’Ä“l haggÄdÃ´l "œthe great El" (Jer 32:18; Ps 77:13 [H 14]; 95:3); hÄË’Ä“l Ë“ÅsÄ“h peleË’ "œEl doing wonders" (Ps 77:14 [H 15]); Ë’Ä“l Ë’Ä“lÄ±Ì‚m "œEl of els" ("œGod of gods," Dan 11:36); Ë’Ä“l Ë’Ä•lÅhÃª hÄrÃ»á¸¥Ã´t lÄ•kol-bÄÅ›Är "œEl, the God of the spirits of all flesh" (Num 16;22; 27:16).
Next, consider epithets relating to El´s position: Ë’Ä“l haÅ¡Å¡ÄmÄyim "œEl of heaven" (Ps 136:26); Ë’Ä“l mimÄË’al "œEl that is above" (Job 31:28); Ë’Ä“l Ë’elyÃ´n "œEl most high" (Gen 14:18"“19, 20, 22; Ps 78:35).
Again, as a precaution against overfamiliarity with God because of the use of a common Semitic term, God is described as Ë’Ä“l mistatÄ“r "œEl who hides himself" (i.e. known only by self-revelation, Isa 45;15). Yet God does see us at all times as Hagar affirmed, Ë’Ä“l rÅË’Ä±Ì‚ "œEl who sees me" (Gen 16:13).
Most specially El is accompanied in Scripture by those epithets which describe him as the Savior God of Israel. As such he is called hÄË’Ä“l hanneË’Ä•mÄn "œFaithful El" (Deut 7:9); hÄË’Ä“l haqqÄdÃ´Å¡ "œHoly El" (Isa 5:16); Ë’Ä“l Ë’Ä•met "œEl of truth" (Ps 31:5 [H 6]; Deut 32:4); Ë’Ä“l Å¡adday "œAlmighty El" (Gen 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 48:3; Ex 6:3; Ezk 10:5); Ë’Ä“l gibbÃ´r "œEl the heroic" (Isa 9:6 [H 5]; 10:21); Ë’Ä“l dÄ“Ë“Ã´t "œEl of knowledge" (I Sam 2:3); Ë’Ä“l hakkÄbÃ´d "œEl of glory" (Ps 29:3); Ë’Ä“l Ë’Ã´lÄm "œEl of eternity" (Gen 21:33): Ë’Ä“l-á¹£addÄ±Ì‚q "œRighteous El" (Isa 45:21); and Ë’Ä“l qannÄË’ "œJealous El" (Ex 20:5; Deut 4;24; 5:9; 6:15; Josh 24:19; Nah 1:2).
In contradistinction from all false "œels" (gods), he is declared to be Ë’Ä“l á¸¥ay the "œLiving El" (Josh 3:10; I Sam 17:26, 36; II Kgs 19:4, 16; Ps 42:2 [H 3]; 84:2 [H 3]; Isa 37:4; Jer 10:10, 23:36; Dan 6:20, 26 [H 21,27]; Hos 1:10 [H 2:1]). In accord with strict biblical monotheism he is therefore Ë’Ä“l Ë’eá¸¥Äd, the one El (Mal 2:10). And in the passage most quoted elsewhere in the Old Testament El is described in terms of those attributes by which God desired to be known by his people (Ex 34;5"“7; cf. Deut 4:31; II Chr 30:9; Neh 9:17, 31; Ps 103:8; Joel 2:13, etc.).
The very personal relationship between the El of Scripture and his believers is seen in the following epithets: hÄË’Ä“l bÃªt-Ë’Ä“l "œthe El of Bethel" (Gen 31:13; 35:7); Ë’Ä“l salË’Ä±Ì‚ "œEl my rock" (Ps 42:9 [H 10]); Ë’Ä“l yÄ•Å¡Ã»Ë“ÄtÄ±Ì‚ "œEl my Savior" (Isa 12:2); Ë’Ä“l á¸¥ayyÄy "œEl of my life" (Ps 42:8 [H 9]); Ë’Ä“l gÅmÄ“r Ë“ÄlÄy "œEl the performer on me" (Ps 57:3); "œthe El of "¦ " (Gen 49:25,etc.); Ë’Ä“lÄ±Ì‚ "œMy El" (Ps 89:26 [H 27]; 102:24 [H 25]; 118:28); hÄË’Ä“l mÄË“Ã»zzÄ±Ì‚ "œEl my fortress" (II Sam 22:33); hÄË’Ä“l hamË’azÄ•rÄ“nÄ±Ì‚ á¸¥Äyil "œEl the girder of me with strength" (Ps 18:32 [H 33]); hÄË’Ä“l hannÅtÄ“n nÄ•qÄmÃ´t lÄ±Ì‚ "œthe El giving me vengeance" (Ps 18:47 [H 48]; II Sam 22:48).
Thus, in an evangelistic sense, he is described in such epithets as Ë’Ä“l mÄ•hÅllekÃ¢ "œEl who begat you" (Deut 32:18); Ë’Ä“l mÃ´Å¡Ä±Ì‚Ë“Äm "œEl their Savior" (Ps 106:21); Ë’Ä“l mÃ´á¹£Ä±Ì‚Ë’Ã´ mimmiá¹£raim "œEl his (their) bringer from Egypt" (Num 24:8; 23:22); Ë’Ä“l yÄ•Å¡Å«rÃ»n "œEl of Jeshurun" (Deut 33:26); and Ë’Ä“l Ë’Ä•lÅhÃª yiÅ›rÄË’el "œEl the God of Israel" (Gen 33:20).
Frequently therefore we find the term "œEl" combined with or associated with the personal name for Israel´s God, Yahweh (Josh 22:22; Ps 85:8 [H 9]; 118:27; Isa 42:5, etc.) which testifies that he is indeed Ë’Ä“l nÅÅ›Ä“Ë’ El who forgives (Ps 99:8) and consequently hÄË’Ä“l yÄ•Å¡Ã»Ë“ÄtÄ“nÃ» "œEl of our salvation" (Ps 68:19"“20 [H 20-21]).
Whether or not the name El can be identified etymologically with the concept of fear, it is clearly often associated with this idea in biblical epithets. He is called hÄË’Ä“l haggÄdÃ´l wÄ•hannÃ´rÄË’ "œEl, great and terrible" (Neh 1:5; 4:14; 9:32; Deut 7:21; 10:17; Dan 9:4) or simply, Ë’Ä“l naË“ÄƒrÄá¹£ "œTerrible El" (Ps 89:7 [H 8]). He is also described as Ë’Ä“l gÄ•mÅ«lÃ´t "œEl of recompenses" (Jer 51:56) or more severely Ë’Ä“l nÅqÄ“m "œEl the revenger" (Ps 99:8; Nah 1:2), and sometimes simply Ë’Ä“l nÄ•qÄm "œEl of vengeance" (Ps 94:1). Being indignant is a continuous characteristic of El in Scripture (Ps 7:11 [H 12]).
Only in Job do we find extensive use of El without epithets. There the term is treated by Job and his friends as the common term for the true God and its use there, unlike other parts of Scripture, far outnumbers the occurrence of Elohim (q.v.).
×Ö±×œÖ¹Ö·×” (Ë’Ä•lÅah). God, god (ASV, RSV similar). The exact relationship between this name for God in Scripture and Ë’Ä“l or Ë’elÅhÄ±Ì‚m is disputed and far from settled. It occurs in some of the oldest ot poetry (Deut 32:15, 17) and very frequently (forty-one times) in the debates between Job (anancient believer) and his friends. It appears therefore to be an ancient term for God which was later dropped for the most part until the time of the exile and after, when there was great concern for a return to the more ancient foundations. It is not frequently used outside Job. It occurs once in Isa, once in Prov, twice in Hab, four times in the Ps, and then in the postexilic books: II Chr, Neh, and Dan, a total of five times.
Marvin H. Pope in his Book, El in the Ugaritic Texts, has noted that Ë’Ä•lÅah never has the article although it is once determined by the suffix (Hab 1:11) and found once in the construct (Ps 114:7). He further points out that it never occurs in combination with another divine name.
We shall first look at the usage outside Job. Three times it occurs in parallel to "œrock" as a descriptive term for God (Deut 32:15; Ps 18:31 [H 32]; Isa 44:8). Once it is found in a context in which God is described as a shield to those who take refuge in him (Prov 30:5). Three times it is used in a context of terror for sinners (Ps 50:22; 114:7; 139:19).
This would suggest that the term conveyed to God´s people comfort and assurance while conveying fear to their enemies. The concepts of strength and might conveyed by the term are further seen in the three successive verses of Daniel´s vision about the great anti-god (Dan 11:37"“39). Here the anti-god´s god (Ë’Ä•lÅah) seems to be "œstrength" itself. In Hab 1:11 the term is used similarly.
In Hab 3:3, the prophet speaks of Ë’Ä•lÅah coming from Teman. In Job, Teman is associated with one of Job´s three friends, Eliphaz (Job 4:1). Interestingly, the term Ë’Ä•lÅah, used for God, is predominantly used in Job by Job and Eliphaz in their debating. Only in one context does Zophar use the term (11:5"“7). Bildad never does. Of course Elihu uses it, perhaps in imitation of the former speakers (six times in chapters 33"“37). God himself, in speaking to Job, uses the term twice: once in a context of his providence and once in parallel to "œthe Almighty" (see our discussion on the concept of might associated with the name).
This term for God was usually clearly used for Israel´s God, the true God. This is evident from the fact that the Levites in the postexilic period used the term in quoting the descriptive revelation of God given in Ex 34:6"“7, where the original revelation to Moses had used El and Yahweh (Neh 9:17).
The Hebrew word is quite similar to the Aramaic Ë’Ä•lah, the usual name for God in Biblical Aramaic. It has been suggested that the term has come, via Aramaic, from two elements: El and Ah (a shortened form of Ahyeh, Ex 3:14, "œI shall be," the designation of Yahweh in the first person; Feigin, Samuel I., "œThe Origin of lÃ´h, "˜God´, in Hebrew," JNES 3:259). This suggests the possibility that originally two separate gods were involved and later combined. Such a suggestion does not seem likely inasmuch as the term is in Scripture almost always used as a designation of the true God.
It is probably akin to the term El. It was in use quite early, then, after a period of neglect among God´s people, the term was revived to a limited use perhaps through the contacts with Aramaic, where a similar term was in constant use.
×Ö±×œÖ¹×”Ö´×™× (Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m). God, gods, judges, angels. (Generally, agreement is found in ASV and RSV, however in some passages where the meaning is not clear they differ from KJV: Ex 31:6, where RSV has "œGod" but KJV "œthe judges"; similarly in Ex 22:28 [H 27] where RSV has "œGod" but KJV "œthe gods" or as a margin "œjudges.") This word, which is generally viewed as the plural of Ë’Ä•lÅah, is found far more frequently in Scripture than either Ë’Ä“l or Ë’Ä•lÅah for the true God. The plural ending is usually described as a plural of majesty and not intended as a true plural when used of God. This is seen in the fact that the noun Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m is consistently used with singular verb forms and with adjectives and pronouns in the singular.
Albright has suggested that the use of this majestic plural comes from the tendency in the ancient near east toward a universalism: "œWe find in Canaanite an increasing tendency to employ the plural Å¡torÃ´t Ë“startesË’, and natÃ´t Ë“nathsË’, in the clear sense of totality of manifestations of a deity´ " (William F. Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity, 2d ed., p. 213). But a better reason can be seen in Scripture itself where, in the very first chapter of Gen, the necessity of a term conveying both the unity of the one God and yet allowing for a plurality of persons is found (Gen 1:2,26). This is further borne out by the fact that the form Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m occurs only in Hebrew and in no other Semitic language, not even in Biblical Aramaic (Gustav F. Oehler, Theology of the Old Testament, p. 88).
The term occurs in the general sense of deity some 2570 times in Scripture. Yet as Pope has indicated, it is difficult to detect any discrepancy in use between the forms Ë’Ä“l, Ë’Ä•lÅah, and Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m in Scripture (Marvin H. Pope, El in the Ugaritic Texts, p. 10).
When indicating the true God, Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m functions as the subject of all divine activity revealed to man and as the object of all true reverence and fear from men. Often Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m is accompanied by the personal name of God, Yahweh (Gen 2:4"“5; Ex 34:23; Ps 68:18 [H 19], etc.).
While the individual occurrences of the term Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m for God are far too numerous to treat here, some significant appositives and descriptive phrases or clauses associated with the name are given below. These descriptive words attached to the noun Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m really serve as titles and indicate the various titles by which God´s people came to know him. The term Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m is the favorite term in titles. They are usually attached by means of the construct, the relative clause or by participial phrases rendered as titles.
The first category of titles pertains to his work of creation: Isa 45:18, "œGod, Former of the Earth"; Jon 1:9 "œGod of Heaven Who Made the Sea and the Dry Land."
A second category of titles expresses God´s sovereignty: Isa 54:5, "œGod of All the Earth"; I Kgs 20:28, "œGod of the Hills"; Jer 32:27, "œGod of All Flesh." The God of All the Kingdoms of the Earth" (cf. Isa 37:16); God of Heaven (Neh 2:4, 20); "œYahweh God of the Heaven" (Gen 24:7; II Chr 36:23); God in the Heaven (II Chr 20:6); "œThe Lord God of the Heaven and God of the Earth" (Gen 24:3; see Deut 4:39; Josh 2:11); and finally "œGod of gods and Lord of Lords, the Great, the Mighty, and the Terrible Who Does Not Regard Favorites and Does Not Take Bribes" (Deut 10:17). All of these titles may be subsumed under the rather brief "œGod Most High" (Ps 57:2 [H 3]).
As sovereign God, Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m is often described as Judge: simply "œGod Judge" (Ps 50:6; 75:7 [H 8]) or "œGod Judge in the Earth" (Ps 58:11 [H 12]).
Another category of titles focuses around God´s majesty or glory. Among these we find "œGod of Eternity" (Isa 40:28); "œGod of Justice" (Isa 30:18); "œGod of Certainty" (Isa 65:16); "œLiving God" (Jer 10:10); and "œThis Holy God" (I Sam 6:20).
By far the most frequent category of titles are those pertaining to the Savior God. Here we include numerous constructs in which God is linked to individuals whom he has called: "œTheir God" (Gen 17:8); "œThe God of Abraham" (Gen 26:24); "œThe God of Abraham "¦ and the God of Isaac" (Gen 28:13); "œThe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Ex 3:6), etc. (More than one hundred such titles are found in the Old Testament.) Sometimes to these titles is added the personal name, "œYahweh" (Gen 24:12).
Similarly, we find titles linking God by the construct grammatical form to Israel as a whole or to some part of it: "œGod of the Armies of Israel" (I Sam 17:45) or "œGod of Jerusalem" (II Chr 32:19).
All of these represent God as savior of his people as does the simple "œGod of Salvation" (I Chr 16:35; Ps 18:46 [H 47], etc.; cf. Ps 88:1 [H 2]).
Some titles reflect God´s actions on behalf of his people in the past: "œThe Living God, Speaker from the Midst of the Fire" (Deut 5:23 [H 26]; cf. I Kgs 18:24); "œGod, the Bringer of Prisoners into Prosperity" (Ps 68:7); "œGod "¦ the Bringer out to you Water from the Flinty Rock" (Deut 8:15); "œYour God Who Separated You from the Peoples" (Lev 20:24).
And finally, we find titles expressing the intimacy of God with his people: "œThe God of Nearness" (Jer 23:23); "œYour God in Whom you Trust" (II Kgs 19:10); "œGod Your Chastener" (Deut 8:5); The God Feeding Me My Life Long Until Now"(Gen 48:15); "œGod of My Righteousness" (Ps 4:1 [H 2]); "God of My Mercy (Ps 59:17 [H 18]); "œGod of My Strength" (Ps 43:2) and "œOur God Being Merciful" (Ps 116:5).
In reference to one particularly difficult passage from the point of view of interpretation, which therefore bears on the translation, Cyrus Gordon has said, "œIt is my contention that here (Ex 22:8"“9 [H 7, 8]) Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m does not mean God as the LXX translates, nor judges, which is the interpretation of Peshitto and Targum Onkelos, followed by Rashi and Ibn Ezra, by several English versions and by the Lexicon" (Cyrus H. Gordon,"œ Ë’Ä•lÅhÄ±Ì‚m in its reputed meaning of rulers, judges," JBL 54:140,149. He goes on to demonstrate to his own satisfaction that from our knowledge of the Nuzi tablets we can conclude that "œgods" is the better translation and that the passage refers to the "œoaths of the gods" which he calls a well attested ancient oriental court procedure. He therefore sees this text as a heathen survival in the Mosaic legislation, one that was obliterated in the later Deuteronomic and priestly recensions.
This is unacceptable from the point of view of Scripture´s attestation to being God´s Word and its clear doctrine of the existence of only one God. The question of whether "œGod" or "œjudges" is to be used here is difficult. If "œGod" is correct, we understand by the passage that every man is ultimately answerable to God and stands or falls before God no matter what judgment men may make.
Bibliography: Albright, W. F., "œThe Names Shaddai and Abram," JBL 54:175"“92. From the Stone Age to Christianity, Johns Hopkins, 1957., Archaeology and the Religion of Israel, Johns Hopkins, 1942. Bailey, Lloyd R., "œIsraelite l Åšadday and Amorite Bel Sade," JBL 87:434"“38. Cross, Frank Moore, "œYahweh and the God of the Patriarchs," HTR 55:226"“59. , "œEl and Yahweh," JSS 1:25"“37. "œ "˜My God´ in the Old Testament," EQ 19:7-20. Davidson, A. B., The Theology of the Old Testament, Edinburgh: T & T Clark. Della Vida. G. Levi, "œEl Elyon in Genesis 14:18"“20," JBL 63:1"“9. Drafkorn, Ann E., "œIlani/Elohim," JBL 76:216"“24. Eerdmans, B. D., The Religion of Israel, Leiden, Universtaire pers Leiden, 1947. Feigin, Samuel J., "œThe Origin of ´Eloh, "˜God,´ in Hebrew," JNES 3:259. Gordon, Cyrus H., "œElohim in its Repeated Meaning of Rulers, Judges," JBL 54:140"“44. Jacob, Edmond, The Theology of the Old Testament, Harper Brothers, 1955. Keil, Karl F., Manual of Historico-Criticaltion to the Canonical Scriptures of the Old Testament, I, Eerdmans, 1952. Kelso, James A., "œThe Antiquity of the Divine Title," JBL 20:50"“55. Kohler, Ludwig, Old Testament Theology, Westminster, 1957. Kuhn, H. B., "œGod, Names of," in APEB. May, H. G., "œEl Shaddai," JBL 60:114-45., "œThe Patriarchal Ideal of God," JBL 60:113"“28. Miller, Patrick D., "œEl the Warrior," HTR 411"“31. Pope, Mar-vin H., El in the Ugaritic Texts, Brill, 1955. Richardson, TWB, p. 89. Segal, M. H., "œEl, Elohim, and YHWH in the Bible," JQR 46:89"“115. Thomas, D. Winton, "œA Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew," VT 3:209-24. Van Allman, J. J., A Companion to the Bible, Oxford, 1958. Weingreen, J., "œThe Construct-Genitive in Hebrew Syntax," VT 4:50"“59. Wilson, Robert Dick, "œThe Names of God in the Old Testament," PTR 18:460"“92.
R. Laird Harris, Robert Laird Harris, Gleason Leonard Archer and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999, c1980), 041.


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## Scot (Mar 18, 2005)

Wow, thanks Fred. That's alot of info.

Excuse my ignorance but where's the info. from? BDB & TWOT?


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## fredtgreco (Mar 19, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Scot_
> Wow, thanks Fred. That's alot of info.
> 
> Excuse my ignorance but where's the info. from? BDB & TWOT?



You're welcome.

BDB = Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon

TWOT = Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

Both are standards. HALOT (Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament) is the newest and best Hebrew lexicon, but it is really technical and I thought the majority of its entry would be lost on a non-Hebrew scholar (and most Hebrew students!)


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## Puritanhead (Mar 19, 2005)

I've heard the plural connotation the word carries in the Hebrew language merely prefigures the Trinity. Perhaps? This might be a creative inference on the part of "exegeters." It's really just an eisogetical conjecture at best--


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## SolaScriptura (Mar 19, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Puritanhead_
> I've heard the plural connotation the word carries in the Hebrew language merely prefigures the Trinity. Perhaps? This might be a creative inference on the part of "exegeters." It's really just an eisogetical conjecture at best--



The alleged references to the Trinity come in the fact that the word Elohim is plural... but the verbs always associated with Elohim are found in the masucline singular. 

Fred - how did you get the Hebrew font in the BDB entry to show up?


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## kevin.carroll (Mar 19, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Puritanhead_
> I've heard the plural connotation the word carries in the Hebrew language merely prefigures the Trinity. Perhaps? This might be a creative inference on the part of "exegeters." It's really just an eisogetical conjecture at best--



If all we had was the single word _elohim_, it would be insufficient evidence to build a trinitarian theology. Some words in Hebrew are plural because of the majesty of the thing they represent (as in this case). Others are in the plural because they represent the whole of various parts. For instance, in Hebrew the word for "face" always appears in the plural. It does this because the face has many parts that comprise the whole. Yet other words appear in the plural...well...just because. The Hebrew words for "water" and "heaven" are always plural, for example.

In short, _elohim_ leaves the door open for the Trinity but is inconclusive by itself. We require the testimony of the rest of Scripture to arrive at the position. Also, we need to keep in mind that the Trinitarian concept, while hinted at in the OT, was probably a foreign idea to the average Hebrew mind...so we want be careful that we are not reading our own understanding of words and concepts back into theirs in order to make a point. Good question!


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## fredtgreco (Mar 19, 2005)

> _Originally posted by SolaScriptura_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by Puritanhead_
> ...



The font drop down box in the post area has an option for the Bible works font (bwhebb)


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## SolaScriptura (Mar 19, 2005)

!mea'

avmh,n

Is this the largest I can get it? I have it on size 6 font... it does appear to be as large as possible... but the Hebrew still seems so small!





[Edited on 3-20-2005 by SolaScriptura]

[Edited on 3-22-2005 by SolaScriptura]


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## fredtgreco (Mar 20, 2005)

> _Originally posted by SolaScriptura_
> !mea'
> 
> avmh,n
> ...



You can also make the size bigger by changing the font size like so (Size 10):
!mea'

avmh,n


Size 12
!mea'

avmh,n

Using the tags {size=12}WORD{/size} using regular brackets


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## tdowns (Mar 20, 2005)

*That\'s what I\'m talking about!*

Learning newest language known to man (computer) and the oldest (Hebrew) all at the same time! Sweet work Fred!

Of course, I'm just assuming Hebrew is the oldest, correct me if I'm wrong.


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## SolaScriptura (Mar 21, 2005)

hw"hy> ^k.r<b'y>


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## kceaster (Mar 22, 2005)

*Ben...*

Did you take a bath and change your clothes before typing the tetragrammaton?

If not, they'd have kicked you out of the herd in Qumran.

KC


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