Who is el nohim

Like most words in English, Elohim can mean several things. Sometimes Elohim refers to plural "gods," as in "You shall have no other gods before me" Deuteronomy At other times it refers to the singular "God," as in "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" Genesis It is clear in this latter example that even though the form of the word Elohim is plural, the referent is singular, because the verb with which Elohim is used "created" is singular in Hebrew.

So, why the plural form if the referent is singular? The best answer is that this is an "honorific plural," that is to say, a plural used to show honor to a singular referent. Such an honorific plural is used for humans in texts like 1Kings , where we read, "our lord King David.

In Hebrew there is a special grammatical relationship between two nouns called the construct state. The construct state is the Hebrew way of expressing all the relationships that English expresses with the simple word "of.

Further maturation might have the child now calling the dog a specific breed—like a beagle. In the same way, a person might see a powerful expression and say Elohim. As his knowledge of truth matures Elohim might take upon a specific character, i. El Shaddai. And if that knowledge moves into a relationship, Elohim is now identified as Yahweh. So, just one child might refer to a kitty cat as puppy and another refer to his beagle as a puppy, so also, one might refer to a cactus as Elohim and another who has full covenant knowledge of Yahweh refer to him as Elohim.

As written by Mike Leake , another interesting aspect of the name Elohim is that it is, in fact, a plural. Does this mean this is a clear reference to the Trinity? While that cannot be disproven, it also could not be proven from the plurality. Many scholars refer to this as a divine plural. I, however, agree with John Frame that this is a plural of abstraction:.

Hebrew uses the plural form for abstract nouns such as youth, old age, maidenhood, and life. Save me because of your mercy Psalm Such a prayer is a reflection of a saving understanding of Elohim. How do you know this God? Do you know him simply as a mighty one or a higher power? He is currently pursuing his M. Mike is married to Nikki, and they have two children, Isaiah and Hannah.

You can follow him on Twitter MikeLeake. This article is part of our Names of God Series featuring the most used names and titles of God found in the Bible. We have compiled these articles to help you study all that God says He is and to help you understand His nature and character. Biblical Name for Jesus. Shoebox Collection Week is Here! Plus Toggle navigation.

Password Assistance. Email address. Mike Leake. Share Tweet Save. Sandra Hamer Smith. Emma Danzey. How Long Should a Pastor Preach? Clarence L. There it was, plain as day: The God of the Old Testament was part of an assembly—a pantheon—of other gods. My mind was reeling. What did this do to my theology? This was the Bible, not Greek mythology. I immediately set to work trying to find answers. I soon discovered that the ground I was exploring was a place where evangelicals had feared to tread.

The explanations I found from evangelical scholars were disturbingly weak, mostly maintaining that the gods elohim in the verse were just men—Jewish elders—or that the verse was about the Trinity. I knew neither of those could be correct. Psalm 82 states that the gods were being condemned as corrupt in their administration of the nations of the earth.

When I looked beyond the world of evangelical scholarship, I discovered that other scholars had churned out dozens of articles and books on Psalm 82 and Israelite religion.

Their research brought to light other biblical passages that echoed the content of Psalm The rulers of ancient Egypt were called pharaohs. Pharaohs typically had large, extended families. They frequently appointed family members to key positions of authority in their administration.

They were administrators, not lowly messengers. This concept and structure was well known throughout the ancient world. It spoke of layered authority: a high king, elite administrators who were often related to the king, and low-level personnel who served the higher levels of authority. Everyone in the system was part of the government, but authority and status were tiered.

Several Old Testament passages describe this administrative structure existing in the heavenly realm, as well. Psalm 82 is perhaps the clearest—and perhaps the most startling. The first verse reads:. You no doubt noticed that the word elohim occurs twice in this verse. In English we make words plural by adding -s or -es or -ies rats, horses, stories.

In Hebrew, plurals of masculine nouns end with -im. While the word elohim is plural in form, its meaning can be either plural or singular. Most often over 2, times in the Hebrew Bible it is singular, referring to the God of Israel.

We have words like this in English. For example, the word sheep can be either singular or plural. Grammar guides us. Psalm is especially interesting since elohim occurs twice in that single verse. The preposition calls for a group—as does the earlier noun, assembly.

The meaning of the verse is inescapable: the singular elohim of Israel presides over an assembly of elohim. A quick read of Psalm 82 informs us that God has called this council meeting to judge the elohim for corrupt rule of the nations.