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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. In some cases (e.g. Exodus 3:4, "... ''Elohim'' called unto him out of the midst of the bush ..."), it acts as a singular noun in Hebrew grammar (see next section), and is then generally understood to denote the single texts of Canaan ite Ugarit , where Elohim ('lhm) was found to be a word denoting the entire Canaanite Pantheon (the family of El אל, the Patriarchal creator god). In still other cases, the meaning is not clear from the text, but may refer to powerful beings (e.g. Genesis 6:2, "... the sons of ''Elohim'' saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them for wives... ," Exodus 4:16, "He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you HEBREW GRAMMAR ''Elohim'' has plural are ''breshit 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). There are a few other words in Hebrew that have a plural ending, but refer to one thing and take singular verbs and adjectives, for example בעלים (be'alim, owner) in Exodus 21:29 and elsewhere. In most English translations of the Bible (e.g. the King James Version ), the letter G in "god" is capitalized in cases where Elohim refers to the God of Israel, but there is no distinction between upper and lower case in the Hebrew text. SIGNIFICANCE IN THE DOCUMENTARY HYPOTHESIS See Also: Documentary hypothesis The choice of word or words for God varies in the Hebrew Bible. According to the and the Priestly Source , while Yahweh is used in the Jahwist source. The difference in names results from the theological point being made in the Elohist and Priestly sources that God only revealed his name, Yahweh, to Moses. ETYMOLOGY The etymology of the word ''Elohim'' is unknown. There are many theories, however. 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 .
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:
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 ''El''s. Eloah, might then be used to differentiate each of the lesser gods from El himself. While the words ''El'', ''Elohim'', and ''eloah'' are clearly related, with the word ''El'' being the stem, some have claimed it is uncertain whether the word ''Elohim'' is derived from ''El'' through ''eloah''. These have suggested that the word ''Elohim'' is the masculine plural of a feminine noun, used as a singular. This would imply indeterminacy in both number and gender, although, as mentioned above, from Canaanite texts in Ugarit, this is what appears to be intended in this case. However, to many this is speculative and confusing, although consistent with many other Jewish and Christian views of the nature of the Godhead. Note that contrary to what is sometimes assumed, the word Eloah (אלוה) is quite definitely not feminine in form in the Hebrew language (and does not have feminine grammatical gender in its occurrences in the Bible). This word ends in a ''furtivum'' vowel (i.e. short non-syllabic element which is part of a lowering diphthong) followed by a breathily-pronounced final [h consonant sound — while feminine Hebrew words which end in "ah" have a fully syllabic vowel which is followed by a silent "h" letter (which changes to a [t sound in the grammatical "construct state" construction, or if suffixes are added). The pronounced (or ''he mappiq'') of Eloah never alternates with a [t consonant sound (the way that silent feminine "h" does), and the [a] "furtivum" element in Eloah is actually a late feature of Masoretic pronunciation traditions, which wouldn't have existed in the pronunciation of Biblical times. 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. ELOHIM IN ISLAM In the context of Islam , some scholars have highlighted that the divine name ''Allah'', used in the Qur'an , has a linguistic Cognate relationship with the word "Eloah (אלוה)". See " La Ilaha Illallah ...", the Muslim declaration of faith, where the word for ''god'' is Ilah ELOHIM IN THE LATTER DAY SAINT MOVEMENT In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints (sometimes referred to as the LDS Church or " Mormons "), the term Elohim (also spelled "Eloheim") is often used to distinguish God The Father as a distinct member of the Godhead . The plural sense of "Elohim" is generally recognized by the LDS Church as meaning "the council of the gods" in the creation story. This is particularly evident in chapter 4 of the Book Of Abraham in the '' Pearl Of Great Price ''. ELOHIM IN ANTHROPOSOPHY In Anthroposophy , based on the teachings by Rudolf Steiner , the Elohim represent the sixth realm of the Christian Angelic Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic tradition. Using the terminology of Dionysius The Areopagite , this hierarchic level of divine spirits is referred to as Exousiai (Greek) or Potestates (Latin) and is immediately above the three levels comprising the Angels , Archangels and Archai/Principati. The role of the Exousiai/Elohim in spiritual evolution is essential, since the human Self has emanated from them. Having their residence in the spiritual spheres of the Sun, the Exousiai/Elohim are specially devoted to the development of Earth and humanity. Yahweh is one of them, who moved to the Moon spheres for the sake of humanity and took up the task as the divine ruler of the biblical Israelites , destined to receive the incarnation of Christ in the man Jesus . Christ, himself originating from Trinity (which supersedes all hierarchies), is the direct leader of the Exousiai. RAELIANISM The Raelian Movement translates 'Elohim' to "Those who come from the heavens" or "Those who come from the sky", keeping with the hypothesis that it is a plural form of 'Eloha', which would in turn mean, "He/She who comes from the heavens/sky". SEE ALSO
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