View source for Elohim

{{short description|Word for deity or deities in the Hebrew Bible}}
{{About|the Hebrew word}}
[[File:Elohim.svg|thumb|''Elohim'' in Hebrew script. The letters are, right-to-left: ''[[aleph]]-[[Lamedh|lamed]]-[[He (letter)|he]]-[[Yodh|yud]]-[[mem]]''.]]

'''''Elohim''''' ({{Langx|he|אֱלֹהִים|translit=ʾĔlōhīm}} {{IPA|he|(ʔ)eloˈ(h)im|}}) is a Hebrew word meaning "gods" or "godhood". Although the word is [[plural]] in form, in the [[Hebrew Bible]] it most often takes singular verbal or pronominal [[grammatical agreement|agreement]] and refers to a single [[deity]], particularly but not always the [[God in Judaism|God of Judaism]]. In other verses it takes plural agreement and refers to gods in the plural.

[[Morphology (linguistics)|Morphologically]], the word is the plural form of the word {{lang|he|אֱלוֹהַּ|rtl=yes}}{{efn|Because of the [[mappiq]] under the [[Heh (letter)|Heh]], the [[patach]] is pronouced before the Heh.}} ({{Transliteration|he|ʾĔlōah}}) and related to ''[[El (deity)|El]]''.  It is [[cognate]] to the word ''ʾl-h-m'' which is found in [[Ugaritic]], where it is used as the [[Pantheon (religion)|pantheon]] for [[Canaanite gods]], the children of [[El (deity)|El]], and conventionally vocalized as "Elohim". Most uses of the term ''Elohim'' in the later Hebrew text imply a view that is at least [[monolatrist]] at the time of writing, and such usage (in the singular), as a proper title for Deity, is distinct from generic usage as ''elohim'', "gods" (plural, simple noun).

Rabbinic scholar [[Maimonides]] wrote that ''Elohim'' "Divinity" and ''elohim'' "gods" are commonly understood to be [[homonym]]s.<ref name=maimonides /> 
One modern theory suggests that the term ''elohim'' originated from changes in the early period of the [[Semitic languages]] and the development of [[Biblical Hebrew]]. In this view, the [[Proto-Semitic language|Proto-Semitic]] ''*ʾilāh-'' originated as a [[broken plural]] of ''*ʾil-'', but was reanalyzed as singular "god" due to the shape of its unsuffixed stem and the possibility of interpreting suffixed forms like ''*ʾilāh-ū-ka'' (literally: "your gods") as a polite way of saying "your god"; thus the morphologically plural form ''elohim'' would have also been considered a polite way of addressing the singular God of the [[Israelites]].{{sfn|Suchard|2025|pp=469, 471}}

Another theory, building on an idea by Gesenius, argues that even before Hebrew became a distinct language, the plural ''elohim'' had both a plural meaning of "gods" and an abstract meaning of "godhood" or "divinity", much as the plural of "father", ''avot'', can mean either "fathers" or "fatherhood". ''Elohim'' then came to be used so frequently in reference to specific deities, both male and female, domestic and foreign (for instance, the goddess of the Sidonians in 1 Kings 11:33), that it came to be concretized from meaning "divinity" to meaning "deity", though still occasionally used adjectivally as "divine".{{sfn|Burnett|2001}}

==Grammar and etymology==
{{Further|El (deity)|Ilah|Allah}}
The word ''elohim'' or'' 'elohiym'' (''ʼĕlôhîym'') is a [[grammatical number|grammatically plural]] [[noun]] for "[[gods]]" or "deities" or various other words in [[Biblical Hebrew]].<ref name="Strong 1890">{{cite book |last=Strong |first=James |author-link=James Strong (theologian) |chapter=H430 - 'elohiym |chapter-url=https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=H430 |title=[[Strong's Concordance]] |date=1890 |publisher=[[Blue Letter Bible]] |access-date=1 August 2020 |quote={{lang|he|'''אֱלֹהִים'''}} '''ʼĕlôhîym''', el-o-heem; plural of H433 ({{lang|he|אֱלוֹהַּ}} ĕlôah); gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.}}</ref><ref name="Biblehub">{{cite web |url=https://biblehub.com/str/hebrew/430.htm |title=Strong's Hebrew: 430. '''אֱלֹהִים''' (elohim) -- God (Strong's Concordance; Englishman's Concordance; NAS Exhaustive Concordance; Brown-Driver-Briggs definition; Strong's Exhaustive Concordance definition; Forms and Transliterations) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2020 |website=Biblehub.com |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="Britannica 1998">{{cite encyclopedia |author=<!--Not stated--> |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |title=Elohim - Hebrew god |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Elohim |date=20 July 1998 |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]] |location=[[Edinburgh]] |access-date=1 August 2020 |quote='''Elohim''', singular '''Eloah''', (Hebrew: God), the God of Israel in the Old Testament. The term Elohim—though sometimes used for other deities, such as the [[Moab]]ite god [[Chemosh]], the [[Phoenicia|Sidonian]] goddess [[Astarte]], and also for other majestic beings such as angels, kings, judges (the Old Testament ''[[Shophet|shofeṭim]]''), and the [[Jewish Messiah|Messiah]]—is usually employed in the Old Testament for the one and only God of Israel, whose personal name was revealed to [[Moses]] as [[Tetragrammaton|YHWH]], or [[Yahweh]] (q.v.). When referring to Yahweh, ''elohim'' very often is accompanied by the article ''ha-'', to mean, in combination, "the God", and sometimes with a further identification ''Elohim ḥayyim'', meaning "the living God".<br/> Though Elohim is plural in form, it is understood in the singular sense. Thus, in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] the words, "In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth," Elohim is monotheistic in connotation, though its grammatical structure seems polytheistic. The Israelites probably borrowed the Canaanite plural noun Elohim and made it singular in meaning in their cultic practices and theological reflections.}}</ref><ref name="BibleStudyTools">{{Cite web |url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/nas/elohiym.html |title='elohiym Meaning in Bible - Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon - New American Standard |website=Bible Study Tools |access-date=10 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="Biblica 1902">{{cite encyclopedia |author=E. K. |title=DIVINE NAMES - 114. "Elōhīm" |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediabib03cheyuoft/page/n343/mode/2up |year=1902 |editor1-last=Black |editor1-first=John S. |editor1-link=John Sutherland Black |editor2-last=Cheyne |editor2-first=Thomas K. |editor2-link=Thomas Kelly Cheyne |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Biblica]] |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan Company]] |volume=3 |location=[[Toronto]] |pages=343–344 |via=[[Internet Archive]] |access-date=10 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="Elohim NIE">{{Cite NIE |wstitle=Elohim |year=1905}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Outline of Biblical Usage |url=https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H430&t=NASB |access-date=8 August 2019}}</ref>

In Hebrew, the ending ''[[Suffixes in Hebrew#Gender and number|-im]]'' normally indicates a masculine plural. However, when referring to the Jewish God, ''Elohim'' is usually understood to be grammatically singular (i.e., it governs a singular verb or adjective).{{sfn|McLaughlin|2000|pages=401-402}}{{sfn|Van der Toorn|1999|page=353}} In [[Modern Hebrew]], it is often referred to in the singular despite the ''-im'' ending that denotes plural masculine nouns in Hebrew.<ref>Glinert, ''Modern Hebrew: An Essential Grammar'', Routledge, p. 14, section 13 "(b) ''[[Agreement (linguistics)|Agreement]]''".</ref><ref>Gesenius, ''A Grammar of the Hebrew Language''.</ref>

It is generally thought that ''Elohim'' is derived from ''eloah'',<ref name="Strong 1890"/><ref name="Biblehub"/><ref name="Britannica 1998"/><ref name="BibleStudyTools"/><ref name="Biblica 1902"/><ref name="Elohim NIE"/> the latter being an expanded form of the [[Northwest Semitic languages|Northwest Semitic]] noun '''il''.{{sfn|Pardee|1999|pages=285-288}}<ref name="DDD">{{cite book |last=Herrmann |first=W. |title=El |editor1-last=Van der Toorn |editor1-first=Karel |editor2-last=Becking |editor2-first=Bob |editor3-last=Van der Horst |editor3-first=Pieter W. |location=[[Leiden]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |pages=274–280, 352–353 |year=1999 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yCkRz5pfxz0C&pg=PA274 |doi=10.1163/2589-7802_DDDO_DDDO_El |isbn=90-04-11119-0}}</ref> The related nouns ''eloah'' ({{lang|he|אלוה}}) and ''el'' ({{lang|he|אֵל}}) are used as proper names or as generics, in which case they are interchangeable with ''elohim''.<ref name="DDD" /> The term contains an added ''[[He (letter)|heh]]'' as [[Triconsonantal|third radical]] to the [[Semitic root|biconsonantal root]]. Discussions of the [[etymology]] of ''elohim'' essentially concern this expansion. An exact cognate outside of Hebrew is found in Ugaritic ''ʾlhm'',{{sfn|Pardee|1999|pages=285-288}} the family of El, the [[Creator deity|creator god]] and chief deity of the [[Canaanite pantheon]], in [[Biblical Aramaic]] ''ʼĔlāhā'' and later [[Syriac language|Syriac]] ''Alaha'' ("God"), and in Arabic ''[[ʾilāh]]'' ("god, deity") (or ''[[Allah]]'' as "The [single] God").{{sfn|Pardee|1999|pages=285–288}} "El" (the basis for the extended root ''ʾlh'') is usually derived from a root meaning "to be strong" and/or "to be in front".<ref name="DDD" />

==Canaanite religion==
{{Further|Ancient Canaanite religion}}

The word ''el'' (singular) is a standard term for "god" in Aramaic, paleo-Hebrew, and other related Semitic languages including Ugaritic. The Canaanite pantheon of gods was known as ''<nowiki>'</nowiki>ilhm'',{{Sfn|Pardee|1999|loc=p. 285 "The term expressing the simple notion of 'gods' in these texts is ''ilm''..."}} the Ugaritic equivalent to ''elohim''.{{sfn|Van der Toorn|1999|pages=352–353, 360–364}} For instance, the Ugaritic [[Baal Cycle]] mentions "seventy sons of [[Asherah]]". Each "son of god" was held to be the originating deity for a particular people ([[Keilschrift Texte aus Ugarit|KTU]] 2 1.4.VI.46).{{sfn|Day|2003|page=23}}

==Usage==
{{Main|Hebrew grammar}}
{{Further|Names of God in Judaism}}
''Elohim'' occurs frequently throughout the Torah. In some cases (e.g., {{bibleverse|Exodus|3:4|HE}}, "''Elohim'' called unto him out of the midst of the bush&nbsp;..."), it behaves like a singular noun in Hebrew grammar and is then generally understood to denote the single God of Israel. In other cases, ''elohim'' acts as an ordinary plural of the word ''eloah'' and refers to the [[Polytheism|polytheistic]] notion of multiple gods (for example, {{bibleverse|Exodus|20:3|HE}}, "You shall have no other gods before me").

The word ''Elohim'' occurs more than 2500 times in the Hebrew Bible, with meanings ranging from "gods" in a general sense (as in {{bibleverse|Exodus|12:12|HE}}, where it describes "the gods of Egypt"), to specific gods (the frequent references to [[Yahweh]] as the "elohim" of Israel), to [[seraph]]im, and other supernatural beings, to the [[Sheol|spirits of the dead]] brought up at the behest of [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|King]] [[Saul]] in {{bibleverse|1|Samuel|28:13|HE}}, and even to kings and prophets (e.g., {{bibleverse|Exodus|4:16|HE}}).<ref name="DDD" /> The phrase ''[[Sons of God|bene elohim]]'', translated "sons of the Gods", has an exact parallel in [[Ugarit]]ic and [[Phoenicia]]n texts, referring to the council of the gods.<ref name="DDD" />

Elohim occupy the seventh rank of ten in the medieval rabbinic scholar [[Maimonides]]' [[Jewish angelic hierarchy]]. Maimonides wrote: "I must premise that every Hebrew [now] knows that the term Elohim is a homonym, and denotes God, angels, judges, and the rulers of countries&nbsp;..."<ref name=maimonides>[[Moses Maimonides]]. ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/gfp/gfp012.htm Guide for the Perplexed]'' (1904 translation by Friedländer). Starting from the beginning of chapter 2.</ref>

===With plural verb===
In the Hebrew Bible, {{bibleverse|1|Samuel|28:13|HE}}, ''elohim'' is used with a plural verb. The [[witch of Endor]] tells [[Saul]] that she saw ''elohim'' ascending (''olim'' {{lang|he|עֹלִים}}, plural verb) out of the earth when she summoned the spirit of the [[Prophet]] [[Samuel]] at Saul's request.<ref>Brian B. Schmidt, "Israel's beneficent dead: ancestor cult and necromancy in ancient Israelite Religion and Tradition", ''Forschungen zum Alten Testament'', N. 11 (Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr Siebeck, 1994), p. 217: "In spite of the fact that the MT plural noun 'elohim of v.13 is followed by a plural participle 'olim, a search for the antecedent to the singular pronominal suffix on mah-to'ro in v.14 what does he/it look like? has led interpreters to view the 'elohim ... 'olim as a designation for the dead Samuel, 'a god ascending'. The same term 'elohim ... He, therefore, urgently requests verification of Samuel's identity, mah-to'"ro, 'what does he/it look like?' The ... 32:1, 'elohim occurs with a plural finite verb and denotes multiple gods in this instance: 'elohim '"seryel'ku I fydnenu, 'the gods who will go before us'. Thus, the two occurrences of 'elohim in 1 Sam 28:13,15 – the first complemented by a plural ... 28:13 manifests a complex textual history, then the 'elohim of v. 13 might represent not the deified dead, but those gods known to be summoned – some from the [[underworld|netherworld]] – to assist in the retrieval of the ghost.373 ..."</ref> The word ''elohim'', in this context, can refer to spirits as well as deities.<ref>Bill T. Arnold, ''Necromancy and Cleromancy in 1 and 2 Samuel'', CBQ, 66:2, p.202</ref> Some traditional Jewish sources say that the spirits of deceased human beings are being referred to{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}. The [[Babylonian Talmud]] states: "''olim'' indicates that there were two of them. One of them was Samuel, but the other, who was he? – Samuel went and brought [[Moses]] with him."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chagigah 4b:9 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Chagigah.4b.9?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref> [[Rashi]] gives this interpretation in his commentary on the verse.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rashi on I Samuel 28:13:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_I_Samuel.28.13.1?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref> Regarding this, [[Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno|Sforno]] states that "every disembodied creature is known as elohim; this includes the soul of human beings known as [the] 'Image of God'."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sforno on Deuteronomy 21:23:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sforno_on_Deuteronomy.21.23.1?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref>

In {{bibleverse||Genesis|20:13|HE}}, [[Abraham]], before the polytheistic [[Philistine]] king [[Abimelech]], says that "Elohim (translated as 'God') caused ({{lang|he|התעו }}, plural verb) me to wander".<ref>{{cite book |last=Benamozegh |first=Elia |title=Israel and Humanity |year=1995 |publisher=Paulist Press International |isbn=978-0809135417 |author2=Maxwell Luria |page=104}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hamilton |first=Victor P. |title=Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary |year=2012 |publisher=Baker Academic |isbn=978-0801031830 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vUry0cGNR_IC&pg=PT1003}}</ref><ref>e.g. {{bibleverse||Genesis|20:13|HE}}: {{langx|he|התעו אתי אלהים מבית אבי }}, where {{lang|he|התעו}} is from {{langx|he|תעה }} "to err, wander, go astray, stagger", the [[hif'il|causative]] plural "they caused to wander".</ref> Whereas the Greek [[Septuagint]] (LXX) has a singular verb form (ἐξήγαγε(ν), aorist II), most English versions usually translate this as "God caused" (which does not distinguish between a singular and plural verb).<ref>[[Septuagint|LXX]]: {{lang|grc|ἐξήγαγέν με ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός}}; [[KJV]]: "when God caused me to wander from my father's house".</ref> Regarding this, the [[Jerusalem Talmud]] states: "All Names written regarding our father Abraham are holy [i.e., referring to the one God] except one which is profane, ''it was when the gods made me err from my father's house.'' But some say this one also is holy, [i.e.,] 'were it not for God, they [humans] already would have made me err'."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jerusalem Talmud Megillah 1:9:17 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Jerusalem_Talmud_Megillah.1.9.17?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref> The same disagreement appears in [[Soferim (Talmud)|Tractate Soferim]], where [[Haninah ben Ahi R. Joshua]] maintained that the word is "holy".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tractate Soferim 4:6 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Tractate_Soferim.4.6?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref> An alternative view (held by [[Onkelos]], [[Bahya ben Asher]], [[Jacob ben Asher]], [[Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno|Sforno]], and Rabbi [[Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg]]) is that the word means "gods" and the verse means that Abraham's distaste for the [[idolatry]] of his father [[Terah]] led him to decide to wander far from home.<ref>
*{{Cite web |title=Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 20:13:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Rabbeinu_Bahya%2C_Bereshit.20.13.1?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}
*{{Cite web |title=Tur HaArokh, Genesis 20:13:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Tur_HaArokh%2C_Genesis.20.13.1?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}
* {{Cite web |title=Sforno on Genesis 20:13:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sforno_on_Genesis.20.13.1?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}
*{{Cite web |title=HaKtav VeHaKabalah, Genesis 20:13:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/HaKtav_VeHaKabalah%2C_Genesis.20.13.1?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref> Others, such as [[Hezekiah ben Manoah|Chizkuni]], interpret ''elohim'' as a reference to wicked rulers like [[Amraphel]] (often equated with [[Nimrod]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chizkuni, Genesis 20:13:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Chizkuni%2C_Genesis.20.13.1?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref>

In {{Bibleverse|Genesis|35:7|HE}}, Jacob builds an altar at [[Bethel|El-Bethel]] "because there ''elohim'' revealed himself [plural verb] to [Jacob]". The verb ''niglu'' ("revealed himself") is plural, even though one would expect the singular.<ref>''NET Bible with Companion CD-ROM'', W. Hall Harris, 3rd ed., 2003. "35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him.30 He poured out a 20tn Heb 'revealed themselves'. The verb iVl] (niglu), translated 'revealed himself', is plural, even though one expects the singular."</ref> This is one of several instances where the Bible uses plural verbs with the name ''elohim''.<ref>Haggai and Malachi p36 Herbert Wolf, 1976. "If both the noun and the verb are plural, the construction can refer to a person, just as the statement 'God revealed Himself' in Genesis 35:7 has a plural noun and verb. But since the word God, 'Elohim', is plural in form,8 the verb&nbsp;..."</ref><ref>J. Harold Ellens, Wayne G. Rollins, ''Psychology and the Bible: From Genesis to apocalyptic vision'', 2004, p. 243: "Often the plural form Elohim, when used in reference to the biblical deity, takes a plural verb or adjective (Gen. 20:13, 35:7; Exod. 32:4, 8; 2 Sam. 7:23; Ps. 58:12)."</ref> Some Jewish sources (e.g., [[Targum Jonathan]], [[Abraham ibn Ezra|Ibn Ezra]], add [[Hezekiah ben Manoah|Chizkuni]]), seeking to explain the plural language of Genesis 35:7, translate ''elohim'' here as "angels",<ref>
*{{Cite web |title=Targum Jonathan on Genesis 35:7 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Targum_Jonathan_on_Genesis.35.7?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}
*{{Cite web |title=Ibn Ezra on Genesis 35:7:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Ibn_Ezra_on_Genesis.35.7.1?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}
*{{Cite web |title=Chizkuni, Genesis 35:7:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Chizkuni%2C_Genesis.35.7.1?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref> noting that in the story being referenced Jacob experiences a vision of ''malakhei elohim'' (angels of God) ascending and descending the ladder.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genesis 28:12 Hebrew Text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, Interlinear Bible |url=https://biblehub.com/text/genesis/28-12.htm |website=BibleHub}}</ref> [[David Kimhi|Radak]] agrees that this is a reference to angels but also presents the alternative view that the plural form in the verse is a [[Royal we|majestic plural]], as seen in other verses such as {{Bibleverse|Psalms|149:2|HE}} and {{Bibleverse|Job|35:10|HE}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Radak on Genesis 35:7:3 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Radak_on_Genesis.35.7.3?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref> ''Elohim'' can be seen used in reference to the [[angel]]s in a variety of other cases, such as in {{Bibleverse|Psalms|8:6|HE}} and {{Bibleverse-nb|Psalms|82:1-6|HE}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Psalms 8:6 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.8.6?with=all&lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Psalms 8:5 Hebrew Text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, Interlinear Bible |url=https://biblehub.com/interlinear/psalms/8-5.htm |website=Bible Hub}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Psalms 82 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.82?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref>

===With singular verb===
''Elohim'', when meaning the God of Israel, is mostly grammatically singular, and is commonly translated as "God", and capitalised. For example, in {{bibleverse||Genesis|1:26|HE}}, it is written: "Then Elohim (translated as God) said (singular verb), 'Let us (plural) make (plural verb) man in our (plural) image, after our (plural) likeness{{'"}}. In the traditional Jewish understanding of the verse, the plural refers to [[God in Judaism|God]] taking [[Divine Council|council]] with His [[angel]]s (who He had created by this point) before creating [[Adam]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rashi on Genesis 1:26:1 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Genesis.1.26.1?lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref> It should also be noted that in the following verse of Genesis 1:27: "So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them"; the singular verb בָּרָא (bārāʾ), meaning "He created" is used as it is elsewhere in all the acts of creation featured in Genesis. This shows us that the actual creation of man (and everything else) in Genesis was a singular act by God alone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genesis 1:27 Hebrew Text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, Interlinear Bible |url=https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/1-27.htm |website=Bible Hub}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Conjugation of לִבְרוֹא |url=https://www.pealim.com/dict/257-livro/ |website=Pealim}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rashi on Genesis 1:26:2 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Genesis.1.26.2?with=all&lang=bi |website=Sefaria}}</ref>

[[Wilhelm Gesenius]] and other Hebrew grammarians traditionally described this as the {{lang|la|[[pluralis excellentiae]]}} (plural of excellence), which is similar to the {{lang|la|[[pluralis majestatis]]}} (plural of majesty, or "Royal we").<ref>Gesenius, ''Hebrew Grammar'': 124g, without article 125f, with article 126e, with the singular 145h, with plural 132h, 145i</ref>{{efn|According to Rabbi [[Joseph Hertz]], the word's use in {{bibleverse||Genesis|1:1|HE}} "indicates that God comprehends and unifies all the forces of eternity and infinity".<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Pentateuch and Haftorahs: Hebrew Text, English Translation and Commentary|publisher=Soncino Press|year=1960|isbn=0-900689-21-8|editor-last=Hertz|editor-first=J. H.|edition=2nd|location=London|pages=2|oclc=16730346|orig-year=1937}}</ref>}}
Gesenius comments that the singular Hebrew term ''Elohim'' is to be distinguished from ''elohim'' used to refer to plural gods, and remarks that:

{{blockquote|
The supposition that {{lang|he|אֱלֹהִים}} (''elohim'') is to be regarded as merely a remnant of earlier polytheistic views (i.e. as originally only a numerical plural) is at least highly improbable, and, moreover, would not explain the analogous plurals (see below). That the language has entirely rejected the idea of numerical plurality in {{lang|he|אֱלֹהִים}} (whenever it denotes ''one'' God), is proved especially by its being almost invariably joined with a singular attribute (cf. §132h), e.g. {{lang|he|אֱלֹהִים צַדִּיק}} {{bibleverse|Psalms|7:10|HE}}, &c. Hence {{lang|he|אֱלֹהִים}} may have been used originally not only as a numerical but also as an abstract plural (corresponding to the Latin ''[[numen]]'', and our ''[[Deity|Godhead]]''), and, like other abstracts of the same kind, have been transferred to a concrete single god (even of the heathen).

To the same class (and probably formed on the analogy of {{lang|he|אֱלֹהִים}}) belong the plurals {{lang|he|קְדשִׁים}} (''kadoshim''), meaning ''the Most Holy'' (only of Yahweh, {{bibleverse|Hosea|12:1|HE}}, {{bibleverse|Proverbs|9:10|HE}}, {{bibleverse-nb|Proverbs|30:3|HE}} – cf. {{lang|he|אֱלֹהִים קְדשִׁים}} ''elohiym kadoshim'' in {{bibleverse|Joshua|24:19|HE}} and the singular Aramaic {{lang|arc|עֶלְיוֹנִין}} ''the Most High'', {{bibleverse|Daniel|7:18|HE}}, {{bibleverse-nb|Daniel|7:22|HE}}, {{bibleverse-nb|Daniel|7:25|HE}}); and probably {{lang|he|תְּרָפִים}} (''[[teraphim]]'') (usually taken in the sense of ''[[penates]]''), the image of a god, used especially for obtaining oracles. Certainly in {{bibleverse|1 Samuel|19:13|HE}}, {{bibleverse-nb|1 Samuel|19:16|HE}} only ''one'' image is intended; in most other places a single image ''may'' be intended; in {{bibleverse|Zechariah|10:2|HE}} alone is it most naturally taken as a numerical plural.|source={{cite wikisource |chapter=124. The Various Uses of the Plural-form |wslink=Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar |plaintitle=Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar |last=Gesenius |first=Wilhelm |author-link=Wilhelm Gesenius |year=1910 |editor-last=Kautzsch |editor-first=Emil |editor-link=Emil Kautzsch |translator-last=Cowley |translator-first=Arthur Ernest |translator-link=Arthur Ernest Cowley |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |edition=2nd, revised and enlarged |page=399 |wspage= |scan=}}}}

There are a number of notable exceptions to the rule that ''Elohim'' is treated as singular when referring to the God of Israel, including {{bibleverse|Genesis|20:13|HE}}, {{bibleverse|Genesis|35:7|HE}}, {{bibleverse|2|Samuel|7:23|HE}} and {{bibleverse|Psalms|58:11|HE}}, and notably the epithet of the "Living God" ({{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|5:26|HE}} etc.), which is constructed with the plural adjective, ''Elohim ḥayyim'' ({{lang|he|אלהים חיים}}) but still takes singular verbs. The treatment of ''Elohim'' as both singular and plural is, according to Mark Sameth, consistent with a theory put forth by [[Guillaume Postel]] (16th century) and {{ill|Michelangelo Lanci|it}} (19th century) that the God of Israel was understood by the ancient priests to be a singular, dual-gendered deity.{{sfn|Sameth|2020|p=108}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wilkinson|first=Robert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1xyoBgAAQBAJ&dq=%22earlier+form+1551;+final+state+1566%22&pg=PA337|title=Tetragrammaton: Western Christians and the Hebrew Name of God.|publisher=Brill|year=2015|isbn=9789024702039|location=Boston|pages=337}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Postel|first=Guillaume|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EmkytAEACAAJ|title=Le thrésor des prophéties de l'univers|publisher=Springer|year=1969|isbn=9789024702039|pages=211|language=French}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Lanci|first=Michelangelo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-q4WAAAAQAAJ&dq=Paralipomeni+Alla+Illustrazione+Della+Sagra+Scrittura&pg=PR15|title=Paralipomeni alla illustrazione della sagra Scrittura|publisher=Dondey-Dupre|year=1845|isbn=978-1274016911|pages=100–113|language=Italian}}</ref>

In the Septuagint and [[New Testament]] translations, ''Elohim'' has the singular {{lang|grc|ὁ θεός}} even in these cases, and modern translations follow suit in giving "[[God (word)|God]]" in the singular. The [[Samaritan Torah]] has edited out some of these exceptions.<ref>Richard N. Soulen, R. Kendall Soulen, ''Handbook of biblical criticism'', Westminster John Knox Press, 2001, {{ISBN|978-0-664-22314-4}}, p. 166.</ref>

===Angels and judges===
[[File:Angel head with Hebrew (?) text, St George's, Dublin.jpg|thumb|Carved angel's head with Hebrew text "Elohim", from [[St. George's Church, Dublin]]]]
In a few cases in the Greek Septuagint (LXX), Hebrew ''elohim'' with a plural verb, or with implied plural context, was rendered either ''angeloi'' ("angels") or {{lang|grc-Latn|to kriterion tou Theou}} ("the judgement of God").<ref>Brenton ''Septuagint'' {{bibleverse|Exodus|21:6|HE}}: {{lang|grc|προσάξει αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸ κριτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ}}</ref> These passages then entered first the Latin [[Vulgate]], then the English [[King James Version]] (KJV) as "angels" and "judges", respectively. From this came the result that [[James Strong (theologian)|James Strong]], for example, listed "angels" and "judges" as possible meanings for ''elohim'' with a plural verb in his ''[[Strong's Concordance]]'',<ref name="Strong 1890"/><ref name="Biblehub"/> and the same is true of many other 17th–20th century reference works. Both Gesenius' Hebrew Lexicon and the [[Brown–Driver–Briggs]] Lexicon<ref name="Biblehub"/> list both "angels" and "judges" as possible alternative meanings of ''elohim'' with plural verbs and adjectives.

Gesenius and [[Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg]] have questioned the reliability of the [[Septuagint]] translation in this matter. Gesenius lists the meaning without agreeing with it.<ref>''The Biblical Repositor'' p. 360, ed. Edward Robinson, 1838. "Gesenius denies that elohim ever means angels; and he refers in this denial particularly to Ps. 8: 5, and Ps. 97: 7; but he observes, that the term is so translated in the ancient versions."</ref> Hengstenberg stated that the Hebrew Bible text never uses ''elohim'' to refer to "angels", but that the Septuagint translators refused the references to "gods" in the verses they amended to "angels".<ref>Samuel Davidsohn, ''An Introduction to the New Testament'', Vol. III, 1848, p. 282: "Hengstenberg, for example, affirms, that the usus loquendi is decisive against the direct reference to angels, because Elohim never signifies angels. He thinks that the Septuagint translator could not understand the representation&nbsp;..."</ref>

The Greek New Testament (NT) quotes {{bibleverse|Psalms|8:4–6|HE}} in Hebrews 2:6b-8a, where the Greek NT has {{lang|grc|ἀγγέλους}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|angelous}}) in vs. 7,<ref>{{cite web |title=Hebrews 2:7 with Greek |url=http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Hbr&c=2&v=7&t=KJV#conc/7 |access-date=18 March 2013}}</ref> quoting {{bibleverse|Psalms|8:5|HE}} (8:6 in the LXX), which also has {{lang|grc|ἀγγέλους}} in a version of the Greek Septuagint.<ref>{{cite web |title=Psalm 8:5 with Greek (8:6 in the LXX) |url=http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Psa&c=8&v=5&t=KJV#conc/5 |access-date=18 March 2013}}</ref> In the KJV, ''elohim'' (Strong's number H430) is translated as "angels" only  in Psalm 8:5.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elohim as angels in the KJV only in Psalm 8:5 (8:6 in LXX) |url=http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=angel%2A+h430&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1 |access-date=18 March 2013}}</ref>

The KJV translates ''elohim'' as "judges" in {{bibleverse|Exodus|21:6|HE}}; [https://biblehub.com/text/exodus/22-8.htm Exodus 22:8]; twice in [https://biblehub.com/text/exodus/22-9.htm Exodus 22:9]<ref>{{cite web |title=Elohim as 'judges' in the KJV |url=http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=%22judges%22&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1 |access-date=18 March 2013}}</ref> as "judge" in [https://biblehub.com/1_samuel/2-25.htm 1 Samuel 2:25], and as "gods" in [https://biblehub.com/exodus/22-28.htm#lexicon Exodus 22:28], [https://biblehub.com/psalms/82-1.htm#lexicon Psalm 82:1], [https://biblehub.com/psalms/82-6.htm#lexicon Psalm 82:6], [https://biblehub.com/psalms/95-3.htm#lexicon Psalm 95:3], [https://biblehub.com/psalms/96-4.htm#lexicon Psalm 96:4], [https://biblehub.com/psalms/97-9.htm#lexicon Psalm 97:9], and [https://biblehub.com/psalms/138-1.htm#lexicon Psalm 138:1].

[[Angel]]s cited in the [[Hebrew Bible]] and external literature often contain the related noun [[El (deity)|''ʾĒl'']] ({{lang|he|אֵל}}) in their [[Theophory in the Bible|theophoric]] names such as [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]] and [[Gabriel]].

===Other plural-singulars in biblical Hebrew===
The [[Hebrew language]] has several nouns with ''-im'' (masculine plural) and ''-oth'' (feminine plural) endings which nevertheless take singular verbs, adjectives and pronouns. For example, ''[[Baal]]im'',<ref>Exodus 21:34, 22:11, Ecclesiastes 5:10, 7:12, Job 31:39</ref> ''[[Adon]]im'',<ref>Genesis 39:20, 42:30, 42:33, I Kings 16:24</ref> ''[[Behemoth]]''.<ref>Job 40:15</ref> This form is known as the "honorific plural", in which the pluralization is a sign of power or honor.<ref>Mark Futato (2010). [https://www.nas.org/articles/Ask_a_Scholar_What_Does_YHWH_Elohim_Mean "Ask a Scholar: What Does YHWH Elohim Mean?"].</ref>{{full citation needed|date=October 2023}} A very common singular Hebrew word with plural ending is the word ''achoth'', meaning sister, with the irregular plural form achioth.<ref>[http://www.balashon.com/2008/08/ach-and-achot.html ''ach and achot''] at balashon.com</ref>

Alternatively, there are several other frequently used words in the Hebrew language that contain a masculine plural ending but also maintain this form in singular concept. The major examples are: Sky/Heavens ({{lang|he|שמים}} {{lang|he-Latn|shamayim}}), Face ({{lang|he|פנים}} {{lang|he-Latn|panim}}), Life ({{lang|he|חיים}} - {{lang|he-Latn|chayyim}}), Water ({{lang|he|מים}} {{lang|he-Latn|mayim}}). Of these four nouns, three appear in the first sentence of Genesis<ref>Genesis 1:1–2</ref> (along with ''elohim''). Three of them also appear in the first sentence of the Eden creation story<ref>Genesis 2:4–7</ref> (also along with ''elohim'').  Instead of "honorific plural" these other plural nouns terms represent something which is constantly changing. Water, sky, face, life are "things which are never bound to one form".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.stateofformation.org/2015/05/but-not-in-number-one-and-many-in-hebrew-grammar/ |title='But Not in Number': One and Many in Hebrew Grammar |last=Zagoria-Moffet |first=Adam |date=2015-05-13 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-24}}</ref>

===The Divine Council===
{{main|Divine Council}}

{{blockquote|
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.&nbsp;...

I have said, Ye [are] gods; and all of you [are] children of the most High.

But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.|Psalm 82:1, 6–7 (AV)}}

Marti Steussy, in ''Chalice Introduction to the Old Testament'', discusses: "The first verse of Psalm 82: 'Elohim has taken his place in the divine council.' Here elohim has a singular verb and clearly refers to God. But in verse 6 of the Psalm, God says to the other members of the council, 'You [plural] are elohim.' Here ''elohim'' has to mean gods."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NkP4QlnlEmYC&q=the+divine+council+of+elohim&pg=PA11 |last=Steussy |first=Marti |title=Chalice Introduction to the Old Testament |publisher=Chalice Press |isbn=9780827205666 |year=2013}}</ref>

Mark Smith, referring to this same Psalm, states in ''God in Translation'': "This psalm presents a scene of the gods meeting together in divine council&nbsp;... Elohim stands in the council of El. Among the elohim he pronounces judgment:&nbsp;..."{{sfn|Smith|2010|page=134}}

In ''Hulsean Lectures for...'', H. M. Stephenson discussed Jesus' argument in {{Bibleverse|John 10:34-36||9|John 10:34–36|multi=yes}} concerning {{Bibleverse|Psalm 82:6-7|multi=yes}}. (In answer to the charge of blasphemy Jesus replied:) "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods. If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?" – "Now what is the force of this quotation 'I said ye are gods.' It is from the Asaph Psalm which begins 'Elohim hath taken His place in the mighty assembly. In the midst of the Elohim He is judging.{{'"}}<ref>Stephenson, H. M. (1890) [https://books.google.com/books?id=K3tPAAAAYAAJ&q=Ye+are+gods&pg=RA1-PA14 ''Hulsean Lectures for...'' lecture 1, page 14]</ref>

===Sons of God===
{{main|Sons of God}}

The Hebrew word for "son" is ''ben''; plural is ''bānim'' (with the [[construct state]] form being "benei"). The Hebrew term ''benei elohim'' ("sons of God" or "sons of the gods") in {{bibleverse||Genesis|6:2|HE}}<ref>(e.g. {{bibleverse||Genesis|6:2|HE}}, "...&nbsp;the sons of ''the Elohim'' (''e-aleim'') saw the daughters of men (''e-adam'', "the adam") that they were fair; and they took them for wives&nbsp;...",</ref> compares to the use of "sons of gods" (Ugaritic: ''b'n il'') sons of [[El (god)|El]] in [[Ugaritic mythology]].<ref>[[Marvin H. Pope]], ''El in the Ugaritic texts'', "Supplements to Vetus Testamentum", Vol. II, Leiden, Brill, 1955. Pp. x—l–116, p. 49.</ref> [[Karel van der Toorn]] states that gods can be referred to collectively as ''bene elim'', ''bene elyon'', or ''bene elohim''.<ref name="DDD" />

==Elohist==
{{main|Elohist}}
[[File:Documentary Hypothesis Sources Distribution English.png|thumb|right|[[Richard Elliott Friedman|Friedman]]'s distribution of materials by source of the first four books of the Hebrew Bible, including a [[Redaction|redactor]] (black), according to the [[documentary hypothesis]].<ref name="Friedman 1987">{{cite book |last=Friedman |first=Richard Elliott |author-link=Richard Elliott Friedman |year=2019 |orig-year=1987 |title=Who Wrote the Bible? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9SuDDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10 |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |pages=10–18 |isbn=978-1-5011-9240-1}}</ref><ref name="Berlin-Brettler">{{cite book |last=Brettler |first=Marc Zvi |author-link=Marc Zvi Brettler |chapter=Torah: Introduction |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aDuy3p5QvEYC&pg=PA1 |editor1-last=Berlin |editor1-first=Adele |editor1-link=Adele Berlin |editor2-last=Brettler |editor2-first=Marc Zvi |editor2-link=Marc Zvi Brettler |year=2004 |title=The Jewish Study Bible: Featuring The Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=1–7 |isbn=9780195297515}}</ref>]]

The Hebrew Bible uses various names for the God of Israel.<ref name="Dever 2001">{{Cite book |last=Dever |first=William G. |author-link=William G. Dever |year=2001 |chapter=Getting at the "History behind the History" |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6-VxwC5rQtwC&pg=PA97 |title=[[What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?|What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?: What Archeology Can Tell Us About the Reality of Ancient Israel]] |location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] and [[Cambridge|Cambridge, U.K.]] |publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans]] |pages=97–102 |isbn=978-0-8028-2126-3 |oclc=46394298}}</ref>{{rp|102}} According to the [[documentary hypothesis]], these variations are the products of different [[source text]]s and narratives that constitute the [[composition of the Torah]]: ''Elohim'' is the name of God used in the [[Elohist]] (E) and [[Priestly source|Priestly]] (P) sources, while ''[[Yahweh]]'' is the name of God used in the [[Jahwist]] (J) source.<ref name="Friedman 1987"/><ref name="Berlin-Brettler"/><ref name="Dever 2001"/><ref name="Elohist NIE">{{Cite NIE |wstitle=Elohist and Yahwist |year=1905}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |last1=Jacobs |first1=Joseph |last2=Hirsch |first2=Emil G. |author1-link=Joseph Jacobs |author2-link=Emil G. Hirsch |url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5705-elohist |title=ELOHIST |encyclopedia=[[Jewish Encyclopedia]] |year=1906 |publisher=[[Kopelman Foundation]] |access-date=10 August 2020}}</ref> [[Form criticism]] postulates the differences of names may be the result of geographical origins; the P and E sources coming from the North and J from the South.<ref name="Dever 2001"/>{{rp|102}}<ref name="Elohist NIE"/> There may be a theological point, that God did not reveal his name, ''Yahweh'', before the time of [[Moses]], though [[Hans Heinrich Schmid]] showed that the Jahwist was aware of the prophetic books from the 7th and 8th centuries BCE.<ref>H. H. Schmid, ''Der Sogenannte Jahwist''
(Zurich: TVZ, 1976)</ref>

The Jahwist source presents Yahweh [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphically]]: for example, walking through the [[Garden of Eden]] looking for Adam and Eve. The Elohist source often presents Elohim as more distant and frequently involves [[angel]]s, as in the Elohist version of the tale of [[Jacob's Ladder]], in which there is a ladder to the clouds, with angels climbing up and down, with Elohim at the top. In the Jahwist version of the tale, Yahweh is simply stationed in the sky, above the clouds without the ladder or angels. Likewise, the Elohist source describes [[Jacob wrestling with the angel|Jacob wrestling with an angel.]]

The classical documentary hypothesis, first developed in the late 19th century among [[biblical scholar]]s and [[Textual criticism|textual critics]], holds that the Jahwist portions of the [[Torah]] were composed in the 10th-9th century BCE<ref name="Dever 2001"/>{{rp|102}} and the Elohist portions in the 9th-8th century BCE,<ref name="Dever 2001"/>{{rp|102}}<ref name="Elohist NIE"/> i.e. during the early period of the [[Kingdom of Judah]]. This, however, is not universally accepted as [[Redaction criticism|later literary scholarship]] seems to show evidence of a later "Elohist redaction" ([[Second Temple Judaism|post-exilic]]) during the 5th century BCE which sometimes makes it difficult to determine whether a given passage is "Elohist" in origin, or the result of a later editor.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}}

== Latter Day Saint movement==
{{main|God in Mormonism}}
{{further|Beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}}

In the [[Latter Day Saint movement]] and [[Mormonism]], ''Elohim'' refers to [[God the Father]].<ref name="Davies 2003">{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Douglas J. |author-link=Douglas Davies |year=2003 |chapter=Divine–human transformations: God |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fw8DIziwEDsC&pg=PA67 |title=An Introduction to Mormonism |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=67–77 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511610028.004 |isbn=9780511610028 |oclc=438764483 |s2cid=146238056}}</ref><ref name="EoM">{{citation |contribution-url=https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/God_the_Father |contribution=God the Father |pages=548–552 |author1-last=Robinson |author1-first=Stephen E. |author2-last=Burgon |author2-first=Glade L. |author3-last=Turner |author3-first=Rodney |author4-last=Largey |author4-first=Dennis L. |editor-last=Ludlow |editor-first=Daniel H. |editor-link=Daniel H. Ludlow |year=1992 |title=[[Encyclopedia of Mormonism]] |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishing]] |isbn=0-02-879602-0 |oclc=24502140 |via=[[Harold B. Lee Library]] |access-date=7 May 2021}}</ref> Elohim is the father of Jesus in both the physical and the spiritual realms, whose name before birth is said to be [[Jehovah]].<ref name="Davies 2003"/><ref name="EoM"/><ref>[[First Presidency (LDS Church)|First Presidency]] and [[Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church)|Quorum of the Twelve Apostles]], "The Father and the Son", ''[[Improvement Era]]'', August 1916, pp. 934–42; reprinted as [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2002/04/the-father-and-the-son?lang=eng "The Father and the Son"], ''[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]'', April 2002.</ref>

In the belief system held by the Christian churches that adhere to the Latter Day Saint movement and most [[Mormonism|Mormon denominations]], including [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church), the term ''God'' refers to Elohim (the Eternal Father),<ref name="Davies 2003"/><ref name="EoM"/> whereas ''[[Godhead (Christianity)|Godhead]]'' means a council of three distinct gods: Elohim (God the Father), [[Jehovah]] (the Son of God, Jesus Christ),<ref name="Davies 2003"/><ref name="EoM"/> and the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity#The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Holy Ghost]], in a [[Nontrinitarianism|non-trinitarian conception of the Godhead]].<ref name="Davies 2003"/><ref name="EoM"/> In Mormonism, the three persons are considered to be physically separate beings, or personages, but united in will and purpose; this conception differs significantly from [[mainline Christian]] [[trinitarianism]].<ref name="Davies 2003"/><ref name="EoM"/><ref>The term with its distinctive Mormon usage first appeared in ''[[Lectures on Faith]]'' (published 1834), Lecture 5 ("We shall in this lecture speak of the Godhead; we mean the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."). The term ''Godhead'' also appears several times in Lecture 2 in its sense as used in the [[Authorized King James Version]], meaning ''divinity''.</ref> As such, the term ''Godhead'' differs from how it is used in mainstream Christianity.<ref name="Davies 2003"/><ref name="EoM"/> This description of God represents the [[orthodoxy]] of the LDS Church, established early in the 19th century.<ref name="Davies 2003"/>

The [[Book of Abraham]], a [[sacred text]] accepted by some branches of the Latter Day Saint movement, contains a paraphrase of the first chapter of Genesis which explicitly translates ''Elohim'' as "the Gods" multiple times; this is suggested by Mormon [[apostle (Latter Day Saints)|apostle]] [[James E. Talmage]] to indicate a "plurality of excellence or intensity, rather than distinctively of number,"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Talmage |first1=James E. |title=Jesus the Christ, (1956 ed.) |date=September 1915 |page=38}}</ref> in contrast to his contemporary apostle [[Orson F. Whitney]]'s explanation that, while to "the modern Jew [Elohim] means the plural of majesty, not of number...to the Latter-day Saint it signifies both."<ref>''[[Elias: An Epic of the Ages]]'' by Orson F. Whitney. 1914. p 118.</ref>

==Raëlism==
{{main|Raëlian beliefs and practices}}

The [[new religious movement]] and [[UFO religion]] [[Raëlism|International Raëlian Movement]], founded by the French journalist [[Claude Vorilhon]] (who later became known as "Raël") in 1974,<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Dericquebourg |author-first=Régis |author-link=Régis Dericquebourg |year=2021 |chapter=Rael and the Raelians |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tkswEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA472 |editor-last=Zeller |editor-first=Ben |editor-link=Benjamin E. Zeller |title=Handbook of UFO Religions |location=[[Leiden]] and [[Boston]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |series=Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion |volume=20 |doi=10.1163/9789004435537_024 |isbn=978-90-04-43437-0 |issn=1874-6691 |pages=472–490|s2cid=239738621 }}</ref> claims that the Hebrew word ''Elohim'' from the Book of Genesis actually means "those who came from the sky" and refers to a species of [[Extraterrestrial life|extraterrestrial aliens]].<ref>{{cite book |author1-last=Palmer |author1-first=Susan J. |author1-link=Susan J. Palmer |author2-last=Sentes |author2-first=Bryan |year=2012 |chapter=The International Raëlian Movement |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RM0AAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167 |editor1-last=Hammer |editor1-first=Olav |editor1-link=Olav Hammer |editor2-last=Rothstein |editor2-first=Mikael |editor2-link=Mikael Rothstein |title=The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=167–172 |doi=10.1017/CCOL9780521196505.012 |isbn=978-0-521-19650-5 |lccn=2012015440 |s2cid=151563721}}</ref>

==Gnosticism==
In the [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] text known as the [[Apocryphon of John|Secret Book of John]], Elohim is another name for [[Abel]], whose parents are [[Eve]] and [[Demiurge#Yaldabaoth|Yaldabaoth]]. He rules over the elements of water and earth, alongside [[Cain]], who is seen as [[Yahweh]] ruling over the elements of fire and wind.<ref>{{cite book|author1=[[Marvin Meyer]]|author2=[[Willis Barnstone]]|title=The Gnostic Bible|publisher=[[Shambhala Publications|Shambhala]]|chapter=The Secret Book of John|url=http://gnosis.org/naghamm/apocjn-meyer.html|date=June 30, 2009|access-date=2022-01-28}}</ref> However, the 2nd century Gnostic teacher [[Justin (gnostic)|Justin]] proposed a cosmological model with three original divinities. The first is a transcendental being called the Good, the second is Elohim, appearing here as an intermediate male figure, and the third is an [[Earth goddess|Earth-mother]] called [[Garden of Eden|Eden]]. The world along with the first humans are created from the love between Elohim and Eden, but when Elohim learns about the existence of the Good above him and ascends trying to reach it, he causes evil to enter the universe.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gnosticism - Apocryphon of John|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/gnosticism/Apocryphon-of-John|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|access-date=2022-01-28}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Anunnaki]]
* {{slink|Henotheism|Canaanite religion and Yahwism}}
* [[Elyon]]
* [[Genesis creation narrative]]
* {{slink|Monolatry|In ancient Israel}}
* [[Names of God]]
* [[Theophory in the Bible]]
* [[Allahumma]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References==
{{reflist}}

=== General bibliography ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|last=Burnett|first=Joel|year=2001|title=A Reassessment of Biblical Elohim |location=Atlanta |publisher=Society of Biblical Literature |pages= |oclc=47689804 |isbn=9781589830165}}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Coogan|editor1-first=Michael D.|editor1-link=Michael Coogan|editor2-last=Brettler|editor2-first=Marc Z.|editor2-link=Marc Zvi Brettler|editor3-last=Newsom|editor3-first=Carol A.|editor3-link=Carol A. Newsom|editor4-last=Perkins|editor4-first=Pheme|editor4-link=Pheme Perkins|chapter=Glossary: 'Elohim'|title=[[Oxford Annotated Bible|The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha]]|location=[[New York City|New York]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|page=Glossary: 544|year=2007|edition=3rd, Augmented|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nc-i_pQsiW8C&pg=PA544|isbn=978-0-19-528880-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Day|first=John|title=Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan |author-link=John Day (Old Testament scholar)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2xadCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA23|series=[[Journal for the Study of the Old Testament|Journal for the Study of the Old Testament: Supplement Series]]|date=2003 |volume=265|issue=1 |location=[[Sheffield]]|publisher=[[Sheffield Academic Press]]|doi=10.2307/3217888 |jstor=3217888 |isbn=978-1-850-75986-7|s2cid=161791734}}
* {{cite book|last=McLaughlin|first=John L.|chapter=Elohim|editor1-last=Freedman|editor1-first=David Noel|editor2-last=Myer|editor2-first=Allen C.|title=Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible|location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]]|publisher=[[Eerdmans]]|pages=401–402|year=2000|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qRtUqxkB7wkC&pg=PA401|isbn=0-8028-2400-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Miller|first=Patrick D.|author-link=Patrick D. Miller|title=The Religion of Ancient Israel|location=[[Louisville, Kentucky]]|publisher=[[Westminster John Knox Press]]|year=2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JBhY9BQ7hIQC&q=the+religion+of+ancient+israel|isbn=978-0-664-22145-4}}
* {{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=James M.|last2=Hayes|first2=John H.|title=A History of Ancient Israel and Judah|location=[[Louisville, Kentucky]]|publisher=[[Westminster John Knox Press]]|year=1986|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uDijjc_D5P0C&q=%22Yahweh%22%22national+god+of+Israel+and+Judah%22&pg=PA110|isbn=9780664212629}}
* {{cite book|last=Niehr|first=Herbert|chapter=The Rise of YHWH in Judahite and Israelite Religion|editor1-last=Edelman|editor1-first=Diana Vikander|title=The Triumph of Elohim: From Yahwisms to Judaisms|location=[[Leuven]]|publisher=[[Peeters Publishers]]|series=Contributions to Biblical Exegesis and Theology|volume=13|year=1995|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bua2dMa9fJ4C&pg=PA45|isbn=978-90-390-0124-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Pardee|first=Dennis|title=[[Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible]] |editor1-last=Van der Toorn|editor1-first=Karel|editor2-last=Becking|editor2-first=Bob|editor3-last=Van der Horst|editor3-first=Pieter W.|location=[[Leiden]]|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|pages=285–288|year=1999|edition=2nd|chapter=Eloah|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yCkRz5pfxz0C&pg=PA285|doi=10.1163/2589-7802_DDDO_DDDO_Eloah|isbn=90-04-11119-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Preuss|first=Horst Dietrich|title=Old Testament Theology|location=[[Louisville, Kentucky]]|publisher=[[Westminster John Knox Press]]|volume=1|series=The Old Testament Library|pages=147–149|year=1995|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Le7BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA147|isbn=0-664-21844-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Römer|first=Thomas|author-link=Thomas Römer|title=The Invention of God|chapter=The God of Israel and His Name|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z59XCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24|location=[[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|year=2015|isbn=978-0-674-50497-4}}
* {{Cite book|last=Sameth|first=Mark|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ozzpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA108|title=The Name: A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God|publisher=Wipf and Stock|year=2020|isbn=978-1-5326-9384-7}}
*{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Mark S.|author-link=Mark S. Smith|chapter=El|editor1-last=Freedman|editor1-first=David Noel|editor2-last=Myer|editor2-first=Allen C.|year=2000|title=Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible|location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]]|publisher=[[Eerdmans]]|pages=384–386|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qRtUqxkB7wkC&q=%22facts+militate+against+an+identification+of+Yahweh+as+originally+a+title+of+El%22&pg=PA385|isbn=9789053565032}}
* {{cite book|last=Smith|first=Mark S.|date=2001 |chapter=El, Yahweh, and the Original God of Israel and the Exodus|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=afkRDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA133|title=The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts|location=[[Oxford]]|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|pages=133–148|doi=10.1093/019513480X.003.0008|isbn=9780195134803}}
* {{cite book|last=Smith|first=Mark S.|year=2002|title=The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel|location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]]|publisher=[[Eerdmans]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yM3AuBh4AsC&q=%22Iron+I+Israel+was+largely+Canaanite%22&pg=PA28|edition=2nd|isbn=9780802839725}}
* {{cite book|last=Smith|first=Mark S.|year=2010|title=God in Translation: Deities in Cross-Cultural Discourse in the Biblical World|location=[[Grand Rapids, Michigan]]|publisher=[[Eerdmans]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvWlC0kUlkYC&q=%22various+chief+gods%22%22stand+more+or+less+on+par%22&pg=PA119|isbn=978-0-8028-6433-8}}
* {{cite journal |title=Semitic *ʾilāh- and Hebrew אלהים‎: From plural 'gods' to singular 'God' |journal=Journal for the Study of the Old Testament |last=Suchard |first=Benjamin D. |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=460–474 |year=2025 |doi=10.1177/03090892251332286 |issn=0309-0892}}
* {{cite book|last=Van der Toorn|first=Karel|title=[[Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible]] |author-link=Karel van der Toorn|year=1999|chapter=God (I)|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yCkRz5pfxz0C&pg=PA352|editor1-last=Van der Toorn|editor1-first=Karel|editor2-last=Becking|editor2-first=Bob|editor3-last=Van der Horst|editor3-first=Pieter W.|editor3-link=Pieter Willem van der Horst|location=[[Leiden]]|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|pages=352–353, 360–364|edition=2nd|doi=10.1163/2589-7802_DDDO_DDDO_Godi|isbn=90-04-11119-0}}
* {{cite book|last1=Vriezen|first1=T. C.|last2=Van der Woude|first2=S. A.|year=2005|title=Ancient Israelite and Early Jewish Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VeOwyTae71cC&q=Ajrud+potsherd+Asherah&pg=PA18|translator-last=Doyle|translator-first=Brian|location=[[Leiden]]|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|isbn=978-90-04-12427-1}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{Strong-number|'elohiym|H|430}} ({{lang|he|אֱלֹהִים}}), [[Strong's Concordance]] (1890).
* {{Cite NIE |wstitle=Elohim |year=1905}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |last1=Eisenstein |first1=Judah D. |author1-link=Julius Eisenstein |last2=McLaughlin |first2=John F. |author2-link=John Fletcher McLaughlin |year=1906 |url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11305-names-of-god#anchor3 |title=NAMES OF GOD - Elohim |encyclopedia=[[Jewish Encyclopedia]] |publisher=[[Kopelman Foundation]] |access-date=10 August 2020}}

{{Names of God}}

{{italic title}}

[[Category:Angels in Judaism]]
[[Category:Angels]]
[[Category:Creator gods]]
[[Category:Deities in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:God]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible topics]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:Latter Day Saint doctrines regarding deity]]
[[Category:Magic words]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern gods]]
[[Category:Names of God in Christianity]]
[[Category:Names of God in Judaism]]
[[Category:West Semitic gods]]