Language Studies

Hebrew Thoughts

''elôhîym - אלהים (Strong's #430)
God

"Elohim is for us a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:21, pronounced elow-heem) 'God[s]' occurs more than 2600 times. אלהים 'elôhîym is a plural noun (-îm). The plural is probably to be understood of power and majesty (cf. the monarch's "royal 'we'") or possibly of triunity, although this would more than likely be reading too much into what is more probably a Hebrew idiom for greatness.

In about 10% of its uses, some 244 times, אלהים 'elôhîym can mean mighty ones or gods with a small "g". Clearly the contexts do not refer to YHVH God.

There is a further clear distinction for in the biblical Hebrew text the plural noun of majesty 'God' always occurs with a singular verb (e.g., ברא bârâ' in Genesis 1:1) when referring to the one true God and conversely with a plural verb when it means 'gods'. In addition we have statements such as Deuteronomy 10:17 that speak of YHVH your Elohim as Elohim of Elohim(s).

"For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome..." (Deuteronomy 10:17)

Jeremiah 10:10 additionally distinguishes YHVH Elohim as "But the LORD God is the true God, He is the living God...". The other gods are neither true nor alive.

Looking up אלהים 'elôhîym in a Hebrew roots dictionary might lead you on a long journey. On turning to 'elôhîym you might be told that it is the emphatic plural (or plural of majesty) of אלוהּ 'elôwahh 'god' (Strong's #433, 57 occurrences) - so you turn to the entry for אלוהּ 'elôwahh and are told that it is probably from אל 'êl 'a strong, mighty one' (Strong's #410, 245 occurrences - about 230 of which mean 'God' or 'god', more common in poetry than prose; other times of mighty men, e.g., of Nebuchadnezzar). However, we are told that אל 'êl in turn is a shortened form of איל 'ayil 'a ram, or door post, mighty man or tree, e.g., oak' (Strong's #352) and that this comes from the root verb אול 'ûl or איל 'îyl 'to twist or roll, be strong, preeminent' (Strong's #193).

It is interesting that along this dictionary journey we encountered the word for 'ram'. This word is first used in Genesis 15 as part of the sacrificial procedures in making a covenant between God and Abraham. Its second and third occurrences are in Genesis 22:13 where God supplies a ram in the place of Abraham's son.

For the messianic implications of these verses see my Difficult Sayings column.

More, then, than a simple royal 'we' or Christian hint at trinity we have in אלהים 'elôhîym the idea of strength and unique superiority. Just as with the fabulous creature Behemoth, Job 40:15, which is merely a feminine plural (-ôth) of the Hebrew word for beast or cattle but clearly the texts where Behemoth is named are thinking of a large creature, the king of beasts, not just a field of cattle. Tying this is in with the lexical link to the strength of a ram or its horn we see אלהים 'elôhîym as embodying strength and superiority. The rabbis thought of this name of God as signifying his justice, power and might, rather than intimate relationship.

Appropriately, then, אלהים 'elôhîym is "for us a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:21). There are numerous verses using Elohim as the name of God in the context of his strength, see for example: Ruth 2:12; 2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 46:7; 48:3; 59:9,17; 62:7,8; 91:2; 94:22. Compare Deuteronomy 32:37 "where are their elohim, the rock in which they sought refuge" with Deuteronomy 33:27 "the eternal Elohim is your refuge".

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Meet the Author

Charles Loder has an MA in Jewish Studies from Rutgers University. His work is in Biblical Hebrew and comparative semitic linguistics, along with a focus on digital humanities. His work can be found on his Academia page and Github.