“For the pastor, biblical languages are like your underpants. They are there to help but should not be used on the outside.” This was a statement that one of my seminary professors made frequently. I took it seriously, and it’s true. It is seldom necessary for a pastor to show his understanding of Greek by mentioning tenses and foreign words. However, one area in which biblical languages could be beneficial is in using the names of God.
Each of these different names of God highlights an aspect of his character. There is only one God, but the biblical writers referred to this one God by many different nicknames. One of these names is Elohim. Elohim is one of the most used names for God in the scriptures. This is the word used in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning he created the heavens and the earth.” In fact, the word appears some 2,750 times in the Old Testament.
What does “Elohim” mean?
The term “Elohim” means “supreme” or “mighty.” Not only is it used of the one true God, but it is also occasionally used to refer to human rulers, judges, and even angels. If you saw someone exhibiting supreme rule and expressing mighty power, the word you would use would be Elohim. That does not necessarily mean that you are referring to a single God. But even when one comes to understand Yahweh, one can still cling to this particular word, Elohim, to emphasize the power and might of God.
This is an imperfect illustration of the relationship between Elohim and Yahweh, but perhaps it will capture enough of the thought to be helpful. If a young child sees a furry animal, they may refer to it as a puppy dog, but as they mature they can clearly tell the difference between a puppy and a kitten. Further maturation could lead to the child now calling the dog a specific breed, such as a beagle. And if the puppy comes to live in the child’s home, what was once ‘puppy’ will become ‘my beagle’. In the same way, a person can see a powerful expression and say Elohim. As his knowledge of the truth matures, Elohim could take on a specific character, that is, The Shaddai.. And if that knowledge moves into a relationship, Elohim is now identified as Yahweh. Therefore, only one child could refer to a kitten as a puppy and another could refer to his beagle as a puppy, so too, one could refer to a cactus as Elohim and another who has full knowledge of Yahweh’s covenant refer to him as Elohim.
Elohim as “El” and Plural
We often see the personal character of Elohim when it is shortened, to The , and then combined with another word. (Although some scholars question whether this is simply a shortening.) Several names of popular Old Testament characters have The in his name: Elijah (“El es Yahweh”) and Samuel (“Heard by El”) are two such examples. When you think back to the story of Elijah and Samuel, you see the importance of a name in the Old Testament. Elijah is known as the prophet who was steadfast in proclaiming that Yahweh was the only true Elohim . Even the name Israel means “prince of El.”
Another interesting aspect of the name Elohim is that it is, in fact, a plural. Does this mean that this is a clear reference to the Trinity? Although that cannot be refuted, it could not be proven from the plurality either. Many scholars refer to this as a divine plural. I do, however, agree with John Frame in that this is a plural of abstraction:
“…that is, ‘a more or less intensive approach to the characteristics inherent in the idea of the stem…presented in English by forms in -hood, -ness, -ship”…Hebrew uses the plural form for abstract nouns such as youth , old age , virginity Y life . It can also (or alternatively) carry some force as a plural of amplification. Usually found in poetry, this plural is an emphatic statement of the root idea, such as can Y tip “.
Experiencing Elohim in Nature
God is big and powerful. He is the epitome of strength and power. That is why Paul says what he does in Romans 1:20 . “ Because since the creation of the world, the invisible qualities of God – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, understood by what has been done, so that people have no excuse. If that verse was in Hebrew instead of Greek, it can almost certainly be that the word translated “God” in that sentence would be Elohim. As noted above, this is the word most often used when referring to God’s dealings with creation in general or “with the nations of the world apart from his covenant with Israel.”
When you have a first encounter with God, through his power displayed in nature, you are likely to gravitate towards a concept of Elohim. This is why Elohim, and not Yahweh, is prominent in books like Daniel and Jonah and even the first two chapters of Genesis. It is only after God reveals himself that one will understand him as Yahweh. The simple fact of knowing that there is a higher power (an Elohim) means that one has simply risen to the faith of demons ( James 2:19 ). Only when we pass from the elementary knowledge of God as Creator, we embrace God as Father.
The Scripture refers to others that God himself
Jesus makes an interesting argument on this point in John 10:34 when he cites the Psalm 82:6 . He holds that the Scriptures themselves ( Psalm 82:6 ) refer to others than God himself, how can Jesus be accused of blasphemy because he claims to be the Son of God? I appreciate these words from DA Carson:
“In the heat of their opposition to what they hear Jesus say, they are partly right (he makes himself equal with God), partly wrong (this fact does not establish a competing God), and deeply wrong (they have not). . they have grasped the drift of their own Scriptures to see how he fulfills them, nor have they known God well enough to perceive that the revelation he is and brings is in continuity with the culmination of God’s revelation already provided).”
The Creator, Elohim must become personal to you
God has created you. He is he Elohim byabove all others god . However, recognizing this is not enough. According to the scriptures, everyone knows that there is a higher power. We suppress that truth in our injustice. This means that we transform our Elohim impulse into worship of some lesser god or slip into vague notions of a higher power. Or perhaps we continue in even greater suppression and acknowledge no concept of Elohim, choosing instead to position ourselves as the mighty one. We become arbiters of the truth.
Actually, a man who drowns in ten feet of water is not in much better shape than a man who drowns in a hundred feet of water. Likewise, acknowledging the existence of an Elohim does not put you in a better position than one who actively and aggressively denies the concept of God. It is only when our knowledge of Elohim becomes personal that we move into what the Bible calls saving faith.
God reveals himself to humanity
From Genesis onward, we see God progressively revealing Himself to humanity. As he enters into covenant with his creation (as his Elohim), he enters into a special relationship and covenant with Abraham. These covenant promises ( Genesis 12 ) find their climax and fulfillment in the supreme revelation of God; namely, Jesus Christ. It is here that we move from a vague understanding of Elohim to a covenantal, relational knowledge of God.
help me oh Yahweh me Elohim .
Save me by your mercy. – Psalm 109:26
Such prayer is a reflection of a saving understanding of Elohim. How do you know this God? Does he know Him simply as someone powerful or a higher power? Or can you say “my Lord and my God”?