Elohim Meaning and Use

 

ELOHIM – meaning and use

Power, authority, and strength are associated with the ancient Hebrew word, ELOHIM. Although it is sometimes claimed to be “a name”, it is only a pronoun, like the words father, mother, sister, or brother. The Creator is indeed “the Elohim”, but this word identifies His powerful position relative position relative to His creatures. creatures. The term term ELOHIM denotes a position of great authority. authority. He never says, “Elohim is My Name”, but rather states His Name (the only one  He ever claims to have) is “Yahuah”:  Isa 42:8:  42:8: “I am Name, and My esteem I do not give ‫ י‬, that is My Name, to another, nor My praise to idols.”  WHY DOES IT APPEAR TO BE PLURAL?   This word, ELOHIM ELOHIM,, utilizes a “plural” ending, which has been claimed to be evidence that there resides in Him a plurality of beings, and as a result the idea of a “TRINITY” is propagated, although there is no such teaching found in Scripture. Hebrew words employ endings perceived  to  to be plurality yet point to other aspects of what they refer to. The word for life, CHAI, is sometimes rendered in the form “CHAYIM”, but still refers to the singular idea  of  of “life”.  This kind of use is an “abstraction”, making what is singular apply generally. Water (or waters) is MAYIM. The ending is adaptable for both. The term ELOHIM is also adaptable to be singular or plural, as MAYIM may be singular or plural. When the Hebrew term is applied to the Creator, the “plural” ending points to the majesty, magnificence, and grand position of great authority; it rather seeks to “quantify” “quantify” rather  rather than This is an abstraction. similar “plural” is seen term “pluralize”. BEHEMOTH. A too, single living beast is a ABEHEMAH, and ending more than one in is the BEHEMOTH. However, if a single beast is gigantic gigantic,, the term BEHEMOTH is utilized to express this “quantitatively”, expressing the immensity and power of the beast. English translators have generally missed this subtle aspect of the Hebrew language, and so research into their past understandings have tainted concordances and dictionaries with their limited comprehension.  In “translating” the meaning of ELOHIM into other languages, we see terms related to power or position: position: GOD, GOTT, GODE, THEOS, DEUS, and many others. For the last several decades, some teachers have made the case that the word ELOHIM is polluted or corrupt, since Pagans adopted forms of it to name their own nonexistent idols. The most commonly promoted error is that the Canaanite idol, “EL”, was the primitive term adopted by Abram, and so the faith of Abraham derived from

 

this source. The truth is, the language if Eber (giving us the term “Hebrew”) is the “lashon qodesh”, qodesh”, or set-apart tongue , and many Hebrew words found expression in many other “tongues” in spite of the Tower of Babel incident. The Canaanites simply took an existing clean word that describes power and position, and adopted it as a proper noun (a name). Hebrew is not babbling; it is the PURE lip (see Zech. 3:9). Every Word of Yahuah is true, and trustworthy. Notice the wording of the Covenant given to us at Dt. 5:6 that identifies Yahuah, and that He is our ELOHIM:   Deu 5:6, 7: ‘I 7: ‘I am ‫ י‬ your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of bondage.  bondage.  You have no other mighty ones against My face.”  The adversary is currently in a position of authority  over  over this world, until he is to be bound at Yahusha’s return to await destruction after 1000 years.   This adversary is called “ELOHIM “ELOHIM”, ”, due to the position of authority he authority he holds (Luke 4:6).  The “ELOHIM” of this world has blinded the eyes of many:   2Co 4:3, 4:  4: “And indeed, if our Good News has been veiled, it has been veiled in those who are perishing, in whom the mighty one of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so that the enlightening of the Good

News esteem of Messiah, M essiah, who is the likeness of Elohim, does not shine of onthe them.”   The root word for word for ELOHIM is EL, spelled ALEF-LAMED. Some have attempted to eliminate the term, spelling it “YL” (YOD-LAMED). (YOD-LAMED). We don’t need to go off the reservation to avoid the use of this term, all we have to do is never use it as a name , and only use it as Scripture uses it. We need not be provoked to fear by unbelievers’ statements and their ideas about anything; there have always been languages that shared common words. This is especially true of the ancient times when there were fewer groups, and all of those stemmed from a common source of people (which unbelievers don’t hold to). Abram’s lifetime was very close to that of Noach, and Shem, Ham, and Yapheth. Abram was a descendant of Shem, and a rather recent one at that. The Great Flood occurred in the year 1656 A.M. (Anno A.M. (Anno Mundi, Year of the World). Abram was born in the year 1948 A.M., just A.M., just 292 years after years after the Great Flood. How likely is it that the Canaanites (most likely a primitive Chalcolithic population who practiced excarnation) shared some common words with the tongue used by Abram from the land of Ur? Ur? Very likely indeed. Yahusha used the word, and so did His followers. Yahusha cried out Hebrew words as He hung from His torture stake, quoting the first line of Psalm 22:   Mat 27:46: “And 27:46: “And about the ninth hour ‫ש ע‬ ‫ י‬ cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli ‘Eli,, Eli Eli,, lemah shebaqtani?’ that is, ‘My El El,, My El El,, why have You forsaken Me?’”  Me?’”  Yahusha’s use of this phrase was to direct His followers’ attention to the whole of Psalm 22, which describes the whole scene of His death; the most painful thoughts to read in all of Scripture, at least for me. It has been said in ignorance and in jest, “If the King James Version was good enough for the Apostles, then it’s good enough for me.”

 

In a similar way, we can say that if the word “ELOHIM” (and all its forms) is good enough for Yahusha to speak, then it’s good enough for us.   Or, we could argue the point using the limited understandings of less informed translators, and have yet another reason to become divided over.  Yahusha used the term, and there’s no Torah command not to use it. I’m confident with these two facts, and I’m very sure that Yahuah is our ELOHIM , He’s told us this very often in His revealed Word, even the opening Words of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments.   And, He doesn’t change; it’s all the winds of doctrine that change.  change.  Love is the goal,  brother Lew  Lew (Lew White), Torah Institute, POB 436044, Louisville, KY 40253 http://www.torahzone.net/   http://www.torahzone.net/