What is the real meaning of Elohim?
God
Elohim, singular Eloah, (Hebrew: God), the God of Israel in the Old Testament. 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.”
What is the origin of Elohim?
a name of God in the Bible, c. 1600, from Hebrew, plural (of majesty?) of Eloh “God” (cognate with Allah), a word of unknown etymology, perhaps an augmentation of El “God,” also of unknown origin.
What is the difference between Hashem and Adonai?
Since pronouncing YHWH is considered sinful, Jews use Adonai instead in prayers, and colloquially would use Hashem (The Name). When the Masoretes added vowel pointings to the text of the Hebrew Bible in the first century CE, they gave the word YHWH the vowels of Adonai, to remind the reader to say Adonai instead.
What is the difference between Elohim and Eloah?
In other cases, Elohim acts as an ordinary plural of the word Eloah, and refers to the polytheistic notion of multiple gods (for example, Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me”).
Is Elohim singular or plural in the Bible?
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). Elohim, when meaning the God of Israel, is mostly grammatically singular, and is commonly translated as “God”, and capitalised.
What rank is Elohim in the Jewish hierarchy?
Elohim occupy the seventh rank of ten in the famous medieval rabbinic scholar Maimonides ‘ Jewish angelic hierarchy. Maimonides said: “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.”
What is the meaning of benei elohim in the Bible?
The Hebrew term benei elohim (“sons of God” or “sons of the gods”) in Genesis 6:2 compares to the use of “sons of gods” (Ugaritic: b’n il) sons of El in Ugaritic mythology. Karel van der Toorn states that gods can be referred to collectively as bene elim, bene elyon, or bene elohim.