Elohim "Gods" - Apostolic answer in Hebraic concepts

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1)

The bible starts off with this verse. Even in the first verse of the bible a name to God is given. The translation "God" in this verse is the word "Elohim" which literally means "Gods". That is right; the translation of Elohim is "Gods", plural.

This is quite controversial. Many people like to bring this verse up in defense of their doctrine; such is the case of Trinitarians.

Now, before going any further in explaining, and refuting the doctrine of the trinity, and how they see this verse. I would like to mention that God's name in the first place is not "God".

God's name is not God. The term "God" in a secular definition means; a supreme Being, creator and master of all, any being consider as divine.

And the biblical definition of the term "God" is similar. The term "God" is use for the true God, as well as is used for pagan gods. In the Old Testament, the term God is Elohim in the Hebrew language. Elohim is used for the true God, as well as is used for pagan gods, humans, and even angels (Gn. 35:2, Psalms 82:6, and Psalms 97:7).

In the New Testament the term "God" is "Theos" and it is also used for the true God, as well as for pagan gods (1 Col. 8:5).

Elohim, or Theos, is our same English word "God" and it is not always in reference to the true God. So the name of God is not "God" since it is applied to manmade gods as well.

This is one of the reasons why this verse does not support the doctrine of the Trinity. If the name of God "for Trinitarians" is Elohim, then this same term would not have been given to pagan gods, people, or angels. This verse is not trying to say that in the beginning Gods created heavens and earth because there is only one God. When the bible speaks of Elohim in reference to pagan gods, it is always referring to one god, though is pagan, but always talking about one god.

This tells us that Elohim in Genesis 1:1 is not talking about several gods, but it is in reference to one God, and the true God.

Another reason why this verse doesn't talk about "Gods" is because of the original Hebrew. The word Elohim is our English translation of the actual transliteration of Elohiym. This word like I said before, it literally means "Gods" and this is because "Elohiym" is composed of a word and a suffix.

The singular word for the term "God" is Eloah, which means "God" in singular form. This word Eloah ends with a suffix in Genesis 1:1 which is "ym". This suffix is what defines the plurality of verbs or words.

For instance, the word "Malak" which means messenger versus "Malakiym" which means messengers. The suffix "ym" is what distinguishes the two words, and it is also the one that emphasizes plurality in the later one.

The same is for the word Eloah, meaning God versus the word Elohiym meaning Gods. The later one used in Genesis 1:1

You still may be thinking that anyhow the word in Genesis 1:1 is the plural word for God, meaning that there is a trinity or several gods.

This may be the argument, but the argument is wrong, the reason being is because of the bad interpretation of the Hebrew language.

Let us take this example:

The sheep walked

In this example we don't know if it was one sheep that walked or if it was many sheep that walked. This is English, and whether this example means if many sheep walked or one sheep walked the verb (which is walked) does not change. This is not the same in Hebrew.

Taking the same example, but now in Hebrew language, this would not be correct. In the Hebrew you have to specify in context the plurality or singularity of the verb. For instance if we want to say that many sheep walked, in Hebrew we would say:

The sheep, (they) walked

Or if we want to say that it was only one sheep that walked, we would say:

The sheep, (he) walked

So in Hebrew you always have to specify either a plurality or singularity to a verb, or help the verb to emphasize its text and context meaning.

Genesis 1:1 says that in the beginning Elohiym created…

"Created" being the verb. The Hebrew word for created is "bara", but this word is accompanied with the Hebrew word "eth" which demonstrates a sense of entity, and generally used to point out the definition of a verb. And the literal translation of this is; Elohiym (He) created…

So, in Genesis 1:1 there is only one creating the heavens and the earth.

I would like to give an example; in 1 Samuel 28:13-14 it says:

13. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods (Elohiym) ascending out of the earth.

14. And he said unto her, what form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

The context of this example, we have King Saul going with the women that had a spirit of python or divination, which was conversed with the devil, and with this tried to bring up a dead person. King Saul asked her to bring up Samuel. The woman saw then the vision of what we see in verse 13; and the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

The letter in bold is gods which translated to the original Hebrew is the same word we have been dealing with; Elohiym.

And the King James translator, translated this the correct way, he translated it literally gods. For Elohiym literally means gods. But we see the difference between the translations in Genesis 1:1 and 1 Samuel 28:13, for in Gen 1:1 the translation to the English is simply God in singular form, because it's in reference to the true God, and in Samuel 28:13 is gods since it is not in reference to the true God.

The amazing thing is that in the next verse King Saul asks her; and he said unto her, what form is he of?

So we have the women telling the King that she saw gods (Elohiym) and Saul asks her of what form was HE? Singular.

And after the King's singular question, the woman replies accurately with another singular answer; an old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle.

This shows that Elohiym doesn't always refer to a plurality of gods, and such is the case of Genesis 1:1.

Then, why the suffix that emphasizes plurality in the word Elohiym, in Genesis 1:1?

Well, we know that the word Elohiym is the word Eloah with the suffix ym and the suffix ym is what makes the word Eloah be plural.

The suffix ym in Hebrew is יםwhich is called the "majestic plural" which means:

"The majestic plural (pluralis maiestatis in Latin) is the use of a plural pronoun to refer to a single person holding a high office, such as a monarch, bishop, pope, or university rector"

The New American Webster Dictionary fourth edition defines "majestic" like this:

"Possessing majesty, grand, sublime"

So when the bible speaks of a term with the suffix ym which is the majestic plural, it is actually talking about the attributes or what they possess.

Let us remember that the bible often times gives us definitions and terms that are plural in form but not in its meaning.

For example; in Proverbs 1:20 the bible says:

"Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets"

The word Wisdom is the Hebrew word chokmôth and it is plural. The last suffix oth is the feminine plural suffix, in contrast with the suffix ym which is the masculine plural suffix.

So the word Wisdom is plural in this verse, and yet it says that she (singular) uttereth?Rather than; they uttered.

The bible is full of these types of examples using plural words with a singular meaning and this is an example of how the Hebrew grammar works; it often times gives us terms that are plural in form but not in its meaning. And this is called the majestic plural. In the case of Elohim, the majestic plural is used, and it is to mean the only God possessing majesty, or attributes. And since God has a lot of attributes, therefore a majestic plural is used.

Most scholars actually agree that the plural word Elohim indicates the greatness of God or His multiple attributes; it does not imply a plurality of persons or personalities.

Also "the Hebrews pluralized nouns to express greatness or majesty" - Cresson and Flanders

Another fact is that the Hebrews could have not written this to mean that there's several gods or to point to a supposed trinity, or a plurality of persons in the Godhead. The Hebrews strongly belief in monotheism, in fact their most valuable belief is " Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" Deut. 6:4. They did not had any idea of a separation of persons or plurality of them within one God.

The word Elohim in genesis 1:1 simply means in a way, God with His majesty and attributes.