God is Plural - Day 6
“In the beginning God…” Genesis 1:1
The Hebrew word for “God” in Genesis 1:1 is “Elohim”. This is a plural noun meaning “God” but is normally translated into English as “gods”. Elohim is used more than 2,600 times in the Old Testament, most of the time referring to the One True God and understood to have both singular and plural meanings. Less commonly “Elohim” is used for other supernatural beings such as, gods or angels, and sometimes for judges. When “Elohim” is used to refer to the One True God, it is always translated in the singular, “God”. When it is used to translate into some other entity (or entities) it is translated in the plural by adding an “s” or “es” such as angels, or judges. The Hebrew equivalent to the “s” or ”es” is “im”.
The singular form of Elohim is Eloah, which is only used in the Poetic Scriptures. Scholars refer to “Elohim” as a plural noun with a singular meaning. “Elohim” is also referred to as the generic name of God, and is often coupled with the unique name of God, “Jehovah” or “YHWH”. As in Genesis 1:1, God - or “Elohim” - carries the meaning of The Creator God, The Great King Who Reigns, Supreme, Our Judge, Our Ruling Lord, and Savior Who is Compassionate, Loving, and Gracious to Keep His Every Word.
Though Scripture tells us that “Elohim” is the One True God, when God speaks of Himself, as in Genesis 1:26, He uses the plural pronoun “us” and the plural possessive “our”. The plurality of the word “Elohim” may help us draw some conclusions about God. It may describe the power of God, the Majesty of God’s Kingly royal reign, or to allude to the triune nature of God. There are many places in Scripture that allude to a three-fold nature of God. We use the word Trinity to describe this three-fold nature, but it is not used in the Bible. It describes how God reveals Himself in three persons: God, the Father, God, the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each Person is co-equal in every way but unified as one God. I love the truth and simplicity of Wayne Gruden’s statement: “God eternally exists in three persons. Each person is fully God. There is one God.”
God lived in eternal relationship before He created anything. God is a relational being and he lived in a perfect, eternal love relationship. Think about that. God in three persons living in a perfect love relationship even before time existed. That means He didn’t created anything out of need. It was pure love! As the song goes, “All Praise to the Father, All Praise to the Son, All Praise to the Spirit, The Three in One.”
“Thank you, Father, for life, and I thank you for breath, and I thank you for Jesus, we sure are blessed! Amen.”
