Difference between revisions of "Elohim"

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==Elohim==
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==Biblical Translation==
  
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===Derivation and Definition===
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Names for God can be confusing in the King James [[Old Testament]]. Anciently the Jews avoided uttering the name of [[Jehovah]] (YHWH) out of reverence for the Lord. They use the substitutes, ''Adonai,'' signifying ''The Lord,'' or ''HaShem,'' which means ''the Name.'' This led the King James translators to use the following tradition when translating references to God in the old Testament:
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Elohim is frequently mentioned in the Hebrew version of the Old Testament but was deleted when translated to English. ''Elohim'' is the plural of the Canaanite word  ''El'' or the Hebrew word ''Eloah'', both of which which mean God. El is used in many names like Bethel (house of God), Michael (who is like God), Daniel (a judge is God), and Israel (to prevail with God). Christ used the word El on the cross when he said, “Eloi” (Mark 15:34), which means “My God.” Elohim can refer to the plural of God, as in Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning God [in Hebrew, Elohim or literally gods] created the heaven and the earth.”  Elohim can also be used for God the Eternal Father, and as such means Almighty, Exalted, Omnipotent, and Supreme.
 
  
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===LDS Doctrine===
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YHWH                    LORD
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Non-LDS frequently accuse LDS of believing in plural gods. In one way that is true. LDS believe that godhood is the fully-mature state of development for mankind, though they also believe that relatively few individuals, by choice, reach it. However, it is incorrect to condemn LDS as not accepting God the Eternal Father, i.e. Heavenly Father, as their God. Mormons believe that this supreme being will always be their Father and their God and will always look to him as such. His importance to them can never dim. They believe that he is the head of two other gods—Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost—over whom he will always have preeminence, as he will always have preeminence over mankind, even when they achieve godhood. Perhaps it would be easier to understand by comparing these relationships to those in earthly families. Each person born on earth has a father. No matter what happens to that person, even after he achieves the adult status of his father, his father will always be his father. That fact won't—and can't--change. The child will become an adult human but will—or should if the father is worthy—revere, honor, and respect his father. He will listen to his father and follow righteous suggestions and advice. LDS also believe that it is this way in the eternities.
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YH YHWH                LORD JEHOVAH
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Adoni YHWH              Lord GOD
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YHWH Elohim            LORD God
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Elohim                  God, god, (pagan) gods, or divine
  
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Latter-day Saints believe that God the Eternal Father is just that—he will always be their father.  They believe he once was a  human man who once lived on an earth but through following the principles of righteousness has reached an exalted, perfected, glorified state. Through his own personal resurrection, he received his own tangible body of flesh and bones, so he can be both seen and touched, though this very rarely happens for people still on earth. The title Father, LDS believe, should be understood as a literal fact. They believe that he is the father of the spirits of all men, including Jesus Christ (and is literally the physical father of Him as well), hence the frequent references to the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of men. It's also reflected in the Lord's Prayer that begins “Our Father which art in heaven” (Matt. 6:9). Christ clearly taught this principle throughout his lifetime. He said, “Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God” John 20:17).
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It should be pointed out that in the Hebrew Old Testament as it stands today, the term Elohim was not used as the name of a separate individual. Rather it is simply the Hebrew word used to mean the generic term ''god'' and sometimes as an adjective meaning ''divine.'' This term is sometimes used for YHWH, as the God (Elohim) of the Old Testament (See Genesis 2 where it is used repeatedly to describe Jehovah), or for God the Father, or even to describe Pagan gods (See Joshua 24:2), sometimes the term elohim was even used as an adjective meaning "divine" or "mighty" (as an example, see the Ancher Bible Commentary's translation for Genesis 1:2). It is sometimes used to describe the Israelite King as a mighty or divinely mandated ruler (and thus as a type of Jesus Christ, the true divine king).
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In Hebrew, masculine plural words end in 'im' much as plural words end in an 's' in English. Thus ''Elohim'' can be seen as a plural for the Canaanite word ''El'' or the Hebrew word ''Eloah'', both of which which mean God. El is used in many names like Bethel (house of God), Michael (who is like God), Daniel (a judge is God), and Israel (to prevail with God). Christ used the word El on the cross when he said, “Eloi” (Mark 15:34), which means “My God.” Just as there are many words in English that are not plural but which end in an s, so the word Elohim can at times be singular or plural. Luckily, verbs and adjectives agree in gender and number with the words they modify, so whether a given reference should be translated as singular or plural can be determined by the singular or plural verbs or adjectives that surround it. For example, in Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God [in Hebrew, Elohim] created the heaven and the earth.”  In this case we can tell that Elohim should be translated as a singular because the Hebrew word for create in this verse is masculine singular. Moses 2:1 follows this interpretation. However, in Abraham 4 (which was likely based on a different textual tradition) the term "gods" plural is used throughout the creation account. This seems to indicate that the doctrine of [[The Plurality of Gods]] is a true and revealed doctrine, we should be cautious in seeing that doctrine in every use of the Hebrew term Elohim.
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==Modern Latter-day Saint Usage==
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The name '''Jehovah''' is today used to represent the premortal [[Jesus Christ]] who came to earth as a son of [[Mary, Mother of God|Mary]] while the term ''[[Elohim]]'' is used almost exclusively as a name for God the Father, although this is not the way it is used in the Old Testament as we now have it. It seems as if this Latter-day Saint traditional usage began with the [[Temple endowment]] when Joseph Smith needed a distinct name for God the Father and chose to use the term Elohim to refer to Him. Although this name is appropriate for God the Father, it is important to not retroactively apply this usage to the Old Testament (for example, see Genesis 2:9 where the term Elohim is applied to Jehovah).
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Although the Old Testament as we have it today does not use the term Elohim as the name of a distinct individual from Jehovah, Margaret Barker, a non—Latter-day Saint biblical scholar has proposed that the earliest biblical traditions differentiated between El (the Father) and Jehovah (the Son)<ref>Margaret Barker, ''Temple Theology''</ref>. If she is correct, then the lack of distinction between Elohim and Jehovah evident in the Old Testament as it stands today is a deviation from an earlier tradition which matches with modern Latter-day Saint usage.
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==References==
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<references/>
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[[Category:The Godhead]]
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[[es:Elohim]]
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[[pt:Eloim]]

Latest revision as of 12:09, 25 February 2023

Biblical Translation

Names for God can be confusing in the King James Old Testament. Anciently the Jews avoided uttering the name of Jehovah (YHWH) out of reverence for the Lord. They use the substitutes, Adonai, signifying The Lord, or HaShem, which means the Name. This led the King James translators to use the following tradition when translating references to God in the old Testament: 

YHWH                    LORD
YH YHWH                 LORD JEHOVAH
Adoni YHWH              Lord GOD
YHWH Elohim             LORD God
Elohim                  God, god, (pagan) gods, or divine

It should be pointed out that in the Hebrew Old Testament as it stands today, the term Elohim was not used as the name of a separate individual. Rather it is simply the Hebrew word used to mean the generic term god and sometimes as an adjective meaning divine. This term is sometimes used for YHWH, as the God (Elohim) of the Old Testament (See Genesis 2 where it is used repeatedly to describe Jehovah), or for God the Father, or even to describe Pagan gods (See Joshua 24:2), sometimes the term elohim was even used as an adjective meaning "divine" or "mighty" (as an example, see the Ancher Bible Commentary's translation for Genesis 1:2). It is sometimes used to describe the Israelite King as a mighty or divinely mandated ruler (and thus as a type of Jesus Christ, the true divine king).

In Hebrew, masculine plural words end in 'im' much as plural words end in an 's' in English. Thus Elohim can be seen as a plural for the Canaanite word El or the Hebrew word Eloah, both of which which mean God. El is used in many names like Bethel (house of God), Michael (who is like God), Daniel (a judge is God), and Israel (to prevail with God). Christ used the word El on the cross when he said, “Eloi” (Mark 15:34), which means “My God.” Just as there are many words in English that are not plural but which end in an s, so the word Elohim can at times be singular or plural. Luckily, verbs and adjectives agree in gender and number with the words they modify, so whether a given reference should be translated as singular or plural can be determined by the singular or plural verbs or adjectives that surround it. For example, in Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God [in Hebrew, Elohim] created the heaven and the earth.” In this case we can tell that Elohim should be translated as a singular because the Hebrew word for create in this verse is masculine singular. Moses 2:1 follows this interpretation. However, in Abraham 4 (which was likely based on a different textual tradition) the term "gods" plural is used throughout the creation account. This seems to indicate that the doctrine of The Plurality of Gods is a true and revealed doctrine, we should be cautious in seeing that doctrine in every use of the Hebrew term Elohim.

Modern Latter-day Saint Usage

The name Jehovah is today used to represent the premortal Jesus Christ who came to earth as a son of Mary while the term Elohim is used almost exclusively as a name for God the Father, although this is not the way it is used in the Old Testament as we now have it. It seems as if this Latter-day Saint traditional usage began with the Temple endowment when Joseph Smith needed a distinct name for God the Father and chose to use the term Elohim to refer to Him. Although this name is appropriate for God the Father, it is important to not retroactively apply this usage to the Old Testament (for example, see Genesis 2:9 where the term Elohim is applied to Jehovah).

Although the Old Testament as we have it today does not use the term Elohim as the name of a distinct individual from Jehovah, Margaret Barker, a non—Latter-day Saint biblical scholar has proposed that the earliest biblical traditions differentiated between El (the Father) and Jehovah (the Son)[1]. If she is correct, then the lack of distinction between Elohim and Jehovah evident in the Old Testament as it stands today is a deviation from an earlier tradition which matches with modern Latter-day Saint usage.

References

  1. ↑ Margaret Barker, Temple Theology
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