Elohim -One and Many

Elohim, One and Many

1. Hebrew Scriptures uses many names for God. What does that TELL us?
2. Some cannot be erased, based on Deuteronomy 12:3 and listed in Talmud Sehvuot 35b.
3. Others are descriptive, such as , Merciful, Hyst and the like.
4. The Name used in the first chapter of Genesis is “Elohim”, and it appears tob e pleural.
5. There are parallels. Dios in Latin came from Greek Theos. In Spanish Dios turned out to be plural and Marranos would not use, but say Dio.
6. Why does the Hebrew language have so many names for God?
7. Frederick the Great: “When I want to speak of love, I speak in French. When I plan war, I use German. For Theology, I speak Latin, but when I want to pray, I pray in Hebrew.”
8. B Eskimos have many words for snow (debunked, but now it is back). Hebrews were surrounded by God, and each Divine manifestation had its own name.

   Grammatically three kinds of names:

1. Elokim – plural.
2. AI ending, Shad-dai, Elo-kai. This is a specific mishkal (form) that appears like but is not like that for double plural, Yadaim (hands), Raglaim( feet), etc. It is not plural – see Chizkuni.
3. All others.

4. Not Plural, but the language of Power Rashi to Gen 1:26

Although [the angels] did not assist Him in His creation, and there is an opportunity for the heretics to rebel, to misconstrue the plural as a basis for their heresies, Scripture did not hesitate to teach proper conduct and the trait of humility, that a great person should consult with and receive permission from a smaller one. Had it been written: "I shall make man," we would not have learned that He was speaking with His tribunal, but to Himself.

And the refutation to the heretics is written alongside it, in the following verse: "And G‑d created (וַיִּבְרָא)," and it does not say, "and they created (וַיִּבְרְאוּ)."

Rashi to Gen. 20:13 – Langue of mastership and superiority is in plural, and cites example.

Gesenius comments that the singular Hebrew term Elohim is to be distinguished from elohim used to refer to plural gods, and remarks that:

The supposition that אֱלֹהִים (elohim) is to be regarded as merely a remnant of earlier polytheistic views (i.e. as originally only a numerical plural) is at least highly improbable, and, moreover, would not explain the analogous plurals (see below). That the language has entirely rejected the idea of numerical plurality in אֱלֹהִים (whenever it denotes one God), is proved especially by its being almost invariably joined with a singular attribute (cf. §132h), e.g. אֱלֹהִים צַדִּיק Psalms 7:10, &c. Hence אֱלֹהִים may have been used originally not only as a numerical but also as an abstract plural (corresponding to the Latin numen, and our Godhead), and, like other abstracts of the same kind, have been transferred to a concrete single god (even of the heathen).
To the same class (and probably formed on the analogy of אֱלֹהִים) belong the plurals קְדשִׁים (kadoshim), meaning the Most Holy (only of Yahweh, Hosea 12:1, Proverbs 9:10, 30:3 – cf. אֱלֹהִים קְדשִׁים elohiym kadoshim in Joshua 24:19 and the singular Aramaic עֶלְיוֹנִין the Most High, Daniel 7:18, 7:22, 7:25); and probably תְּרָפִים (teraphim) (usually taken in the sense of penates), the image of a god, used especially for obtaining oracles. Certainly, in 1 Samuel 19:13, 19:16 only one image is intended; in most other places a single image may be intended; in Zechariah 10:2 alone is it most naturally taken as a numerical plural.

Gesenius, Wilhelm (1910). "124. The Various Uses of the Plural-form" .

 

5. See also Siporno on our verse – indicates emanation of Many from One. See Shadal – to indicate that there are NOT many gods (multiple appearances but One essence).
6. Perhaps to tell, not say, that there is a multiplicity in manifestations, especially in the process of Creation, when so many different things came into being from a single Creator.