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Elohim

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A Hebrew word with plural morphology, used for “gods” or for a singular deity according to context.

Elohim, אֱלֹהִים, in a modern typographic illustration. Plural morphology alone does not establish the meaning in use; number, grammar, and context must be read together
Elohim, אֱלֹהִים, in a modern typographic illustration. Plural morphology alone does not establish the meaning in use; number, grammar, and context must be read togetherIL Archive · CC BYLicense · Image source

Text

Elohim has a plural morphological form. In some passages it denotes gods; in many passages referring to Israel’s deity it appears with singular grammatical agreement. Its meaning therefore depends on syntax and context. A plural ending alone does not settle the religious interpretation of a passage. [1]

References and notes

  1. Heath D. Dewrell & Andrew M. Garbarino, Names of God in the Hebrew Bible, Oxford Bibliographies (2023) Available introduction: El as common noun or proper name, and Elohim and Yahweh. The cited literature was not read in full. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 2 · 10 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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IL Archive, «Elohim», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/elohim