The name Elohim
- Thread starter Mikey
- Start date
-
Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.
You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
Some think it alludes to the trinityEL means is God ohim is added here and does make it plural some think its Gods family that is God and the Angels sometimes there is Words in front of it that change its translationBENI ELOHIM, Sons of the Elohim
Elohim is indeed plural, but is more than a reference to the Trinity. Elohim refers to all of the attributes of God....the ways in which we can know the unknowable King, the ways in which he manifests and reveals Himself to mankind - in terms of His Spirit, His Son (I and the Father are one), his Character (mercy, Grace, Love, Judgment etc etc). So, in a way, it does indeed refer to the Trinity, BUT it goes much, much further than this...Let's have a look at Genesis, where Man is made in the Image of "Elohim." This verse gives a really good indication of what 'Elohim' means...Are we created in the Image of the Trinity? Many theologians and Jewish Sages describe Man as being a 'tripartite' being, indicating we are created with three parts: Body, Soul, Spirit...but even then, Elohim means more than this...can God be limited by this tripartite distinction? Certainly not...there must be more. Let's have a look at the word "Image" in Hebrew - what does that mean? The phrase used in Genesis is b'tselem Elohim....tselem means "Image", but the root of the word carries connotations of an 'image of a shadow.' Think of this as an example, say I was outside while the sun were out and I placed my hand above the pavement so it cast a shadow on the sidewalk. From looking at the shadow you could make-out certain characteristics about my hand, but not the totality of what makes my hand mine. It is the same with our creation in God's Image. We do not express all there is to know about God – any more than a shadow reflects all there is to know about the object that casts it. God is much more than the Attributes that are reflected in Mankind. SO...The way in which we are created in His Image, is by that Inner likeness that we share with Him...there is NO indication in Scripture that indicates that we are made in the PHYSICAL likeness of God...instead, we have numerous examples of God humbling Himself to our level. This verse does not refer to the creation of Mankind in the PHYSICAL image of God, as God is SPIRIT. Instead, the passage refers to an INNER LIKENESS. So...ELOHIM refers to God's attributes, the ways in which Mankind may come to know Him. To strengthen this point, I must state now that I am keenly interested in the sacred nature of the Hebrew letters - not just the language itself, but the very letters which come together to form particular words....an interest that has preceded me by many of the greatest of rabbinical Sages...anyhow, this study of letters involves taking each letter that forms a particular word in the Hebrew, and analysing each one. Each letter in Hebrew has a particular primary Image or association, plus a number of secondary ones...You combine the meanings of each letter that form a particular word and you come up with an essential meaning to a particular word....I have done many of these, but Elohim is my favourite...This is the essential meaning I came-up with for Elohim:"God, The Father, who is One, in Love, desired to Create. His Spirit created this world as Temple. His Son, Salvation, created the World-to-Come, so all could come to know the Unknowable King."Not only does this identify God's Spirit creating this World (Spirit hovered upon the face of the waters), but it names God's Son "Salvation", which is essentially what Yeshua means...and it is this figure who creates the World-To-Come (I go to prepare a place for you...)Overall, Elohim is multi-faceted....not only does it refer to the Trinity, but also to all of God's attributes, the way in which we come to know Him (remember no man can see the Father in His true form and live...hence why Moses saw Him from the back). But this letter-analysis also reveals that Elohim contains the entire message of the Bible, encapsulated within one single word....a word that was there in the text from the very beginning of time itself...proclaiming Jesus' message! Barukh haShem v'Y'shua haMoshiach! 
ray3:__________________
ray3:__________________(koulourakia_girl;47512)
Elohim is indeed plural, but is more than a reference to the Trinity. Elohim refers to all of the attributes of God....the ways in which we can know the unknowable King, the ways in which he manifests and reveals Himself to mankind - in terms of His Spirit, His Son (I and the Father are one), his Character (mercy, Grace, Love, Judgment etc etc). So, in a way, it does indeed refer to the Trinity, BUT it goes much, much further than this...Let's have a look at Genesis, where Man is made in the Image of "Elohim." This verse gives a really good indication of what 'Elohim' means...Are we created in the Image of the Trinity? Many theologians and Jewish Sages describe Man as being a 'tripartite' being, indicating we are created with three parts: Body, Soul, Spirit...but even then, Elohim means more than this...can God be limited by this tripartite distinction? Certainly not...there must be more. Let's have a look at the word "Image" in Hebrew - what does that mean? The phrase used in Genesis is b'tselem Elohim....tselem means "Image", but the root of the word carries connotations of an 'image of a shadow.' Think of this as an example, say I was outside while the sun were out and I placed my hand above the pavement so it cast a shadow on the sidewalk. From looking at the shadow you could make-out certain characteristics about my hand, but not the totality of what makes my hand mine. It is the same with our creation in God's Image. We do not express all there is to know about God – any more than a shadow reflects all there is to know about the object that casts it. God is much more than the Attributes that are reflected in Mankind. SO...The way in which we are created in His Image, is by that Inner likeness that we share with Him...there is NO indication in Scripture that indicates that we are made in the PHYSICAL likeness of God...instead, we have numerous examples of God humbling Himself to our level. This verse does not refer to the creation of Mankind in the PHYSICAL image of God, as God is SPIRIT. Instead, the passage refers to an INNER LIKENESS. So...ELOHIM refers to God's attributes, the ways in which Mankind may come to know Him. To strengthen this point, I must state now that I am keenly interested in the sacred nature of the Hebrew letters - not just the language itself, but the very letters which come together to form particular words....an interest that has preceded me by many of the greatest of rabbinical Sages...anyhow, this study of letters involves taking each letter that forms a particular word in the Hebrew, and analysing each one. Each letter in Hebrew has a particular primary Image or association, plus a number of secondary ones...You combine the meanings of each letter that form a particular word and you come up with an essential meaning to a particular word....I have done many of these, but Elohim is my favourite...This is the essential meaning I came-up with for Elohim:"God, The Father, who is One, in Love, desired to Create. His Spirit created this world as Temple. His Son, Salvation, created the World-to-Come, so all could come to know the Unknowable King."Not only does this identify God's Spirit creating this World (Spirit hovered upon the face of the waters), but it names God's Son "Salvation", which is essentially what Yeshua means...and it is this figure who creates the World-To-Come (I go to prepare a place for you...)Overall, Elohim is multi-faceted....not only does it refer to the Trinity, but also to all of God's attributes, the way in which we come to know Him (remember no man can see the Father in His true form and live...hence why Moses saw Him from the back). But this letter-analysis also reveals that Elohim contains the entire message of the Bible, encapsulated within one single word....a word that was there in the text from the very beginning of time itself...proclaiming Jesus' message! Barukh haShem v'Y'shua haMoshiach!ray3:__________________
Thank you, very cool indeed
Do you have a link about the meaning of Hebrew letters? I recently started to learn the Hebrew alephbet!
Elohim is indeed plural, but is more than a reference to the Trinity. Elohim refers to all of the attributes of God....the ways in which we can know the unknowable King, the ways in which he manifests and reveals Himself to mankind - in terms of His Spirit, His Son (I and the Father are one), his Character (mercy, Grace, Love, Judgment etc etc). So, in a way, it does indeed refer to the Trinity, BUT it goes much, much further than this...Let's have a look at Genesis, where Man is made in the Image of "Elohim." This verse gives a really good indication of what 'Elohim' means...Are we created in the Image of the Trinity? Many theologians and Jewish Sages describe Man as being a 'tripartite' being, indicating we are created with three parts: Body, Soul, Spirit...but even then, Elohim means more than this...can God be limited by this tripartite distinction? Certainly not...there must be more. Let's have a look at the word "Image" in Hebrew - what does that mean? The phrase used in Genesis is b'tselem Elohim....tselem means "Image", but the root of the word carries connotations of an 'image of a shadow.' Think of this as an example, say I was outside while the sun were out and I placed my hand above the pavement so it cast a shadow on the sidewalk. From looking at the shadow you could make-out certain characteristics about my hand, but not the totality of what makes my hand mine. It is the same with our creation in God's Image. We do not express all there is to know about God – any more than a shadow reflects all there is to know about the object that casts it. God is much more than the Attributes that are reflected in Mankind. SO...The way in which we are created in His Image, is by that Inner likeness that we share with Him...there is NO indication in Scripture that indicates that we are made in the PHYSICAL likeness of God...instead, we have numerous examples of God humbling Himself to our level. This verse does not refer to the creation of Mankind in the PHYSICAL image of God, as God is SPIRIT. Instead, the passage refers to an INNER LIKENESS. So...ELOHIM refers to God's attributes, the ways in which Mankind may come to know Him. To strengthen this point, I must state now that I am keenly interested in the sacred nature of the Hebrew letters - not just the language itself, but the very letters which come together to form particular words....an interest that has preceded me by many of the greatest of rabbinical Sages...anyhow, this study of letters involves taking each letter that forms a particular word in the Hebrew, and analysing each one. Each letter in Hebrew has a particular primary Image or association, plus a number of secondary ones...You combine the meanings of each letter that form a particular word and you come up with an essential meaning to a particular word....I have done many of these, but Elohim is my favourite...This is the essential meaning I came-up with for Elohim:"God, The Father, who is One, in Love, desired to Create. His Spirit created this world as Temple. His Son, Salvation, created the World-to-Come, so all could come to know the Unknowable King."Not only does this identify God's Spirit creating this World (Spirit hovered upon the face of the waters), but it names God's Son "Salvation", which is essentially what Yeshua means...and it is this figure who creates the World-To-Come (I go to prepare a place for you...)Overall, Elohim is multi-faceted....not only does it refer to the Trinity, but also to all of God's attributes, the way in which we come to know Him (remember no man can see the Father in His true form and live...hence why Moses saw Him from the back). But this letter-analysis also reveals that Elohim contains the entire message of the Bible, encapsulated within one single word....a word that was there in the text from the very beginning of time itself...proclaiming Jesus' message! Barukh haShem v'Y'shua haMoshiach!
ray3:__________________Thank you, very cool indeed
Elohim is the plural form of Eloah which is a singular word for God. Dont forget that God is one.
That is it exactly - God IS ONE...the attributes are not separate from Him, but are 'facets' of His Personality...I will post some info about the letters a bit later tonight....
OK...with reference to a link to get tools for this kind of information, I would be rather hesitant - my own attempts at finding a 'decent' source have been unfruitful....so much of the stuff online regarding the meanings of Hebrew letters has been polluted by stuff that isn't traditionally Jewish...BUT I have a really good book, which I highly recommend...it's called THE WISDOM IN THE HEBREW ALPHABET by Michael L. Munk (a rabbi). This is a great book, going through each of the letters and details (one chapter per letter) the various meanings and symbols attached to each and every letter. It's available at Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Hebrew-Alphab...09640440&sr=1-1BUT yeah, I thought I'd give you an example of how I came to the conclusions of ELOHIM'S meaning....show you how it was done....ELOHIM: the letters: aleph, Lamed, Heh, Yod, Mem.ALEPH:* The first letter of ELOHIM is aleph, which is itself quite significant. It is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the first and utmost of the 3 'divine' letters (the three are aleph, heh and yod). * The aleph is, on its own, an entirely soundless letter - it has no sound of its own - it gains vocalisation through the combination of vowel points underneath. To speak the aleph is merely the position taken by the larynx when the following words begins with a vowel. In this way, it symbolises The Father (Abba, HaShem etc), who is beyond the physical.* The aleph is constructed of two two other letters, the vav and two yods. gematraically, Vav = 6 and yod = 10, so 6+ 10+10 = 26, which is numerical equivalent of Yod, Heh, Vav, Heh (YHVH).* The aleph is also representative of Man's role as the axis mundi, the pillar that connects Heaven and Earth - Man alone is made in the Image of God. The Vav (numerical of 6, representing Man), is the human spine that connects the two Yods (the upper represents Heaven and the lower represents Earth).* The aleph is symbolised by words of simple purity - i.e. ONE, LOVE, LIGHT.LAMED:* A letter of teaching and purpose. It sits in the middle of the aleph-beis, flanked by Khof and Mem; all three letters together create MLKh (Melekh): KING. It is also a majestic letter, the only one to rise above the line, so it is given the symbol, 'King of Kings.' Note that the Lamed too is constructed of other letters. It contains a Khof (20) and a Vav (6) = 26 = YHVH.* The Lamed is symbolised by words of Creation - KNEAD, MEASURE, PURIFY, ORGANISATION. It's primary word is LEV = heart.HEH:* The Heh is the second of the Divine letters. Where the Aleph denotes ABBA (the Father), Heh denotes Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit). The pronunciation of the letter is little more than the accentuation of breath, representing both inhalation and exhalation - inspiration and revelation.* The Talmud says God used Heh to create this world.* The Heh symbolises words relating to both Sacred Space (Palace, Temple) and Worship (praise etc).YOD:* The Yod is the third of the Divine letters (note that ELOHIM contains all three of these 'divine' letters). Aleph = Father; Heh = Spirit; Yod = Son.* The primary symbol attached to this letter is the open hand, in giving...* It is a letter that is indivisible, little more than a point, structurally speaking. Therefore, it again affirms that God is ONE.* It is a letter that symbolises Creation, and the metaphsical. The Talmud says God uses the Yod to create Olam haBa (The World-to-come, Heaven, New Jerusalem etc)* The Yod is symbolised by words relating to Salvation/Deliverance and New Life - SLEEP, AWAKE, GIVING THANKS, SALVATION, GIVING BIRTH etc.MEM:* There are technically two Mems...the open mem (to be found within a word), and the closed Mem (found at the end of a word). It is the closed Mem here, which means 'concealment.' The structure of this letter (when seen in the actual hebrew) is 'enclosed', hiding something within, something that cannot be gotten to. * Mem symbolises words of Ascent (OMNIPRESENT, ABOVE, CHARIOT), and words of Rule (KING, ANNOINT, RULE, MESSIAH). Also significant - the name Mi'chael (Who is like unto God?). God is beyond our comprehension and reach, on our own. SO.....ALEPH = FATHER = One, Love, Light, etcLAMED = HEART = words of CreationHEH = HOLY SPIRIT = This world is TempleYOD = SON = Salvation/Deliverance, Open hand giving, metaphysical Creation, New LifeMEM = UNKNOWABLE KING = Words of Rulership. Theocracy.Talking into consideration that some 'joining words' have to be added, the meaning I came to, was:GOD, WHO IS ONE, THE FATHER; IN LOVE, DESIRED TO CREATE.HIS SPIRIT CREATED THIS WORLD AS A TEMPLE.HIS SON, SALVATION, CREATED THE WORLD-TO-COME, GIVING NEW LIFE TO ALL LIVING, SO THEY COULD KNOW THE UNKNOWABLE KING.*
coool. My name is Michael MEM! I thought it meant: One who is like God. But, who is like unto God? sounds better.. Couldn't you get weird meanings for mundane words using this though?
There's nothing Wrong with Michael Meaning one who is Like God. In the Beginning Adam was a god, because he had Total Dominion over the Earth. Michael is One like God because He's at the Right hand Side of the Throne of God.Now an Important note on Elohim. It means the Self Existing One, he was not God until he created the Angels and when he became Worshipped, he was Elohim, TRUE GOD.
True...but with regards to Michael, it must be remembered that the name contains the prefix "mi"...which is 'who'....but it is not a general 'who', like "beck who is a girl", but an INTERROGATIVE...it is "who"? So Michael does not mean "who is like unto God", as in something which is comparable to God...but it means "Who is like unto God?", a name which reflects the total otherness of God...Nobody and nothing is comparable to Him in all His Glory...
LOL see my previous post re: the meaning of Michael, but yeah with regards to 'mundane words'...yeah you could...but the purpose of this tool of interpretation is to open -up words, to show what they really mean...Hebrew is such a complex language, although simple at initial glance..it is INDEED a sacred language....To be completely honest, I have never tried any 'mundane' words...maybe I should give it a whirl to see what happens lol!
(Unorthodox Christian;48715)
There's nothing Wrong with Michael Meaning one who is Like God. In the Beginning Adam was a god, because he had Total Dominion over the Earth. Michael is One like God because He's at the Right hand Side of the Throne of God.Now an Important note on Elohim. It means the Self Existing One, he was not God until he created the Angels and when he became Worshipped, he was Elohim, TRUE GOD.
I don't like it at all to say that God was not God at all until He created the Angels. I find that offending to the Father...
There's nothing Wrong with Michael Meaning one who is Like God. In the Beginning Adam was a god, because he had Total Dominion over the Earth. Michael is One like God because He's at the Right hand Side of the Throne of God.Now an Important note on Elohim. It means the Self Existing One, he was not God until he created the Angels and when he became Worshipped, he was Elohim, TRUE GOD.
I don't like it at all to say that God was not God at all until He created the Angels. I find that offending to the Father...
I don;t think it's being said that God wasn't God before the angels were created...well that's how I took it...ELOHIM refers to the revealed attributes of God...not God in His essence, His true form, his totality...God cannot be known unless there is something else in existence to know Him..this only came about when the angels were created....therefore, in His totality, Hs pure form, He has always been...but was only known as ELOHIM when another creature was created...whereby He could reveal Himself....
(thesuperjag;48729)
I don't like it at all to say that God was not God at all until He created the Angels. I find that offending to the Father...
Really, Well it makes sense to Me cause all the Attributes of the Thoughts(LOGOS) of YHWH were all poured into Jesus Colossians 2:9. All that the Father Was, was in Jesus, Because the Father has no form. He Created Forms/ Theophanies(Appearances) because God could not be seen. He was the Pillar of Fire and Cloud to the Hebrew Children, He was the Son of God, GOD MANIFESTED IN FLESH JOHN 1:1, John 1:14, Isaiah 9:6. He was the Holy Ghost from Pentecost until Forever. Hebrews 13:8I see no Problem with it. He wasn't even called God until he was Worshipped. You can take any definition, but in the before Creation of anything, Angels, Man, or Animal, he was ELOHIM, Self Existing One, NOT GOD, because he was not worshipped. He's God none the Less, but he was known as Elohim in eternity as the Self EXISTING ONE and Elohim to Abraham, as LORD or TRUE GOD.
I don't like it at all to say that God was not God at all until He created the Angels. I find that offending to the Father...
Really, Well it makes sense to Me cause all the Attributes of the Thoughts(LOGOS) of YHWH were all poured into Jesus Colossians 2:9. All that the Father Was, was in Jesus, Because the Father has no form. He Created Forms/ Theophanies(Appearances) because God could not be seen. He was the Pillar of Fire and Cloud to the Hebrew Children, He was the Son of God, GOD MANIFESTED IN FLESH JOHN 1:1, John 1:14, Isaiah 9:6. He was the Holy Ghost from Pentecost until Forever. Hebrews 13:8I see no Problem with it. He wasn't even called God until he was Worshipped. You can take any definition, but in the before Creation of anything, Angels, Man, or Animal, he was ELOHIM, Self Existing One, NOT GOD, because he was not worshipped. He's God none the Less, but he was known as Elohim in eternity as the Self EXISTING ONE and Elohim to Abraham, as LORD or TRUE GOD.
Amen Unorthodox Christian...you got that nail on the head! It's the whole distinction of Knower and Known (to paraphrase Plato)....something can't be known unless there's a knower to know that known! And until there was something 'other' than God in existence, He couldn't be known...but that changed when He began to create...when all of Creation became a testament to His Greatness....
Similar threads
