Dr Paul Allen

We all have watershed moments in life, critical turning points where, from that moment on, nothing will ever be the same. One such moment in my own life came when I rediscovered the word elohim. It was in church on a Sunday morning while still in graduate school. I was chatting with a friend who, like me, was working on a PhD in Hebrew studies, killing a few minutes before the service started. I don’t recall much of the conversation, though I’m sure it was something about Old Testament theology. But I’ll never forget how it ended. My friend handed me his Hebrew Bible, open to Psalm 82. He said simply, “Here, read that . . . look at it closely.” The first verse hit me like a bolt of lightning: God [elohim] stands in the divine assembly; he administers judgment in the midst of the gods [elohim] I’ve indicated the Hebrew wording that caught my eye and put my heart in my throat. The word elohim occurs twice in this short verse. Other than the covenant name, Yahweh, it’s the most common wor...

We all have watershed moments in life, critical turning points where, from that moment on, nothing will ever be the same. One such moment in my own life came when I rediscovered the word  elohim .  My friend handed me his Hebrew Bible , open to Psalm 82 . He said simply, “Here, read that . . . look at it closely.” The first verse hit me like a bolt of lightning: God [ elohim ] stands in the divine assembly; he administers judgment in the midst of the gods [ elohim ]. LET'S GO EXPLORE THE BIBLE I’ve indicated the Hebrew wording that caught my eye and put my heart in my throat. The word  elohim  occurs twice in this short verse.  Other than the covenant name, Yahweh , it’s the most common word in the Old Testament for God . The first use of the word in this verse worked fine. But since I knew my Hebrew grammar , I saw immediately that the second instance needed to be translated as plural. There it was, plain as day:  The G...

“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.” ( Genesis 7:16 ) Many stirring books have been written on the general subject of the names of God. Most of the names make use of one or two of the three primary names. The first is Elohim , meaning “mighty one.” It is a uni-plural name—plural in form but singular in meaning and verb usage, suggesting the uni-plural nature of the triune Godhead , appearing in most English translations as “God.” It most often is used when worldwide events or attributes are discussed, including creation, judgment, sovereignty, transcendence, and salvation. The second is Jehovah , meaning “the self-existent one,” which appears as “LORD” in English translations. It stresses God’s holiness, nearness, concern for man (especially Israel ), hatred of sin, love of sinners, and His revelatory nature and communication. The third is Adonai , a more general term meaning master and used of both men...

Image by hickory hardscrabble via Flickr "Hear, O Israel : The LORD our God is one LORD." ( Deuteronomy 6:4 )   This great verse has been recited countless times by Israelites down through the centuries, setting forth their distinctive belief in one great Creator God. The Jews had retained their original belief in creation, handed down from Noah, while the other nations had all allowed their original monotheistic creationism to degenerate into a wide variety of religions, all basically equivalent to the polytheistic evolutionism of the early Sumerians at Babel.   But along with its strong assertion of monotheism, there is also a very real suggestion that this declaration, with its thrice-named subject, is also setting forth the Triune God. The name, "Lord," of course, is Yahweh, or Jehovah , the self-existing One who reveals Himself, while "God" is Elohim , the powerful Creator/Ruler. "Jehovah our Elohim is one Jehovah" is the proclamation....