Ancient Israel was devoted to Monotheism, but was constantly challenged by Polytheistic Pagan ideas.
The Jewish Bible, or Old Testament was compiled from various historical tales depicting many Gods. Bible authors would use the term ELOHIM to refer to the God, YAHWEH (singular), and also to other Gods, deities and figures (plural).The table below lists Bible verses which use ELOHIM (Gods, plural) or YAHWEH (God, singular).
Who is YAHWEH?
Yahweh's name may have begun as an epithet of El, head of the Bronze Age Canaanite pantheon. The earliest mentions of Yahweh are in Egyptian texts that refer to a similar-sounding place name associated with the Shasu Nomads of the Southern Transjordan. Over time, Yahweh became the highest god, acquiring all the qualities previously held by other Gods and Goddesses. By the 6th century BC (Babylonian exile), the existence of 'lesser' Gods was denied, and Yahweh was proclaimed as the true, only God of the world.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord [YAHWEH] our God [ELOHIM], the Lord is one.
And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars - all the heavenly array - do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord [YAHWEH] your God [ELOHIM] has apportioned to all the nations under heaven
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord [YAHWEH] appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty [SHADDAY] God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
And the Lord [YAHWEH] spake unto Moses, saying ...
I am the Lord [YAHWEH] your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God [ELOHIM]: I am the Lord [YAHWEH] your God [ELOHIM]
And God [ELOHIM] said unto him [Moses], I am God [EL] Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods [ELOHIM] of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord [YAHWEH]
And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God [ELOHIM] appeared unto him [JACOB], when he fled from the face of his brother
Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess [ELOHIM] of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god [ELOHIM] of the Moabites, and Milcom the god [ELOHIM] of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god [ELOHIM] giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord [YAHWEH] our God [ELOHIM] shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.
Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess [ELOHIM] of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god [ELOHIM] of the Moabites, and Milcom the god [ELOHIM] of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.
They sacrificed unto devils, not to God [ELOHIM]; to gods [ELOHIM] whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not
Now there was a day when the sons of God [ELOHIM] came to present themselves before the Lord [YAHWEH], and Satan came also among them
Who is ELOHIM?
And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God [ELOHIM]
In the beginning, God [ELOHIM] created the heaven and the earth
And the Gods [ELOHIM] said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God [ELOHIM] came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
That the sons of God [ELOHIM] saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
The king said to her, 'Do not be afraid. What do you see?' And the woman said to Saul, 'I saw gods [ELOHIM] coming out of the earth'
Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods [ELOHIM] and bow down to them
Now let my lord [ADONAI] the king listen to his servant's words. If the Lord [YAHWEH] has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! [YAHWEH] They have driven me today from my share in the Lord's [YAHWEH] inheritance and have said, 'Go, serve other gods [ELOHIM]'
God [ELOHIM] has taken his place in the Divine Council; in the midst of the gods [ELOHIM] he holds judgement:
ESV BIBLE
God [ELOHIM] has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods [ELOHIM] he holds judgement:
ESV BIBLE
I have said, Ye are gods [ELOHIM]; and all of you are children of the most High [EL]. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
Arise, O God [ELOHIM], judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations
He who sacrifices to any god [ELOHIM], other than to the Lord [YAHWEH] alone, shall be utterly destroyed
You must not worship the Lord [YAHWEH] your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods [ELOHIM], they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord [YAHWEH] hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods [ELOHIM]
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God [ELOHIM] shouted for joy?
YAHWEH is Elohim
In the 1960s, a debate emerged over the interpretation of Psalm 82:1-8 summarized by Anthony Hanson. Hanson pointed to 4 different ways the "Ye are ELOHIM" was understood. It could mean ELOHIM were:
(a) Angels
(b) Melchizedek
(c) Judges
(d) Israel at Sinai
All four interpretations are supported in Jewish traditions and attested to in Midrashic literature. 1
Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord [YAHWEH] God [ELOHIM] of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt
A Psalm of David. Give unto the Lord [YAHWEH], O ye mighty, give unto the Lord [YAHWEH] glory and strength
For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? [YAHWEH] who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? [YAHWEH]
For you, Lord [YAHWEH], are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods [ELOHIM]
And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the Lord [YAHWEH] your God [ELOHIM]. And all the congregation blessed the Lord [YAHWEH] God [ELOHIM] of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord [YAHWEH], and the king
And he said, Lord [YAHWEH] God [ELOHIM] of Israel, there is no God [ELOHIM] like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart
So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today--to love the Lord [YAHWEH] your God [ELOHIM] and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul
I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God [EL] Almighty, but by my name the LORD [YAHWEH] I did not make myself fully known to them.
God In Islam
Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;
Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
And there is none like unto Him.
NOTES
1 https://www3.nd.edu/~jneyrey1/Gods.html
For verification on the Hebrew words, Elohim, Yahweh etc. go to biblehub.com and select the Interlinear Option
i.e. For GENESIS 1:1, view https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/1-1.htm
CREDIT
https://blog.logos.com/2017/10/the-elohim-what-or-who-are-they/
https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/.premium.MAGAZINE-when-the-jews-believed-in-other-gods-1.6315810
https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/misc/name_god.cfm
https://emahiser.christogenea.org/yahweh-singular-elohim
| Author: Guest • Updated: 10 Aug 2019 |
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