Theological Term of the Week

Elohim
The Hebrew word for God, and one of the names of God revealed in scripture, used first in Genesis 1:1. Scholars debate Elohim’s exact origin and meaning.

• In scripture: 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth… . And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:1, 3 ESV)

And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. (Genesis 17:7 ESV)

• From Blue Letter Bible’s The Names of God in the Old Testament:

Elohim is translated as “God.” The derivation of the name Elohim is debatable to most scholars. Some believe it derived from ‘êlwhich, in turn, originates from the root word, ‘wl (which means “strong”). Others think that Elohim is derived from another two roots: ‘lh (which means “god”) in conjunction with ‘elôah (which means “fear”). And still others presume that both ‘êland Elohim come from ‘eloah.

Learn more:

1. Blue Letter Bible: Elohim and a list of all the uses of Elohim in the Old Testament
2. Theopedia: Elohim
3. Andrew Jukes: God or Elohim
4. Dr. Joseph Pipa: Elohim - Eternal Powerful Creator of All Things - Genesis 1 (audio)

Related terms:

• names of God
• tetragrammaton

Filed under God’s Nature and His Work

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on Theological Terms in the navigation bar above will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.