Elohim

6 synonyms for Elohim, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — One of the principal Hebrew names for God in the Hebrew Bible, used of the God of Israel as creator and sovereign; it is grammatically a plural form but takes singular verbs when it refers to the one God.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

God El gods

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

Adonai deities divine beings

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

One of the principal Hebrew names for God in the Hebrew Bible, used of the God of Israel as creator and sovereign; it is grammatically a plural form but takes singular verbs when it refers to the one God.

“The opening line of Genesis says that in the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.”

God El Adonai

2. noun

In its literal plural sense, gods or divine beings, used in the Hebrew Bible of the gods of other nations and of members of the divine council.

“The commandment forbids having other elohim before the God of Israel.”

gods deities divine beings

How to use Elohim

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

Elohim created the name Elohim Yahweh Elohim bene elohim

Capitalised when it names the God of Israel; lower-case 'elohim' when it means gods generally.

Etymology

Hebrew אֱלֹהִים, the plural of 'eloah', related to the older Semitic word 'el' meaning god or deity.

Full origin of Elohim →

Frequently asked questions

Why is Elohim plural if it refers to one God?

Hebrew uses plural forms for more than counting; scholars generally read Elohim as a plural of majesty or intensity, expressing fullness of divinity rather than several gods. The decisive evidence is grammatical: when it means the God of Israel, the verbs and adjectives attached to it are singular.

What is the difference between Elohim and Yahweh?

Elohim is a general word for God or gods that can be used of any deity, while Yahweh, written YHWH, is the personal covenant name of the God of Israel. English Bibles usually translate Elohim as 'God' and YHWH as 'the LORD' in small capitals.

Is Elohim the same as Allah?

They are separate words from related Semitic roots, both meaning 'God', with Hebrew Elohim and Arabic Allah descending from the same underlying stem 'il' or 'el'. Jews, Christians and Muslims each use their own term for the one God of Abraham, so the words are cousins rather than translations of each other.

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god el gods Adonai

Nearby words

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