Why is Elohim in the plural | Rabbi Ari Shvat | Ask the Rabbi

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Question

Shalom, dear Rabbi ! A Christian missionary mentioned a text in Deuteronomy 6:4, known as the Shema Yisrael, and told me that the Hebrew text used the word Eloheinu which is plural of elohah , and means our gods. He brings this as evidence that the Lord is composed of several gods in one God. Dear Rabbi, could you please tell me whether this word is evidence that our Lord consists of several gods, and is there a difference between the word (elohim) and (elowhah)?! Thank you

Answer

Elohim is technically plural, but unfortunately the lack of knowledge of Biblical Hebrew can make a simple question sound difficult to the outsider. In Hebrew, as in ancient Arabic and Latin, respect is conveyed by using the plural ("Pluralis majestatis"), sort of like the "Royal 'we'" in English, where the king refers to himself as "we". See for example Isaiah 19, 4 where the Bible uses singular and plural together regarding the Egyptian king: "… in the hand of hard (singular) masters (plural) and a brazen king", where obviously that monarch is the one and only ruler. Similarly in Breishit 39, 40 regarding Potiphar, "And Joseph's masters (plural) took (singular) him"; and (42, 30), regarding Joseph, "that man (singular), the masters (plural) of the land"; Shemot 22, 10, "its owners (plural) shall accept (singular) it"; and (21, 4) "if his masters will give (singular) him a wife". None of these could have ever been misconstrued as referring to several or a trinity, although they are all technically plural! The term Eloha, which is without that respectful plural, is almost never used in the Torah and only in a poetic form (e.g. Dvarim 32).

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2 Repliesin 2 Discussions

M Michael |19 Heshvan 5782

Continued on God Being Plural|Singular

In addition, you could look at Genesis and the creation account and say that Elohim (plural), was many gods creating the heavens and the earth. As you read chapter 1 and 2:1-3, you could get the impression that gods made the earth. However, 2:4 rolls around and we find out who Elohim/God is. Although it's a plural, it is referring to one God-the LORD (which the Lord is obviously a substitution for the actual name of God), same as found in Deut. 6:4, where HE tells us His Name and tells us he's not multiple, but one; maybe plural is substance (he can be spirit in all places, and even appear as a messenger, all at the same time), but not in essence (there's not a bunch of different ones of Himself, it's all Himself). That's how I logically sort out the explanation. God is quite a paradox many times to us.

M Matt |4 Shevat 5784

French Comparison

I am thinking of this in the example of the French words for "you": "tu" and "vous," where "tu" is informal, and you wouldn't address the CEO of your workplace like that. You would use the formal/plural "vous." I'm not an expert on this matter, though, so I might be a bit off the mark, but I don't think I am.