ELOHIM - A Word Study (Part 1)

This Hebrew word is usually translated ‘God’ in English

Bibles. Using Strong’s Concordance to study the

words, the meaning of ‘elohim’ can be traced back to

its root.

Strong’s gives this explanation for elohim (H430):

Elohim (H430): Plural of H433:

                       gods in the ordinary sense;

                       but specifically used (in the plural thus,

                       especially with the article) of the

                       supreme God;

                       occasionally applied by way of deference

                       to magistrates;     

                       and sometimes as a superlative.

Parts of Speech: Noun Masculine      

KJV Usage: angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly),

X (very) great, judges, X mighty.

1. (plural) a. rulers, judges  b. divine ones  c. angels  d. gods    

2. (plural intensive - singular meaning) 

                  a. god, goddess b. godlike one 

                  c. works or special possessions of God

                  d. the (true) God e. God

So tracing back from the above, it can be seen that the

word ‘elohim’ is the plural of the word ‘eloah’.  Strong’s

defines Eloah (H433) as:

Eloah (H433): probably prolonged (emphatically) from H410;

                      a deity or the deity

Parts of Speech: Noun Masculine

KJV Usage: God, god.

1. God  

2. false god

So far it can be seen that ‘elohim’ is the plural of

‘eloah’, and ‘eloah’ is a form of the word ‘el’.  Going  

back another step towards the root word of ‘elohim’,

Strong’s defines ‘el’ (H410) as:

El (H410): Shortened from H352; strength; as adjective mighty;

               especially the Almighty 

               (but used also of  any deity)

               

Parts of Speech: Noun Masculine    

KJV Usage: God (god), X goodly, X great, idol,

might (-y one), power, strong.

1. god, god-like one, mighty one

    a. men of rank, mighty heroes  b. angels

    c. god, false god (demons, imaginations)

     d. God, the one true God, Jehovah

2. mighty things in nature 

3. strength, power

‘El’ is a shortened form of the word ‘ayil’ (H352). 

Strong’s defines ‘ayil’ as:

Ayil (H352): From the same as H193; properly strength;

                   hence anything strong;

                   specifically a chief (politically);

                   also a ram (from his strength);

                   a pilaster (as a strong support);

                   an oak or other strong tree

Parts of Speech: Noun Masculine                                      

KJV Usage: mighty (man), lintel, oak, post, ram, tree

1. ram   

2. pillar, door post, jambs, pilaster 3. strong man, leader, chief 4. mighty tree, terebinth

Going back one final step, the word ‘ayil’ is the same

as the word ‘ul’ (H193), its meaning is given as:

Ul (H193): From an unused root meaning to twist, that is

                (by implication) be strong;

                the body (as being rolled together)

               also powerful

Parts of Speech: Noun Masculine

KJV Usage: mighty, strength.

1. prominence   a. body, belly (contemptuous) 

                         b. nobles, wealthy men

So to summarize, the word ‘elohim’, and its meaning

can be traced back to a root.  Or the word ‘elohim’ can

be understood as a branch from the root, this way:

1a. ul (H193): to twist the body, by implication to be strong; 

                      prominence, as a body or belly can be

                      prominent;

                      strong and prominent as a nobleman or

                      wealthy man may be seen to be

1b. ayil (H352): a ram, which signifies strength;

                        anything strong, such as a chief, strong

                        man or leader; a ram, a strong support,

                        a strong tree

2.    el (H410): strength or might, especially the Almighty;

                     a god-like one; a god or idol; mighty hero;

                     man of rank; angel; stronghold of imagination;

                     mighty things in nature

3.    eloah (H433): a god or goddess; the Almighty

4.    elohim (H430): gods, goddesses;

                               the Almighty, possibly in the sense of

                               the Almighty and His court of heavenly

                               beings;

                               mighty ones;

                               ones with power, such as magistrates

A word study like this one is only a first step.  Once a word can be traced back to its root, the broader meaning taken into account, and an understanding of the word in its context gained, the next step is to see how the word has been used in the text.

That will be Part 2!

WHAT DOES 'Only begotten' ACTUALLY MEAN?

WORD STUDY OF 'ONLY BEGOTTEN':

The Greek word is G3439 monogenes, 

the corresponding Hebrew word is H3173 yachid.

This Hebrew word H3173 yachid (properly united, that is,
sole; by implication beloved, also lonely)

is translated in Greek as 

G25 agapao (to treat with affection; to caress, love, be fond of)

and                                                                                                                                                                  
G27 agapetos (beloved, esteemed, dear, favourite, worthy of love)

as well as 

G3439 monogenes (single of its kind, only)

USE (Old Testament):

 

H3173 yachid occurs 12 times in the KJV, appearing as the underlined translations below:

He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." Gen 22:2

He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." Gen 22:12

and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, Gen 22:16

Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. Judges 11:34

Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the 
            power of the dog!  Psalm 22:20

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely (alone)
            and afflicted.  Psalm 25:16 

How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! Ps 35:17

God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. Ps 68:6

I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day. Amos 8:10

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. Zech 12:10

USE (New Testament):

There are 9 occurrences of G3439 monogenes in the New Testament:

As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. Luke 7:12

…for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. Luke 8:42a

And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. Luke 9:38

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. John 1:18

(This is not a good translation (ESV), the English words of this very difficult to translate phrase are chosen to express a particular doctrine. The Greek words are more closely rendered this way: No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:18

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, Hebrews 11:17

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9

In the New Testament, there are 109 occurences of the Greek word agapao (G25), and 61 occurences of the Greek word agapetos (G27) being used to render the Hebrew word yachid for ‘only begotten’. 

It is clear there is a heavy emphasis on the state of this child’s being uniquely loved.

SUMMARY:

The ‘only begotten’ is not necessarily the only child. As in the case of Abraham’s children, Isaac is called the ‘only begotten’ son, though it is clear that Abraham had Ishmael as well as other children:

For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him Gen 18:19

But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country. Gen 25:6

The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 1 Chron 1:32a

At the time of Isaac’s birth, it is clear that Isaac was not the firstborn either, as Ishmael was born first. It could be that as the son of the first or fully privileged wife, Isaac was considered the ‘only son’.

With the additional and very frequent translation of ‘only begotten’ as ‘beloved’ it seems clear that the term ‘only begotten’ has far more to do with beloved standing than singleness of offspring. An ‘only begotten’ is uniquely privileged, set apart, ‘only’ in this uniqueness. Or an ‘only begotten’ many be beloved BECAUSE he/she is a single offspring. But the emphasis seems to be quite firmly on the aspect of ‘beloved’ over the aspect of numerically single offspring.

Thoughts on Genesis 1

Before anything was created, the aleph-beit was there, for all things were made through and by it. This is in Jewish tradition, but it also seems to be said by the writers of the Christian bible: 

 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

For by him (the Word…the aleph-beit…made flesh) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Col 1:16

…but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son (the Word…aleph-beit…made flesh), whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he (YHVH) created the world. Heb 1:2

These statements don’t actually say that the Word created the world from personal will…but that creation came about through and for the Word, BY another source. 

So who created the world?

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Gen 1:1

…and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things Eph 3:9

"Worthy are you, our Lord and God (in greater context, this is clearly YHVH alone), to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your (YHVH’s) will they existed and were created." Rev 4:11

Question:

Is the aleph-beit part of YHVH? Is the aleph-beit YHVH in human form?

Thoughts on the question:

The aleph-beit seems more from the mind of YHVH, in a sense, perhaps it could be defined as the thought clothed in something physical or with form. Rather than actually being YHVH. Though certainly, the will and thought of someone are very closely connected with that actual person, the will and thought are not usually considered to BE the person, but to be FROM the person. This seems to be a generally accepted pattern.

A thought that remains in the mind is barren. A thought that is clothed in a physical container can act in the physical world. For example, if someone had a thought to build a bridge across a river, in order to make it easier to access what was on the other side…that thought would have to be expressed in some sort of plan before it could be executed as a physical reality. The plan is not the person who had the thought of it…the plan rather came from the person, it is not PART of the person. Neither is the physical bridge part of the person who had the thought to build it.

Messiah, described as the Word made flesh, seems similar to this plan of the bridge builder. Through and by the plan the bridge is constructed. This seems to fit what the writer of Ephesians says:

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Eph 3:8-1 

The expression ‘the church’ is elsewhere described as the body and bride of Messiah…in other words, part of Messiah, or part of ‘the plan’. So those who ‘abide in’ Messiah as the ‘last Adam’, the ‘spiritual Adam’…instead of remaining in the first Adam, who is dust and who will be consigned to dust…they become, from free will, part of the spiritual Adam clothed in the physical. They become part of the ‘plan’, or to take it one step further, part of the aleph-beit. It is through the aleph-beit that the world was created. Could it be through the aleph-beit (those who are grafted in and those who are natural branches, ruled by the ‘head’ which is Messiah) that the world will be re-created?

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. John 6:63

The Day of Atonement

A Study on Leviticus 16

The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, and the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way (in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month) Aaron shall come into the Holy Place:

Aaron, as the High Priest, was given very specific instructions for this day, otherwise, contact with the holiness of YHVH would kill him as it killed his sons. YHVH provided a way for contact to be made safely, but the way involved the High Priest’s full and humble attention. It also involved all Israel’s observance of the ritual.
 

Aaron first had to remove his usual high priest’s clothing and set these aside, then wash his body with water and put on the simple linen clothing as required on this Day. It appears he was to accomplish this alone, as only the High Priest was to be in the tabernacle at this time of cleansing and sealing it through the rituals of the Day.

Prepared this way, he then had to offer a sacrifice for himself, and a sacrifice for his ‘house’.

The bull that was sacrificed for this atonement had specific commands:

 

• the bull was to be killed and its blood collected (this was normal procedure)
• the coals from the altar were taken in a censer along with two handfuls of incense
• the incense was put on the coals when the priest was in front of the ark of the covenant seemingly SO THAT the cloud of smoke would obscure the priest’s view of the holy place, specifically the mercy seat that is over the testimony, SO THAT he may not die.
• the blood from the bull was sprinkled seven times in front of the mercy seat on the east side
• the fat from the sin offering of the bull was burnt up on the altar
• the carcass, the flesh and the dung (more specifically the offal, or intestines) of both the bull and the goat (see below) were brought outside the camp and burned up there
• the person who carried these out and burned them now had to wash his clothes and bathe his body in water before he could return to the camp

The goat that was offered as a sin offering for the people (remember, there was a ram to be offered as well, so this goat must have been the one of the two goats that the lot fell on) also had specific commands:

• the lots had to be cast over the goats at the entrance to the tent of meeting
• the one that fell to the Lord was sacrificed and the blood collected (a normal procedure)
• the blood of the goat that was for the sins of the people also was sprinkled in front of the mercy seat. It doesn’t say specifically, but implies that it would also be seven times, and to the east of the front of the seat.
• the skin, flesh and dung (insides) of the goat were removed outside the camp to be burned there. The person who did this had to wash his clothes and body before returning to the camp.

Only NOW was the Holy Place consecrated, sealed as clean ‘in the midst of their uncleanness’.

 

Next, the altar that is before the Lord had to be consecrated.

• some of the blood of the bull AND the blood of the goat were now placed on the four corners of the altar
• the blood was sprinkled on the altar seven times

Finally, the people were cleansed.

• the live goat, the one set apart for ‘Azazel’ was presented before the people.
• the High Priest laid both his hands on the head of the goat.
• with his hands on the head of the goat, he confessed the ‘iniquities’ the ‘transgressions’ and the ‘sins’ of the people of Israel over the goat.
• he ‘put them’ on the head of the goat.
• the goat was taken by someone (else) into the wilderness, and left there.

Now Aaron returned to the tent of meeting. He removed his linen garments in a holy place, washed his body a second time, and put on his high priest’s clothing again.

The sin offerings have been completed; next the burnt offerings are to be presented. It appears that the ram for Aaron and his ‘house’ and the ram for the people were now offered in the prescribed way.

 

"And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. And this shall be a statute forever for you that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins."

And Moses did as the LORD commanded him.

This is the key passage as to what ‘atonement’ is and also what it means to ‘afflict yourselves’.

The word translated ‘forever’ is olam H5769, generally time out of mind (past or future), that is, (practically) eternity. From H5956 alam, meaning to veil from sight, that is, conceal (literally or figuratively).

The word translated ‘afflict’ is anah H6031: to be busied with, to be occupied, with the idea of looking down, to be humbled, weakened, to stoop. In the context it’s used in here, it appears to mean not only to not do any work, any of the Israelites and any of the strangers who dwelt with them, but to be fully occupied (in sincere humility) with the rituals of the Day. It’s a different thing from commands of the other High Sabbaths, in that there was no requirement then to be fully occupied, as those days had no particular rituals that of necessity involved ALL the people.

IMAGE...a study of the Greek and Hebrew words

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”
 

image – Hebrew H6754 tselem (noun, masculine) from an unused root meaning to shade, a phantom (figuratively), an illusion, resemblance, a representative figure: especially an idol   

likeness – Hebrew H1823 demuth (from H1819) a resemblance, model, shape; from H1819 (verb) to be like, by implication to resemble, to liken, compare

You could use more words to more clearly express this as: 

Then God said, “Let us make man as our representative, an illusion or shadow picture of us, in our likeness and as a model of us, which compares to us…”
 

This understanding is emphasized further in the following words:
 

“…And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
 

In other words, man was made as a representative of God in the earth, to rule over the creatures and the earth they inhabit. It implies that man was to rule after God’s model, as if God was ruling the earth, according to His will. For the creatures of the earth and the earth itself, it would be AS IF God Himself was ruling.  

Yet man was not God, nor was he a part of God. God did not take of His essence and make man a mini-God, so to speak. Man, as a created being himself, carried the representation of God (and it appears it a physical representation as well) to the created earth. Man is NOT in any sense God. Yet it is AS IF he is God to the earth. A clear distinction must be maintained here.  

This Hebrew word, tselem, is used 15 times in the Tanakh. A few examples: Genesis 5:3 Adam begat a son in his own likeness (demuth), after his image (tselem). Numbers 33:52 Israel was to destroy the idols (tselem) of the inhabitants of the land they were to possess. 1 Samuel 6:5, 11 Philistines made images (tselem) of the hemorroids and mice that plagued them, as an offering. 2 Kings 11:18, 2 Chron 23:17 images (tselem) of Ba’al were destroyed. Psalm 39:6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow (tselem) Psalm 73:20 a dream is called a tselem. Ezekiel 23:14 images painted on a wall are called tselem. 
 
It is fairly clear from this broad selection of verses, that the word tselem means ONLY a representation, and does not in any sense convey that the image actually IS or is of the essence of the real. It is a copy and representation, not a clone.  

In the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, these Greek words are used: Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” image – Greek G1504 eikon (noun, feminine) an image, likeness, representation literally a statue, a bust.  

Several Christian theologians have interpreted this word to mean: properly, "mirror-like representation," referring to what is very close in resemblance (like a "high-definition" projection, as defined by the context). Image then exactly reflects its source (what it directly corresponds to). For example, Christ is the very image of the Godhead. But some go further than the actual meaning: Eikon (the Greek word translated 'image') assumes a prototype, of which it not merely resembles, but from which it is drawn" (R. Trench). Eikon then is more than a "shadow"; rather it is a replication (F. F. Bruce, Hebrews, 226; see also Lightfoot at Col 3:10 and 2:21).  

These theologians have interpreted this word quite differently than it is interpreted in Hebrew. In Hebrew it is most definitely NOT a ‘replication’ or something actually ‘drawn from’ the original.  

The only place this definition might possibly be understood this way is Genesis 5:3; that Seth was made in the image of Adam. However, even here we can’t really say Seth was a  duplicate or exact replication of Adam. Yes, Seth was drawn from Adam in the sense of being of Adam’s (and Eve's) substance. So were Cain and Abel. But the words go on to describe how Seth was born in the likeness of Adam, seeming to imply there was something about Seth that set him apart from Cain and Abel, who were not described this way. 

Verse 1 states that man was created in the image of God, and verse 3 states that Seth was in the image of Adam. There seems to be a comparison here between specifically Seth and Adam that followed the comparison between God and Adam. 

In most of the verses above, where the Hebrew word ‘tselem’ was used, the Greek word ‘eikon’ or a related word has been used in the Septuagint. 

In Numbers 33:52 Israel was to destroy the idols (Hebrew tselem, Greek eidolon, G1497) from the land.  Here idols is the word 'eidolon' (noun, neuter) meaning an image (for the purpose of worship) by implication a false god, an idol This is a comparable word to the Hebrew tselem, as in this case it is clearly referring to idols.  

1 Samuel 6: 5,11 Philistines made images (Hebrew tselem, Greek homoioma, G3667) of the hemorroids and mice. This is also a comparable word to the Hebrew tselem, in this case it is clearly referring to a copy or representation. representation – Greek G3667 (noun, neuter) a likeness, form, similitude a thing made like something else  

Conclusion: The Hebrew word tselem and the Greek word eikon define a likeness with a high degree of similarity, both in form and purpose. The copy does not carry the actual essence of the original. The copy is not made OF the original.  

The word eikon  in the New Testament writings has been used to create Christian doctrine that Christ, being the eikon/image of God, actually IS God, or contains actual essence of God.   This teaching is quite visibly absent from the Tanakh.  

The church doctrine claims that Christ is to be worshipped AS God. And many Christians have substituted worship of Christ FOR worship of God.  

Is this important? It is important to have a clear understanding of who Christ/Messiah is (and perhaps, isn’t) because IF he isn’t of the essence of God, and is being worshipped AS God, or even in addition to God, then the Christian is no different from most of the Israelites of the Old Testament, who worshipped God AS WELL as images (tselem/eikon) of God (s), or who worshipped the image (tselem/eikon) as if it were God, in place of God. The Golden Calf incident is a prime example. 

If Christ IS God, and I'm most definitely NOT advancing any agenda here other than to encourage each believer to study and gain understanding of this firsthand; then a careful and humble study of ALL the Tanakh should support this clearly.  

YHVH is a God of order and reason, not of disorder and confusion. He DOES NOT HIDE THE TRUTH from those who will apply their whole being to being willing to learn and live it. In the 'ten words' (Exodus 20) demonstrated in the rulings contained in Torah, He has told us ALL that we need to know to serve Him.  This is fully supported by the Hebrew writings and the Prophets of the Tanakh, which do not presume to add new teaching.

If we are reading the New Testament properly (and not reading into it what isn’t there, due to having our minds clouded with false doctrine) and if the New Testament writings are truth, then they will ALSO clearly support the Tanakh. For the record, I believe they do!  They will not bring in new doctrine that is unsupported by the words 'written by the finger of God' (the 'ten words').  

There is a lot at stake, and nothing to fear from careful examination of our understanding of truth. Though we have reason to fear God if we deliberately remain in rebellious error. Careful study of God’s Words (applied to our life) brings Him honour and brings us truth. Careful study done prayerfully and humbly will never lead us astray, though it certainly can and should shake the foundations of a false faith.