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Is “ELOHIM” Really Uni-plural? 29

divine” (New Bible Dictionary, J. D. Douglas, God and His singularity. They have supposed,
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, pp. 474, 475). under the influence of well-meaning teachers
and the massive energy of tradition unexamined,
Language has unmistakable ways of tell- that God is really two or three Persons, or as
ing us that a speaker is a singular individual. It some maintain “personal distinctions.”
uses personal pronouns of the first person singu-
lar. We all know this, formally or instinctively: How is this muddle over who God is con-
“I” and “me” require no analysis, much less a ceivable? One sample is found in groups whose
theological dispute. Across the pages of the He- origin is in the teaching of Herbert Armstrong
brew Bible, the One God presents Himself as ex- and the Worldwide Church of God. Armstrong’s
actly one single individual, divine Person: “I.” authoritative voice from the pulpit and radio, re-
That “I” “Me,” and “He,” “Him” has no equals. inforced by constant repetition in the printed
“None is like Him,” and “there is no other be- word, tract and magazine, backed by sophisti-
sides Him.” cated propaganda skills, declared that Elohim is
really a “uniplural” word, like “family.”
Nehemiah 9:6: “You [singular, ‘Thou’ in
1611 English] are Yahweh [YEHOVAH], You But Elohim is not a collective noun. Col-
alone. You have made the heavens of heavens, lective nouns, like nation, army, crowd, herd of
with all their hosts, the earth and all that is on it, cattle, row of trees, chain of mountains, tell us
the seas and all that is in them.” Psalm 83:18: that many living beings or lifeless things are
“Let them know that You [singular] alone, gathered as one unit. But Elohim is not that sort
whose name is Yahweh [YEHOVAH], is the of noun. To present it as a word like “family” is
Most High over all the earth.” Isaiah 43:10, 11: false and misleading. Elohim designates a single
“You are my witnesses, says Yahweh Person, not a group of Persons. Sometimes
[YEHOVAH], and my servant whom I have Elohim has a plural meaning and it is then cor-
chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and rectly translated as gods. The pronouns associ-
understand that I am He. Before me no El [God] ated with Elohim, with plural meaning, are also
was formed nor shall there be any after Me. I, I plural to reflect that plurality: “I said, ‘You [plu-
am Yahweh [YEHOVAH] and besides Me ral] are gods [Elohim]’” (Psalm 82:6). But there
there is no Savior.” Isaiah 45:22: “For I am El are no plural pronouns or verbs associated with
[God] and there is no other.” Psalm 18:31: “Who Yahweh [YEHOVAH], who is Elohim. Would
is Eloah but Yahweh [YEHOVAH]? And who not 6,800 appearances of Yahweh [YEHOVAH]
is a rock except our Elohim?” as a singular word with singular pronouns and
verbs convince us that the one God is never ever
El, Eloah, Elohim and Yahweh to be thought of as plural?
[YEHOVAH]: These words designate the One
and Only God of Israel and of the universe. The Jeremiah 10:10: “Yahweh [YEHOVAH]
invariably singular pronouns which substitute is a God of truth.” Deuteronomy 4:35, 39:
for those divine names merely confirm the obvi- “Yahweh [YEHOVAH] is the God.” Yahweh
ous. They communicate the truth that God is a [YEHOVAH] is a singular God and He is the
single divine Person thousands upon thousands God [HaElohim], par excellence, “the only one
of times. who is truly God,” as Jesus [Yeshua] said ad-
dressing his Father (John 17:3). If the Father of
And yet -- by a miracle of misinterpreta- Jesus [Yeshua] is “the only one who is truly
tion and misunderstanding -- Bible readers have God,” it would be a blatant contradiction of the
managed to miss the glaring fact about the One words of Scripture to say that Jesus [Yeshua] is

The Berean Voice July-August 2002