Names in the Bible have significance, often providing crucial information about the character or actions of people in a given narrative. God’s names have particular significance in revealing who He is and how He relates to His people. One of the more frequent names for God in the Old Testament is Elohim, with the translation simply being “God.” But what exactly does the name Elohim tell us about who God is? Three comments aid us in understanding this name of God.
1. This divine name carries the connotation of the power and majesty of God, who is to be feared.
While the etymology of Elohim is a topic of debate, most discussions center around two similar verbs that mean “to be strong” or “to dread.” Possible conceptions of the name are therefore “one who is strong” or “one who is to be feared.” While there may be debate as to etymology, both ideas would be true conceptually. For God to be the “mighty One” entails that He ought to be feared; for Him to be feared entails that He is mighty. Psalm 77 reflects both ideas. The psalmist, speaking from hardship and suffering, turns his eyes to God and exclaims in Psalm 77:13–14:
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders,
you have made known your might among the peoples.
In comparing Elohim to false gods, the psalmist proclaims God’s greatness expressed in His might. As the psalmist continues, the mighty deeds of God also strike fear in the created order (Ps. 77:16–20). To confess God as Elohim is to see Him as the “mighty One” who is to be feared. This name draws our attention to the reality that God is the great God, and there is none like Him. It calls us to
“Behold your God!”
Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him. (Isa. 40:9–10)
This God who works in the “greatness of his might” as One “strong in power” cannot be compared to any false god or creature (Isa. 40:18, 25–26).
2. Elohim is the plural form of the name El or Eloha, both of which have the same translation of “God.”
Occasionally, the plural form Elohim denotes a plurality of gods when used to refer to false gods or idols (see Deut. 29:18; Isa. 42:17). However, when applied to the God of Israel, it never has the connotation of there being more gods than the one true God. It is not a true plural, but a plural of majesty that often occurs in conjunction with the divine name Yahweh in the phrase “The Lord God” (Yahweh Elohim). A plural of majesty occurs when someone in high authority (a monarch, for example) uses the plural to speak in their official, authoritative capacity. The use of the plural draws attention to the royal and majestic nature of the person. So also with the name Elohim. This regular use of the plural form as a divine name is an expression of His exclusive royal majesty, that “the Lord is God; there is no other besides him” (Deut. 4:35).
3. Sometimes a biblical author purposefully uses one divine name over another.
When this is done with the name Elohim, it often communicates God’s royal majesty over all creation and nations. While more examples could be given, one must suffice for such a short article. In Genesis 1, the creative work is attributed to Elohim, while Genesis 2 continues to use the name Yahweh. This choice of Elohim in Genesis 1 was likely purposeful, to show that this “mighty One” is the Ruler of all creation. Isaiah 45:18 makes a similar statement where the prophet essentially says, “The One who made the heavens and the earth, He is God (Elohim).” Because He is the Maker of all things, He is the “God (Elohim) of the whole earth” (Isa. 54:5). As creator-God, He is the One “enthroned above the cherubim” who is God (Elohim) “alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth” (Isa. 37:16).
What does this name mean for God’s people? It calls us to confess, as the prophet Isaiah does, that God is God and there is no other (see Isa. 44:8). All idols and all other gods are nothing and have no profit for the life of man (Isa. 44:9–10). God alone has divine royal majesty and is to be worshiped and adored exclusively. As Elohim, we must listen to and obey His Word. As Ecclesiastes 12:13 tells us, “Fear God (Elohim) and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
Moreover, God, the mighty One, is the One who works in the strength of His might for His people. The mighty and majestic One to be feared is the “God of my salvation” (Ps. 18:46), the living God who works mightily for the salvation of His people. In fact, one of the most common uses of Elohim is in phraseology relating to His being the “God of” His people: “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God” (Ex. 6:7). The wonderful works of salvation and the reality of God’s claiming a people as His own are outworkings of His own power and royal majesty as Elohim. Therefore, what have we to fear? If Elohim is for us, who can be against us? Who else is the rock and fortress of His people but Elohim? Who else provides the necessary power and strength to live and persevere in this life but Elohim? As the psalmist declares:
Who is God but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless. (Ps. 18:31–32)
Elohim is the one and true mighty God, the God of His people—their strength, refuge, and Savior.
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William Wood
Dr. William M. Wood is associate professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary Atlanta and an ordained teaching elder at Christ Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Ga.
