The Elohim Question — Why a Generic Word Identifies No One

Public source text: WLC (Westminster Leningrad Codex) + Nestle 1904. Translation: Belem-2025 Bible translation — literal, rigid, directly from the public códices.

Investigation status: OPEN. This article raises forensic questions without definitive resolution. The data are presented. The conclusions are the reader’s.

The word everyone assumes they understand

Open a Bible in English. Read “God.” Assume it refers to a single entity. Repeat thousands of times. This is the standard procedure for biblical reading in the West.

Now open the Hebrew codex. The word that was translated as “God” is, in the vast majority of occurrences, אֱלֹהִים — Elohim.

And here the forensic problem begins.

Elohim is not a proper name. It is not a personal identification. It does not point to a single entity. It is a generic designation — a functional title meaning “mighty one(s)”, “divinity/divinities”, “divine being(s)”. And the códices apply this designation to multiple distinct entities.

The forensic question that should precede every reading of the Hebrew text:

When you read “Elohim” — WHICH Elohim?

The morphological problem — plural, not singular

Before examining the occurrences, a linguistic datum that translators normally bypass.

The form אֱלֹהִים (Elohim) is morphologically plural. The suffix -im (ים) is the standard masculine plural marker in Hebrew. Just as seraphim (שְׂרָפִים) are “burning ones” (plural) and cherubim (כְּרוּבִים) are “cherubs” (plural), elohim is — by morphology — “gods” or “mighty ones” (plural).

Theological tradition explains the plural as a “plural of majesty” — a singular disguised as plural for reasons of reverence. Philological exegesis records: this explanation is a theory, not a datum of the text. The text writes plural. What the reader does with that is interpretation.

The Belem-2025 Bible translation, by its principle of rigid literality, transliterates: it writes Elohim without translating. The reader sees the original word and decides for themselves.

Catalog of occurrences — Elohim applied to entities that are not Yahweh (יהוה — yhwh; trad. “Jehovah”¹)

This is the core of the investigation. Six passages. Six different entities. All called “Elohim” in the códices. None of them is yhwh.

Evidence 1 — The Malakh in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-6)

וַיֵּרָ֠א מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהוָ֥ה אֵלָ֛יו בְּלַבַּת־אֵ֖שׁ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֑ה vayyera malakh yhwh elav b’labbat-esh mittokh has’neh “And the malakh [messenger] of Yahweh (yhwh) appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush.” — Ex 3:2

Verse 2 identifies the entity as malakh Yahweh (yhwh) — messenger of yhwh. Not yhwh. The one sent by yhwh.

But in verse 6, this same entity declares:

אָנֹכִ֗י אֱלֹהֵ֤י אָבִ֙יךָ֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִצְחָ֖ק וֵאלֹהֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֑ב anokhi Elohei avikha Elohei Avraham Elohei Yitschaq ve-Elohei Ya’aqov “I am the Elohim of your father, Elohim of Abraham, Elohim of Isaac, and Elohim of Jacob.”

Forensic problem: Who is speaking? Verse 2 says: the malakh. Verse 6 says: this entity declares itself “Elohim.” A messenger self-declares as Elohim. The text does not resolve the ambiguity — it creates it.

The conventional translation resolves the problem by capitalizing: “God.” But the codex does not capitalize. The codex writes Elohim — and the reader must decide whether it is Yahweh (yhwh), whether it is the malakh representing Yahweh (yhwh), or whether it is something else entirely.

Evidence 2 — Moses given as Elohim (Exodus 7:1)

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה רְאֵ֛ה נְתַתִּ֥יךָ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לְפַרְעֹ֑ה vayyomer yhwh el-Mosheh r’eh n’tattikha Elohim l’Far’oh “And Yahweh (yhwh) said to Moses: See — I have given you [as] Elohim to Pharaoh.”

Moses. A human being. Given as Elohim. Not metaphorically. The text uses the same word — אֱלֹהִים — that designates the Creator in Gênesis 1:1.

If Elohim were a proper name exclusive to a single entity, this attribution to Moses would be blasphemy. But the text makes it without hesitation. Because Elohim is a function, not an identity.

Evidence 3 — The council of the elohim (Psalm 82:1-6)

אֱלֹהִ֗ים נִצָּ֥ב בַּעֲדַת־אֵ֑ל בְּקֶ֖רֶב אֱלֹהִ֣ים יִשְׁפֹּֽט Elohim nitstsav ba’adat-El b’qerev Elohim yishpot “Elohim stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of elohim he judges.” — Ps 82:1

An assembly. Multiple entities. All called elohim. And one of them — unidentified — judges the others.

Verse 6:

אֲנִֽי־אָ֭מַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִ֣ים אַתֶּ֑ם וּבְנֵ֖י עֶלְי֣וֹן כֻּלְּכֶֽם ani-amarti Elohim attem uv’nei Elyon kull’khem “I said: you are elohim, and sons of Elyon — all of you.”

Forensic datum: There are multiple entities called elohim. They are also called “sons of Elyon” — sons of the Most High. The text does not equate these entities with yhwh. It distinguishes them. And yet, they all carry the designation elohim.

Evidence 4 — Jesus quotes Psalm 82 (John 10:34)

ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· οὐκ ἔστιν γεγραμμένον ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ὑμῶν ὅτι ἐγὼ εἶπα· θεοί ἐστε; apekrithe autois ho Iesous: ouk estin gegrammenon en to nomo hymon hoti ego eipa: theoi este? “Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law that I said: you are gods [theoi]?”

Jesus directly quotes Psalm 82:6. In Greek, he uses θεοί (theoi) — plural of Theos. The same word that designates “God” in the New Testament. Jesus confirms: beings who are not the Creator can be legitimately called theoi/elohim.

Forensic implication: If Jesus himself validates that the designation “elohim/theoi” applies to beings who are neither himself nor the Creator, then every occurrence of “Elohim” in the códices is an open question — not an automatic answer.

Evidence 5 — The specter of Samuel (1 Samuel 28:13)

וַתֹּ֤אמֶר הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ אֶל־שָׁא֔וּל אֱלֹהִ֥ים רָאִ֖יתִי עֹלִ֥ים מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ vattomer ha’ishah el-Sha’ul Elohim ra’iti olim min-ha’arets “And the woman said to Saul: Elohim I saw ascending from the earth.”

The medium of En-Dor. Summoning Samuel. What she sees ascending from the earth, she calls Elohim. Not yhwh. Not an angel. The specter of a dead prophet — designated with the same word that Gênesis 1:1 uses for the Creator.

Forensic problem: If “Elohim” exclusively meant the Creator, this passage would be theologically impossible. A human ghost cannot be the Creator. But the text uses the same designation — because the word does not identify. It describes a category: supernatural being, entity of power.

Evidence 6 — Chemosh, elohim of Moab (Judges 11:24)

הֲלֹא֩ אֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֜ר יוֹרִֽישְׁךָ֞ כְּמ֤וֹשׁ אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אוֹת֣וֹ תִירָ֔שׁ halo et asher yorish’kha K’mosh Elohekha oto tirash “Is it not that which Chemosh, your Elohim, causes you to possess — that you possess?” — Judg 11:24

Jephthah speaking to the Ammonites. Referring to Chemosh (כְּמוֹשׁ) — the deity of Moab. And calling him Elohekha — “your Elohim.”

A foreign deity. Called Elohim. In the same text that calls Yahweh (yhwh) Elohim. Using the same root, the same morphology, the same designation.

The capitalization problem — the translator’s invisible decision

When the translator reads אֱלֹהִים in the codex and writes “God” (capitalized), he has already decided it refers to Yahweh (yhwh) — or the Creator — before checking the context. When he writes “gods” (lowercase), he has already decided it does not.

Hebrew has no capital letters. The codex does not graphically distinguish “God” from “gods.” Every occurrence of אֱלֹהִים is visually identical. The decision to capitalize belongs to the translator, not the text.

Six occurrences. Six editorial decisions. Six times the translator chose for you before you read.

The Belem-2025 Bible translation resolves this at the root: transliteration. It writes Elohim in every occurrence. The reader sees the same word the codex presents. And must decide on their own which entity the text refers to.

Six open forensic questions

This investigation does not resolve. It raises. Six questions that remain open:

Question 1 — The assembly of Psalm 82

If multiple entities are called elohim, and these entities are also “sons of Elyon” (Ps 82:6) — what is the relationship between Elyon, these elohim, and Yahweh (yhwh)? The text of Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (LXX/4QDeutJ) suggests that Yahweh (yhwh) is one of the sons of Elyon who received Israel as his portion. If correct, Yahweh (yhwh) is an elohim — not the Elohim.

Question 2 — The identity of the Elohim of Gênesis 1

Gênesis 1:1 uses Elohim as the agent of creation. Tradition assumes this Elohim = yhwh. But the name Yahweh (yhwh) only appears from Gênesis 2:4 onward. Are they the same? Colossians 1:16 attributes creation to Jesus. Is the Elohim of Gênesis 1 Jesus, Yahweh (yhwh), or another entity? The Hebrew text does not answer — it uses only the generic designation.

Question 3 — The malakh who self-declares as Elohim

In Exodus 3, the malakh (messenger) of Yahweh (yhwh) declares himself “Elohim of your father.” Can a messenger legitimately carry the title of the one who sent him? If so, how many occurrences of “Elohim” in the códices are actually a messenger speaking on behalf of — and not the entity in person?

Question 4 — Is the plural literal or honorific?

The -im form is plural. Tradition says: it is a “plural of majesty.” Is there internal evidence within the 66 Books that biblical Hebrew uses a plural of majesty as a regular grammatical category? Or was this explanation constructed to resolve the theological problem of the plural?

Question 5 — If humans can be elohim, what does the word actually mean?

Moses is given as Elohim (Ex 7:1). The judges of Psalm 82 are called elohim. Jesus validates this in John 10:34. If human beings can legitimately receive the designation “elohim,” does the word denote ontological nature (divine being by essence) or delegated function (acting with divine authority)? The answer radically changes what “Elohim created the heavens and the earth” means.

Question 6 — How many elohim are there in the 66 Books?

Yahweh (yhwh) is called Elohim. The malakh of Yahweh (yhwh) is called Elohim. Moses is called Elohim. The beings of the celestial council are called elohim. The specter of Samuel is called Elohim. Chemosh is called Elohim. How many distinct entities receive this designation throughout the 66 Books — and what does that imply for every time we read “God” in a translation?

Connection to the Belem-2025 Bible translation methodology

The decision to never translate divine designations is not aesthetic. It is forensic.

When the Belem-2025 Bible translation writes “Elohim” instead of “God,” it preserves the original ambiguity of the text. The reader is forced to ask: which Elohim? When it writes “Yahweh (yhwh)” instead of “LORD,” it preserves the distinction that the Septuagint and Latin translations collapsed.

Four distinct words in the códices. Four designations with potentially different referents. In conventional translations, all collapsed into “God” or “Lord.”

Evidence map

                    אֱלֹהִים (ELOHIM)
                    Generic designation
                           |
         ┌─────────┬───────┼───────┬─────────┬──────────┐
         |         |       |       |         |          |
     CREATOR   MALAKH   MOSES   COUNCIL  SPECTER   CHEMOSH
     Gen 1:1   Ex 3:6   Ex 7:1  Ps 82:1  1Sam 28:13 Judg 11:24
     ?=yhwh    ?=yhwh   human   multiple  Samuel    Moab
     ?=Jesus   ?=repr.  deleg.  "sons     human     foreign
               ?=other  funct.  of Elyon" ghost     deity
         |         |       |       |         |          |
         └─────────┴───────┴───────┴─────────┴──────────┘
                           |
                    SAME WORD
                    SIX REFERENTS
                    ZERO CAPITALIZATION
                    IN THE HEBREW CODEX

Stress test

Conclusion — an investigation that remains open

Elohim is not a name. It is a designation. Generic. Plural in form. Applied to Yahweh (yhwh), to messengers, to Moses, to celestial judges, to ghosts, and to foreign deities. Every time a translation writes “God” where the codex writes אֱלֹהִים, it makes an interpretive decision that the original text did not make.

This investigation does not conclude who the Elohim is. It demonstrates that the question “which Elohim?” is legitimate, necessary, and systematically suppressed by translations.

The six questions remain open. The data are presented. The códices are public. Verification is possible.

Tradition read “Elohim” and wrote “God” — as if the answer had already been given. The Hebrew text shows that the question has not yet been asked.

“You read. And the interpretation is yours.”