Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Doug Kasten <doug.kasten AT juno.com>]

To b-hebrewers interested in translation:

I have a friend in Mozambique working on getting some OT Bible portions
into a vernacular there.  His query to me was the following:

"When the guy I work with got to the part about "Let us make man in our
image..." he was really confused.  I was thinking, since it's just a very
simple story book and our first try at translating anything, of doing it
in singular.

What's the deal with that passage, anyway?  (Gen. 1.26) I guess Elohim
must be plural, but I thought that was just a fixed form.  The LXX says
"Let us make" but my Hebrew is not good enough to check there.
My commentary says people used to think it referred to the trinity, but
he thinks it refers to God and the angels."

My own counsel was that I was going to do some research (really going out
on a limb, I know), part of which is to get some thoughts from the group,
particularly the translators among you.

My initial word was that he not decide anything yet.  Elohim often
(intuitively I'd say typically but I haven't counted) agrees with
singular verb forms in 3rd and 1st person alike if I'm not mistaken. 
This instance is plural.  That seems to be something not to be brushed
aside likely.

If the associate in question thinks that 'we' refers to God and the
angels, that would make angels co-creators with God, no?  I have a hard
time suggesting that it be translated in such a way as to  make  Gen1:26
inconsistent with other parts of OT theology in this language.  On the
other hand, the plural form IS there and would seem to communicate
something.  I'm not familiar with Jewish handling of the plural but,
though I find specific references to the Trinity by Christians a bit too
anachronistic for my taste, the text does seem to beg a broader
interpretation than a singular would allow here.

Your thoughts, please, and references if you have them handy?  I have yet
to hit the library on this one, though I hope to soon.

Warmly,
Doug

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