Biblical Hebrew Forum

[ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben Crick)]

On Fri 25 Mar 2005 (17:56:38 +0000), peterkirk AT qaya.org wrote:
> So I would take the meaning to be that YHWH made man a little lower,
> not than himself, but than any being in the category Elohim. So NIV's and 
> TNIV's "heavenly beings" is a good rendering here, in my opinion.

 On the basis that Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture,
 let's see what 'e:LoHiYM might mean elsewhere. Psalm 82:1, 6 uses the term
 probably with reference to human judges, or maybe Guardian angels in the
 Daniel sense (the Prince of Persia's angel, etc.)

 In Job 1:6 the angels are called Be:NeY-'eLoHiYM, that is, equivalent to
 God; in Genesis 6:2 we have "sons of God" intermarrying with humans if that
 were biologically possible. But 'eLoHiYM does mean "God"; not plural gods
 ('eLiYM), but a plural of Majesty (like Queen Victoria saying 'We are not
 amused'; it is not a relic of polytheism). It even means a goddess in
 1 Kings 11:5 (Ashtoreth).

 As to Psalm 8:5, "a little lower than God" fits well with Genesis 1:26
 "Let us make man after our image and in our likeness". Genesis 1:28 and
 2:19 provide the real backdrop to Psalm 8:5. Adam is told to replenish the
 earth and subdue it; Adam is invited to name all the creatures that God
 brought before him for that purpose.

 Just my $0.02

 Shalom
 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF                                       ZFC Lu
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