Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 25/03/2005 18:54, Ben Crick wrote:

> ... 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).
>  

But 'elohim does mean "gods" (plural) in some contexts e.g. Exodus 20:3. 
In fact BDB lists about 110 occurrences of this usage, referring to 
pagan gods, in addition to the cases which might mean "judges" or 
"angels". By contrast, 'elim, meaning "gods", only occurs about seven times.

> 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.
>
>  
Well, against this interpretation is LXX, and the New Testament 
quotation based on it.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/



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