ʾĕlōhîm

Semantic range

1. 1God, taking singular verbs
2. 2gods, of other nations
3. 3divine beings; judges or rulers acting in God's stead

Morphologically plural, syntactically singular when it refers to Israel's God — "in the beginning ʾĕlōhîm [plural] created [singular verb]". Grammarians usually call this a plural of majesty. But the plural is not always neutralised: Psalm 82:1 has ʾĕlōhîm standing in the assembly of ʾēl and judging among the ʾĕlōhîm, and Genesis 1:26 has God say "Let us make man in our image."

Joseph Smith took the plural at face value. In the King Follett discourse and in the Book of Abraham the creative work is performed by the Gods in council (Abraham 4:1), and Psalm 82:6 — "ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High" — is quoted by Jesus Himself in John 10:34 as a defence of His own claim.

In modern Church usage Elohim is the title used for God the Father, distinguishing Him from Jehovah, the Son — a convention formalised in the 1916 First Presidency doctrinal exposition "The Father and the Son."

Where it appears

• Genesis 1:26"Let us make man in our image" — the plural in action.
• Psalm 82:1, 6The divine council; quoted by Christ in John 10:34.
• Abraham 4:1"The Gods organized and formed the heavens and the earth."

See also

• יהוהYHWH (Yahweh)
• אֵל שַׁדַּיʾĒl Šadday
• אֲדֹנָיʾădōnāy