Gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God ; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates ; and sometimes as a superlative
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The Hebrew noun אֱלֹהִים (ʾĕlōhîm) has a morphologically plural form, but its number and referent must be determined from grammar and context. ” The same lexical form can refer to other gods, as in Exodus 20:3, and can appear in passages about heavenly or divine beings, as Psalm 82 illustrates.
Reader summary
Full entry for אֱלֹהִים (H430) · Open the biblical lexicon
The Hebrew noun אֱלֹהִים (ʾĕlōhîm) has a morphologically plural form, but its number and referent must be determined from grammar and context. ” The same lexical form can refer to other gods, as in Exodus 20:3, and can appear in passages about heavenly or divine beings, as Psalm 82 illustrates.
The BSB source-word alignment has 2,600 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include your God (455), God (419), of God (297), the God (271), our God (130).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 1:1. Its strongest book concentrations include Deuteronomy (374), Psalms (365), Genesis (219), 2 Chronicles (203).
The Hebrew noun אֱלֹהִים (ʾĕlōhîm) has a morphologically plural form, but its number and referent must be determined from grammar and context. When it identifies the God of Israel, it commonly takes singular verbal action, as in Genesis 1:1: God “created.” The same lexical form can refer to other gods, as in Exodus 20:3, and can appear in passages about heavenly or divine beings, as Psalm 82 illustrates. Translators therefore use “God,” “gods,” or another contextual expression rather than assigning one English gloss mechanically.
Genesis 1 presents ʾĕlōhîm as the sovereign Creator who speaks, orders, blesses, and makes humanity in His image. Deuteronomy 6:4 identifies the Lord as “our God” and confesses that the Lord is one. Isaiah 45:5 explicitly denies any rival God. These claims arise from the sentences and arguments of Scripture. The plural shape of the noun should not be treated as a standalone proof of either polytheism or the Trinity, and “plural of majesty” should not be presented as though it settles every historical and grammatical question.
Exodus 20:3 shows that the word itself does not always name the true God: Israel must have no other gods before the Lord. Psalm 82:1 uses ʾĕlōhîm for the presiding God and also for those judged in the assembly. Interpreters differ on how best to identify those addressed, including heavenly beings or rulers represented in divine-council imagery. The verse’s distinction between the sovereign Judge and the judged assembly must be preserved even when that debate remains open.
For Christian teaching, the Bible’s fuller revelation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should be established from explicit canonical testimony. H430 contributes to that theology by naming God in many foundational texts, but its plural morphology is not a shortcut around careful exegesis. Faithful use follows syntax, identifies the referent, and lets each passage state whether the word points to Israel’s God, false gods, or beings addressed within a particular scene.
H430 can identify Israel’s one Creator and covenant God, other gods forbidden to His people, or beings within a divine-assembly scene. Singular or plural sense comes from syntax, referent, and discourse rather than the noun’s form alone.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The morphologically plural noun takes singular creative action and identifies the Creator at the Bible’s opening.
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
The verse repeatedly identifies God as the acting Creator and grounds human identity in God’s image.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
Here the same lexical form has a plural referent within the prohibition of rival worship.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.
The confession identifies the Lord as Israel’s God and summons the people to acknowledge His oneness.
God presides in the divine assembly; He renders judgment among the gods:
The sentence distinguishes the presiding Judge from the assembly members who receive His judgment.
I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,
The Lord declares His unrivaled deity while commissioning Cyrus within Isaiah’s larger argument about sovereign rule.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Plural form persistently denotes the singular God of Israel; signals transcendent power and authority in every application.
Plural form persistently denotes the singular God of Israel; signals transcendent power and authority in every application.
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative BDB: rulers Usage: angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 5 selected witnesses from 2,600 lexical occurrence verses.
אֱלֹהִים is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
H430 demonstrates why biblical word study must join morphology to syntax and discourse. Its form is plural, yet Genesis 1:1 presents the referent with singular creative action. Exodus 20 uses the form for rival gods, Deuteronomy confesses the Lord as Israel’s one God, Psalm 82 distinguishes the sovereign Judge from those judged, and Isaiah denies every rival claimant to deity.
The lexeme therefore does not carry one numerical conclusion apart from its sentence. This protects Christian proclamation from two shortcuts. The form does not smuggle polytheism into Genesis, and its ending does not by itself prove the triune being of God. Christians confess the Trinity because the canon reveals the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit within the identity and saving work of the one God.
H430 belongs within that larger witness, while each occurrence must still be read by its own grammar, referent, and purpose.
Gen.1.1
The ending of ʾĕlōhîm is morphologically plural, but grammatical agreement and discourse determine whether the reference is singular or plural. The same form can be translated “God” or “gods,” and debated assembly contexts require more than morphology.
The New Testament continues Israel’s confession that God is one while identifying the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in divine works, worship, and salvation. That canonical testimony grounds Christian Trinitarian doctrine; the plural morphology of H430 may be discussed, but it cannot serve as the doctrine’s independent proof.