Elohim

Elohim is the most frequent Hebrew term for God in the OT, occurring over 2,500 times. Grammatically it is a plural form (-im plural ending) of the singular eloah, yet when referring to the God of Israel it consistently takes singular verbs and adjectives, indicating a grammatical phenomenon termed 'plural of majesty' or 'plural of fullness' rather than a numerical plural. Genesis opens with Elohim as the divine name used throughout the creation narrative (Gen. 1:1-2:3), establishing the term as designating the transcendent, universal Creator of all — in distinction from the Mesopotamian pantheons with which Israel's neighbors spoke of divine beings.

When used with the definite article (ha-Elohim, 'the God') or with a pronominal suffix, Elohim always refers to Israel's God. Without the article it can refer to divine beings, human rulers (Ps. 82:6, quoted by Jesus in John 10:34), or pagan gods (Ex. 18:11; 20:3). The standard divine designation in the Pentateuch combines YHWH with Elohim as 'the LORD God' (Gen. 2:4 onward), expressing both the personal covenant name and universal divine sovereignty. Early church fathers and later interpreters noted the plural form of Elohim as a possible foreshadowing of the Trinity's plural unity — a view not universally accepted but persistent in Christian tradition. In any case, the name establishes from Scripture's opening verse that Israel's God is not one tribal deity among many but the universal Creator before whom all other 'elohim' are subordinate (Ex. 20:3; Ps. 82).