CORRECTING THE GOD LANGUAGE STUDY
For Bible Students

Jackson Snyder  January 22, 2003

 

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This first section of study is difficult because of the foreign words but it forms the basis for the rest of our extended study.  Those who master this lesson will be rewarded later in their understanding of theology.  There is a pronunciation key at the end of the lesson.

 

I.  Theology

1.  “Theology” is a joining of two Greek words very prevalent in the Bible texts:

  theou (qeou) = “of a god”

  logoi (logoi) = “words.”

Putting them together, “theology” means “the study of god.”

 

2.  Related words we need to know are “divine” and “divinity,” which come not from Greek but from Latin:

   divus = “sky” or “heaven”

   divinitus = “from the sky”

Specifically, the divine are those that dwell in heaven; heavenly beings.

We speak in terms such as “theology is the study of divinity or of the divine.”

Often, a god is spoken of as “The Divinity.”

A prophet or seer is spoken of as “A Divine.”   Sometimes the Book of Revelation (The Apocalypse) is called “The Revelation of St. John the Divine.”

Divination is the seeking of heavenly things, usually through occult or sinful means.  (See Deuteronomy 18:10)

 

3.  Another related word comes to us from Greek through Latin is “deity”

  theos (qeoV) (Gr.) => deus (L.) => deity (Eng.), “a god” and deification: making someone a god.

 

II.  Hebrew “God” in Texts

1.  In Hebrew, the word that most often refers to “The Divinity” (God) is Elohim, and is translated into English as “god” or “God.”  However, “Elohim” does not mean “God” nor is it a name.  Elohim actually has two meanings.

  a.  When it’s used to refer to the Divinity (God), Elohim means (the) “Almighty” (singular) or “Mighty One.”

  b.  It also refers to heavenly beings and means “mighty ones”; that is, angels, offspring of angels or humans spiritually reborn.  (Psalms 82:6; John 10:34)

  c.  In Hebrew, the ‘im’ suffix is plural so Elohim is plural (meaning more than one; i.e. “mighty ones”), but in the context of the Almighty Yahweh, Elohim as plural emphasizes his might in opposition to the plurality (the many) of  “all the gods.” (see Exodus 12:12)

  d.  Elohim is also used occasionally in its singular forms, el and eloha = “mighty one.”

Exodus 3:15 (KJV with modifications)  And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, your father’s Yahweh Elohim, the Eloha of Abraham, the Eloha of Isaac, and the Eloha of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this (Yahweh) is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all

2.  Obviously, our Elohim has a name, which is Yahweh (pronounced exactly as it looks), as in the passage above.   Yahweh traditionally means, “I AM” (coming from the root word ‘to be’).  There is timelessness in that name Yahweh that renders it to also reflect “I was” and “I shall be.”

3.  Many religious groups consider our Elohim’s (our God’s) name to be too sacred to pronounce.  Therefore, since ancient times, the name Yahweh has been overwritten in Bibles by the title “the LORD.”  In the Bible, this traditional overwriting can be found in over 7,000 places.

4.  Some have come to understand that “Yahweh” is the proper name of the Divinity and “Elohim” a surname or title that denotes ‘his’ might.  Note how often we read in traditional versions of the Bible: “The LORD God did this or that....”  The first instance is found in

Genesis 2:4: These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens ... 

The actual Hebrew words translated “the LORD God” in this passage and many others are “Yahweh Elohim” or, better for English, “Yahweh Almighty.”  Reading the Hebrew Scriptures this way (and thus ignoring the incorrect translations) gives the reader far greater insight into the personhood and ‘humanity’ of God (Yahweh).

 

III.  Greek “God” in Texts

1.  In the Greek of the New Testament and Apocrypha, a similar traditional convention is utilized to disguise the name of the Almighty.  The Greek word translated “Lord” is kurios (kurioV).  In translation, where the New Testament has “the Lord,” depending on the context, it can mean “Yahweh” or refer to Jesus as the Master of the disciples.  (Kurios actually means “master” as in “slave-master.”)

2.  In one’s reading of “Lord” or “the Lord” in many New Testament translations, one must determine whether the text is referring to Yahweh Elohim of “Jesus” (the Master).  Sometimes this is a difficult distinction to make.  Correct reading of the New Testament regarding the word “Lord” comes with practice in reading the Old Testament to determine what is therein said of Yahweh to distinguish that personage (God) fro the Son (Jesus).

 

Exercises

1.  Correctly pronounce each word in the pronunciation key and do your best to define each word.

2.  Use a dictionary to define theology, divinity and deity.

3.  What does Elohim mean?  Read Genesis chapter 1 aloud but instead of reading the word “God,” read instead “Elohim.”  (Do not use a paraphrased Bible, The Living Bible or The Amplified Bible for these exercises.)  When you do this, you have read the translation with greater accuracy.

4.  What is the formal name of our Elohim and what does it mean?  Read Genesis 2:1-23 aloud but read “Yahweh” in place of “the LORD” and “Elohim” in place of “God.”  Watch your pronunciation.  When you do this, you will have greater understanding of the name and nature of your Elohim.

5.  Read now Exodus 3:11-15 aloud using the correct substitution words you’ve learned.  Explain why knowing the name of the Almighty is so important.  Who is included in the phrase, “all generations”?

6.  Go to other books in the Old Testament and find five other instances in which the words “the LORD” cover up the name of our Elohim.

Difficult:

7.  Go to Matthew 3:1-3.  This begins the story of John the Baptist in the New Testament, which most scholars believe was originally written in Greek rather than Hebrew.  John is quoting from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah 40:3.  To whom is John the Baptist referring when he says, “the Lord”?  Yahweh or Jesus?  How do you know?

8.  Go to Romans 10:9.  To whom is “the Lord” referring here?  How about Romans 1:7?  How about Romans 4:8?  Romans 9:29?

9.  Finally, read Exodus 20:1-19 aloud correcting the language about the Deity.  With Exodus 20:7 in mind, why do you suppose that the name Yahweh has been hidden behind the words “the LORD” for so many generation?  

 

Pronunciation key:

  deity  (day – it – ee)    deus  (day – oos)    divinitus  (dee – win – i – toos)    divus (dee – woos)

  elohim  (el – ō – heem)    kurios  (kear – ee – ŏs)    logoi (lawg – oy) plural of logos (lawg – os)

  theou (thay – oo), posessive of theos (thay – ŏs)