“with special emphasis on the book of Jonah”
The word elohim has a variety of usages in the Scripture and in the Christendom, it stands as one of the important keywords among the Trinitarians. The plurality is ascribed, among the Christians, to mean that the Triune Godhead is addressed in the first book, the first chapter and the first verse of the Bible. Though the book of Genesis does not manifest the thirst of interpreting the word ’elohim in Trinitarian perspective, this interpretation still stands as irrefutable since no alternative interpretation has had ever represented itself more faithful to the literal interpretation of the Scripture as a whole. This is particularly evident from the most accepted formula of interpretation, Scripturam ex Scriptura explicandam esse (Scripture is to be explained by Scripture).
’eloah word appears some 57 times in the Old Testament, which may be the singular of ’elohim making its appearances mostly in the book of Job – 41 times out of its 57 occurrences in the whole Old Testament. ’elohim is used some 2570 times, a plural form which is sometimes used for gods other than YHWH (for example, see Ex. 20:3), when it may also take the definite article (Ex. 18:11), plural adjectives and plural verbs (Ps. 97:7). Its plural form may mean that it had polytheistic (Or maybe at least somewhat less than fully monotheistic) overtones at one time. Yet its use in the Old Testament for Israel’s God, which comes always with the singular verbs, probably means that the plural has reference to intensification or absolutization or exclusivity (say, God of gods); it is less commonly considered a plural of majesty. While the Trinitarian perspectives are probably not in view, the Old Testament witnesses to a richness and complexity in the divine realm (Gen. 1:26; Is. 6:8) is such that later Trinitarian developments seem quite natural.
The view that the three Hebrew terms ’el, ’eloah, and ’elohim come from one root is much disputed. Some hold that the two are distinct, deriving ’el from the root ’wl (strong). Others see ’elohim derived from the root ’lh, together with ’eloah, that root meaning “for.” Still, there are others who have a dissimilar view that both ’el and ’elohim come from ’eloah. But still, the more probable view is that ’elohim comes from ’eloah as a unique development of the Hebrew Scriptures which also represents chiefly the plurality in the persons in the Trinity of the Godhead.
The OT uses three different words for ”God,” viz., ·el, eloah, and elohim. In general, these words are interchangeable, as is clear from the following examples: in Ps. 29:1 and 89:7 (Eng. v. 6), we find bene ‘elim, literally, ”sons of the gods” (RSV-”heavenly beings”), while in Gen. 6:2; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7 we find bene ·elohim, with the same meaning.
’elohim IN THE BOOK OF JONAH
The word ’elohim is used in various different contexts differently. The book of the prophet Jonah is no exception rather stands as another instance of the diverse use of the word. Jay P. Green gives the list of the references from the book of Jonah wherein the word ’elohim is used in diverse ways. Here is the list:
- 1:5, “…each cried to his own god…”
- 1:6, “…get up and call on your god!…”
- 1:9, “…I worship the LORD, the God of heaven…”
- 2:1, “…Jonah prayed to the LORD his God…”
- 2:6, “…O LORD my God…”
- 3:3, “…Nineveh was a very important city (some translations affirm, a great city of God)…”
- 3:5, “…Ninevites believed God…”
- 3:8, “…Let everyone call urgently on God…”
- 3:9, “…God may yet relent…”
- 3:10, “When God saw…”
- 4:6, “Then the LORD God provided…”
- 4:7, “…next day God provided a worm…”
- 4:8, “…God provided a scorching east wind…”
- 4:9, “But God said to Jonah…”
The simple reading of the book of Jonah in the English language itself testifies for the different usages of the word ’elohim by attributing small letter “g” to god when it talks about the pagan gods and a capital letter “G” when it is ascribed to Yahweh. Moreover, one can easily observe that the title ’elohim is used along with the personal name of God of Israel, YHWH, with some exception in 1:6. The Pulpit Commentary explains, “the sailors’ prayer had not been answered, and they arouse Jonah, noting something special about him, perhaps his prophet’s dress, or observing that he was an Israelite, and therefore, a worshipper of YHWH, of whose power they had heard.” Some may disagree but H. D. M. Spence goes further to say that “they (sailors) use the word “God” with the article ha ’elohim, as if they had, in spite of their polytheism, a dim notion of Supreme Deity.” Whatever the case, even if their reference was not directed towards YHWH, still one can argue, and appropriately, that they had the idea that the God of Israelites is above their gods or in other words, One true God.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fretheim, Terance E. “’elohim.” in New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. Volume 1. Edited by William A. VanGremeren. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997.
Green, Jay P. The New Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1984.
Harris, Z. Grammar of the Phoenician Language. Jewish Publication Society, 1936.
Ringgren, Helmer. “’elohim.” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Volume 1. Edited by G. Johannes Botterweck and Helmer Ringgren. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974.
Scott, Jack B. “אלה.” in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Volume 1. Edited by R. Laird Harris. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980.
Spence, H. D. M. The Pulpit Commentary. Volume 14. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950.
Theologisches Handbuch zum Alten Testament, Edited by E. Jenni and C. Westermann. Volume 1. Munich, 1971.
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