ELOHIM DEFINED
I've introduced you to Jeshua Messhiach and given an educated description of the man and the area where he lived. Before I proceed with a discussion about Joseph Smith there are a few things I'd like to touch on so that Joseph's stories about his relationship with (Jesus) and God the Father (Elohim) will not be vague or ambiguous as I examine his so-called prophesies and revelations.
The word "Elohim", pronounced Ā (as in 'DAY') - LŌ (as in 'LOW') - ĒM (as in SEEM) - the 'H' is silent, is but one of many names attributed to God in the Hebrew texts of what Christians refer to as the Old Testament. The Hebrew texts and the Christian Old Testament are not exactly verbatim, by the way, which is a little factoid that you should know as I move along with the name "Elohim".
First, "Elohim" is a uni-plural noun. A noun like the words family, crowd, brotherhood, race, tribe, gang, 'peeps' etc. A word in the singular with plurality in the meaning. In the 'singular' the name would be ELOY (see next paragraph for pronunciation). The name "Elohim" is also both masculine and feminine. In the German language, for example, nouns are either feminine, masculine or neutral which is the reason for there being three words for "the". A German must know the gender of a noun before he/she can precede it with the appropriate "the" which will be either der, das or die. I've heard that French also shares this peculiarity as well as some other languages but I don't know which ones. I DO know, however, that the Hebrew of the Torah (the five books of Moses) attributes gender to nouns.
In dissecting the name we begin with "EL" which is MASCULINE and at the beginning of a name, means deity or more simply, "GOD". At the end of a name, as with Angels such as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel, for example, it means 'OF God'. Incidentally, these four Angels were the four 'Creator Sons' to whom Elohim was speaking when HE/SHE/THEY said "Let US create man in OUR image." And finally, at the end of the name of a man as in the case of Daniel and Samuel, the word 'El' gives praise 'TO' God.
"OHI" is a FEMININE noun and compliments "EL". Now we have "ELOHI", pronounced "A" (as in day), and "LOY" (as in boy). With this feminine component complimenting the masculine, it suggests GOD AND GODDESS. Finally, ending the two with "IM" makes it plural which now suggests GODS AND GODDESSES.
"Elohim" was preceded in the ancient texts by the Tetragramaton ( YHVH ), four Hebrew letters which make up the Holy Name that is unknowable and is the name that the Israelites were commanded not to take in vain. Even attempting to say the name could get one stoned to death because in the human condition it is supposedly impossible to speak the name. It is INEFFABLE, and thus, saying it can at best be only an attempt and a vain one at that. In Hebrew, YHVH is thought to be "YAWEH" (as in 'yawn' and 'way') or "YAVEH" but again, it is not to be spoken because it's ineffable to humans. The Christian rendering of the Tetragramaton ( YHVH ) is "JEHOVAH" or in eastern churches "YAHAVAH". So, when we read in the bible " . . . I am Lord thy God", God was saying "I am Yawey your Elohim" or "I am "Jehovah, your Elohim", depending on whether you are Jewish or Christian.
Analyzing this name of God requires that we consider not only the PLURALITY but the DUAL GENDER of the name 'Elohim'. It seems to me that THE Elohim are many and that YHVH was THE Elohim of the Israelites. THE ELOHIM (in the plural) could be a race of divine spirit entities (Gods) or an Angelic race of superior beings from another dimension or, perhaps, as some have suggested, extraterrestrials. Just WHAT the ELOHIM are is wide open for speculation and debate. YHVH could simply be the ONE Elohim who spoke to Moses and led the Israelites out of Egypt, a land of sand, to wander aimlessly in the wilderness for forty years and ultimately end up in the land of "milk and honey" which was really a land of little rocks, medium rocks and big rocks. But this ONE Elohim, by the word's own definition, is at least TWO and is MALE AND FEMALE. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that Elohim who is often referred to as "God the Father" (especially in Mormon circles), is in truth, God the FATHER AND MOTHER and maybe ANOTHER.
GAVAS Copyright © 07/08/2009
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