The Usage of Elohim, Echad, and Kyrios

                                               The Usage of Elohim and Echad

Hebrew words fall into the following three categories: singular, numerical plural, and majestic plural.

 

Elohim uses both plural and singular for God(s), god(s), or person (s) of authority, such as kings, rulers, judges, angels/ divine messengers/representatives, etc.

 

The Hebrew scholar Gesenius states that Elohim  in plurality is used for intensification and majestic purposes. In addition, he notes that God uses singular pronouns NEVER plural pronouns to describe himself.

 

Trinitarian scholar Charles C Ryrie says the following regarding the Hebrew word Elohim, "To conclude a plurality of persons from the name itself is dubious."

 

Trinitarian scholar Gregory Boyd (in his Book "Oneness Pentecostals and the Trinity") he states that the arguments for Elohim and Echad are weak and cannot be used to support a multi-personal God.

 

The word Elohim does have a plural ending. It can be plural in form  In Hebrew, the suffix “im” functions as an “s” ending in English words. Here are some Hebrew examples of plural in form, but singular in application (in English, examples can be the words shrimp and sheep).

 

Sky/Heavens (shamayim), blood (damim), face (panim), water(mayim), old age (zkunim), youth (neurim/alumim). These plural forms are paired with singular adjectives

 

Elohim used in regular plural can be found in Genesis 35:2, Exodus 18:11.

 

Elohim used in singular oneness can be found with the false gods of the Old Testament.

 

Judges 6:31 has Baal as a singular Elohim

 

Judges 11:24 has Chemosh as a singular Elohim

 

1 Samuel 5:7 has Dagon as a singular Elohim



1 Kings 11:33 English Standard Version 33 because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did.


1 Kings 18:27 English Standard Version 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”



NOTE: Singular false gods in the plural.




 

Exodus 4:16 and 7:1 has Moses as a singular Elohim/divine representative.

 

Nobody comes to the conclusion that Baal, Chemosh, Dagon, and Moses are multi-personal. Furthermore, in Judges 2:11 and 2:13, we see the plural forms of Baal and Ashtoreth respectively: Baalim and Ashataroth. Again, we do not come to the conclusion that they are multi-personal. In fact, it enforces the oneness and majestic use of Elohim.

 

There is no evidence that the word Elohim changes when Yahweh is involved. The Jews are on point in this area. God is ALWAYS addressed with singular pronouns "He or I", not "They" and "We."

 

 

 

Singular

 

Genesis 23:6 English Standard Version 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.”

 

NOTE: Context is referring to Abraham as adon singular. Singular nouns and verbs are paired together here.



 

Numerical Plural

 

Genesis 19:2 English Standard Version 2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.”

 

NOTE: Context is referring to Lot talking to the two angels in Sodom & Gomorrah. The plural form adon is used in this text.

 



Isaiah 26:13 English Standard Version 13 O Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance.

 

NOTE: Context is referring to Isaiah weeping over Israel's subordination to Gentile Kings. The plural noun adon is used here.



Deuteronomy 4:28 English Standard Version 28 And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.


NOTE:Multiple pagan gods-Numerical plural with plural verbs.

 

 

 

 

Majestic Plural

 

Genesis 42:30 English Standard Version 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land.

 

NOTE: Context is referring to Joseph. The plural form adon is used here. Also, singular nouns and verbs are paired together in this text.



 

Exodus 21:6 English Standard Version 6 then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

 

NOTE: Context is referring to ONE master.  The plural form adon is paired with singular verbs.



 

2 Kings 2:3 English Standard Version 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

 

NOTE: Context is referring to ONE master.  The plural form adon is used here.

 

 

Malachi 1:6

English Standard Version

6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’

 

Deuteronomy 10:17 English Standard Version 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.

 

NOTE: Context is referring to God as one . God is plural, but it is paired with singular nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

 

 

 

******************************************************************

 

 

Echad appears over 600 times in the Hebrew scriptures and it never once ever hints at plurality. It modifies collective nouns. The following examples are one family, one bunch, one herd, one cluster of grapes. See below.

 

 

Genesis 2:24

English Standard Version

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one (Echad-plural unity) flesh.

 

Note: This is one flesh, not two fleshes. 

 

 

Deuteronomy 6:4

English Standard Version

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Echad-plural unity). 

 

Note: Only one Lord, not three Lords or persons.

 

 

 

Exodus 9:7

English Standard Version

7 And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one (Echad-oneness) of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

 

2 Samuel 13:30

English Standard Version

30 While they were on the way, news came to David, “Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one (Echad-oneness) of them is left.”

 

2 Samuel 17:12

English Standard Version

12 So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground, and of him and all the men with him not one(Echad-oneness) will be left

 

Genesis 10:25 English Standard Version 25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one (Echad-oneness) was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided, and his brother's name was Joktan.

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 4:8

English Standard Version

8 one (Echad-oneness) person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.

 

 

Ezekiel 33:24

English Standard Version

24 “Son of man, the inhabitants of these waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, ‘Abraham was only one (Echad-oneness) man, yet he got possession of the land; but we are many; the land is surely given us to possess.’

 

Isaiah 51:2 English Standard Version 2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one (Echad-oneness) when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.

 

1 Kings 22:8 English Standard Version 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one (Echad-oneness)  man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

 

 

Malachi 2:10

English Standard Version

Judah Profaned the Covenant

10 Have we not all one (Echad-oneness)  Father? Has not one (Echad-oneness)  God created us? Why then are we faithless to one  (Echad-oneness)  another, profaning the covenant of our fathers

 

 

Matthew 23:8-10

English Standard Version

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one (heis) teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one (heis) Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one (heis) instructor, the Christ.

 

Galatians 3:16

English Standard Version

16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one (heis) , “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

 

Galatians 3:20

English Standard Version

20 Now an intermediary implies more than one (heis), but God is one (heis).

 

Skeptics would sometimes mention Yachid. Yachid is rarely used in Hebrew and it's inappropriate to use for God. It works in the context of being isolated, alone, solitude, or a only begotten son.

 

Nehemiah 9:6

English Standard Version 6

"You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

 

2 Kings 19:15

English Standard Version

15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.

 

Psalm 86:10

English Standard Version

10 For you are great and do wondrous things;

    you alone are God.

 

2 Samuel 7:22 English Standard Version 22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears

 

 Deuteronomy 4:35 English Standard Version 35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.

 

Isaiah 45:5 English Standard Version 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me

 

Deuteronomy 32:39 English Standard Version 39 “‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

 

 

 

 

 Kyrios can be used as a title of respect for Lord, Master, or Authority Figure. It's not an exclusive term to God or Jesus.

  • Property owners are called Lord (Matthew 20:8-KJV; Mark 13:35-ESV)

 

  • Slave masters are called Lord (Matthew 10:24-KJV)

 

  • Husbands are called Lord (1 Peter 3:6-NIV)

 

  •   Fathers are called Lord (Matthew 21:30-LSV, ABPE).

 

  • The Roman Emperor is called Lord (Acts 25:26-ESV)

 

  • Roman authorities were called Lord (Matthew 27:63,-LSV, ABPE).

 

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