Elohim is the Hebrew word for God that appears in the very first sentence of the Bible. When we pray to Elohim, we remember that he is the one who began it all, creating the heavens and the earth and separating light from darkness, water from dry land, night from day. This ancient name for God contains the idea of God’s creative power as well as his authority and sovereignty. Jesus used a form of the name in his agonized prayer from the cross: About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46)
Elohim (e-lo-HEEM) is the plural form of El or Eloah, one of the oldest designations for divinity in the world. The Hebrews borrowed the term El from the Canaanites. It can refer either to the true God or to pagan gods. Though El is used more than 200 times in the Hebrew Bible, Elohim is used more than 2,500 times. Its plural form is used not to indicate a belief in many gods but to emphasize the majesty of the one true God. He is the God of gods, the highest of all. Christians may recognize in this plural form a hint of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Elohim occurs thirty-two times in the first chapter of Genesis. After that the name Yahweh appears as well and is often paired with Elohim and the two together are often translated “the LORD God.”
Praying to Elohim
What do galaxies, human beings, mountain lions, sandpipers, catfish, dragonflies, and daisies have in common? Not one of these exist by accident. They did not come into being by chance. Gerard Manley Hopkins once famously wrote that “the world is charged with the grandeur of God,” a belief shared by most people throughout history. Little wonder that the Bible invokes the name Elohim in its very first sentence, which says this: In the beginning Elohim created heaven and earth.
Everything that is exists for one reason. God wanted it to exist. It was his idea. Without telling us precisely how the world was made, Genesis 1 tells us precisely who made it—a Being of unfathomable wisdom, of infinite capability, who called forth nothing and made it into something.
As you begin to learn about Elohim, remember that he is the Creator of all that is—of every flower and every fern, every bird and every beast, of the winds and the waters, of the universe in all its wonder. Every living thing was made by him. You were made by him. And you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Take a few minutes now to recall the beauty and intricacy of the world he has made, and then ask Elohim for the wisdom to act as his servant, thinking like him and loving like him so that you can faithfully care for the creation he has made.
