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THE NATURE OF GOD AND CHRISTDoctrinal Study PaperAppendix CUse of Plural Terms in the Old TestamentEven though there are numerous extrabiblical sources that support the idea of pluralitywhen referring to God, what do we find in our own search of the Scriptures? A brief survey ofthe Hebrew Scriptures confirms that the Bible often refers to God in plural terms.In the book of Genesis we are introduced to God as Elohim. This Hebrew noun is found2,605 times in the Old Testament. Of those, 2,366 times it is simply translated as “God.” But it istranslated as “gods” 216 times; “god’s” seven times; “judges” four times; “goddess” two times;“great” two times; “mighty” two times; “angels” one time; “exceeding” one time; “godward” onetime; “godly” one time; “judge” one time; and “very” one time.The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Hebrew and English Lexicon (BDBG) offers asimple explanation for this Hebrew word. Plurality is not denied.Plural of 0433 [eloah]. Noun, masculine. 1. Plural. a. rulers, judges; b. divine ones; c.angels; d. gods. 2. Plural intensive—singular meaning. a. god, goddess; b. godlike one; c.works or special possessions of God; d. the (true) God; e. God. 54Clearly Elohim can be used in the singular, even with plural pronouns, but it is mostcurious that with a perfectly acceptable singular form available to use (Eloah) Moses and othersused the plural form on so many occasions.In the book of Genesis we have three distinct references to God that use plural pronouns.These are Genesis 1:26, 3:22 and 11:6-7. Theologians offer various explanations for theseunusual references. Some claim that these are figures of speech, while others employ the idea of“plural of majesty” (pluralis majestaticus). This theory asserts that whenever you have a king orroyal figure he may speak in the plural (“we” or “our”) even though there is no plurality. Thistheory is based on the idea of the greatness of the one speaking. Another theory suggests thatGod was including the created realm (angels, cherubim, etc.) in His assertion “us” or “we.” Thisis actually similar to the “plural of majesty” in that the court of the king or royal person is beingincluded in the plural references.These are only theories, which do not adequately answer the question. Moses chose aplural term when speaking of God, and he also used plural pronouns on three different occasions.Why? One answer that should not be excluded is that there was more than one being in theGodhead at the time of creation (“Us” and “Our”). The most famous Jewish scholar from theMiddle Ages, Moses ben Maimonides, confesses an inability to explain this plurality, so hesuggests that the plural pronouns should be dropped from the text. Of course he couldn’t do this,but in his “Thirteen Articles of Faith” he does change the Hebrew echad (which is used inDeuteronomy 6:4) to yachid. The original text (echad) allows for a unit where more than one54 Francis Brown, Edward Robinson, S.R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs, The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-GeseniusHebrew and English Lexicon With an Appendix Containing the Biblical Aramaic, Peabody, MA: HendricksonPublishers, 1993.Page 51September 2005© 2005 United Church of God, an International Association