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ELOHIM In the Bible the word for God in the Hebrew that is most often used is Elohim. It is a plural noun. Today it is popular to say it means plural of majesty. However the form of the word, Eloh-im, is plural. The word for God in the singular sense is El which is used most often in describing Gods characteristics or attributes. El Eyon, El Shaddai, In the Hebrew when Elohim is when used of the true God it is used singular, as a composite unity, when it is used of false gods it is used in the plural. (ex. you shall have no other Gods Elohim before me.") Is God calling the false Gods majesties. God is not this nice to impostors who cause people to rebel and forsake him. When looking at its usage it always refers to persons in the plural, there is no passage I've come across that it is used in the sense they claim. For example in Gen 1:24-31 "Let us make man in OUR image is an appeal to self; Not to God and the angels. God is speaking of Himself and with Himself in the plural number. Some say this is a reference to the fullness of the divine power and attributes He possesses. This is only part of it, as God’s Divine Being is more than His powers and attributes, for within the being of God is persons. He would not be speaking to his attributes but to that which can respond. Isa 40:13-14 “Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him...” The preface im (masculine in gender) at the end of a word makes the word into a plural form. For example the angels called seraph or cherub are in the singular but when they are Seraphim or Cherubim they mean more than one. The word for heavens is shamayim Gen.1:2 Again in the plural. Could we ever interpret this as a plural of majesty. we find from the scriptures all the attributes of God belong to Elohim, they also belong to the three persons who are the Elohim. The word Elohim can also be used for one person of the godhead or all three since they all share in the commonality of that eternal essence of deity. Each person the Father, Son and Spirit are 100% deity so when they appear singularly there is no division of that deity since God is indivisible. The same rule would be for the word God theos, in the N.T. . Such as in Jn.1:1 the word was with God and was God as sharing in the same essence. Even the ancient Rabbis recognized this word as related to more than one. In the Midrash Rabbah on Genesis Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman in the name of Rabbi Jonathan said, that at the time when Moses wrote the Torah, writing a portion of it daily, when he came to this verse which says "And Elohim said, let us make man in our image after our likeness," Moses said, Master of the Universe why do you herewith an excuse to the sectarians (Who believe in the Triunity of God), God answered Moses, You write and whoever wants to err let him err."In other words God had Moses write down what is correct, and we are to study to understand it. Selah Elohim can be used as a general term for God in the O.T.. For example Samuel was called a Elohim when he came up from the dead (1 Sam.28:13-14) In Ex. 7:1 Moses was made an Elohim to Pharaoh. Jesus call the rulers in Israel Elohim, "Gods" ? (Jn. 10:34) After the Jews accuse Jesus of blasphemy because he being a man claimed to be God he answers "Is it not written in your law I said 'You are Gods" citing Ps.82:6: " This was addressed to the judges of Israel they were called Gods not because they were divine but because they represented God when they judged the people and were misrepresenting God. Jesus’ point," is intended to show that the idea of a communication of the divine majesty to human nature was by no means foreign to the revelations of the O.T." ( New Commentary on the whole Bible,Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown) So this title can be bestowed on those who are not by nature God. However they were never called Yahweh or I Am. 1 Cor. 8:5-6 states "For even if there are so-called Gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords) yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." The Mormons use this scripture to promote their view of polytheism. Paul is speaking to the Corinthians who had a background of worshipping the Greek pagan gods and idols. He was writing in context before this about the idols they once worshipped. These were not God by nature even though they called them God. Look at how Paul clarifies this" but to us there is one God and includes both the Father and the Son."
These are excerpts from the book (binder form) The Trinity Defining and defending the Trinity among the Defining and defending the Trinity among the cults.
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