1:1 The Hebrew word for “God,” Elohim, is grammatically plural but does not indicate a numerical plural (i.e., “gods”). Hebrew uses the plural form to indicate honor or intensity, sometimes called the “plural of majesty.” The pairing of a singular adjective (Ps 7:9) or verb (Gn 20:6) with Elohim shows that the one God is intended. From the Israelite standpoint the oneness of the true Deity is never in question. In Dt 6:4 “The LORD,” that is, Yahweh the God of Israel, is called “our Elohim,” and declared
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