Translations of 'Elohim' as ‘Gods’ in the OT

[Philip]

Very recently and briefly referred to by Jac and myself, here scholar Michael Heiser explains the translation of "Elohim" in the OT. If anyone thinks what he believes about the texts means he is a polytheist, then they haven't properly understood what he is saying. He is a conservative, Trinitarian, evangelical Christian scholar. But he does often challenge some long-held, traditional perceptions, by examining the wording, language, historical and cultural contexts involved. Here, he briefly explains the uses of "Elohim" in Scripture: http://www.thedivinecouncil.com/ElohimAsGodsFSB.pdf

[PaulSacramento]

That the ancient hebrews believed in gods and not just one god is clear in their writings about other gods.
Monotheistic religions mean that there is only ONE true God or One supreme God, not that there are not other gods at all.
That said:
Belief in the existence of one god. It is distinguished from polytheism. The earliest known instance of monotheism dates to the reign of Akhenaton of Egypt in the 14th century BC. Monotheism is characteristic of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all of which view God as the creator of the world, who oversees and intervenes in human events, and as a beneficent and holy being, the source of the highest good. The monotheism that characterizes Judaism began in ancient Israel with the adoption of Yahweh as the single object of worship and the rejection of the gods of other tribes and nations without, initially, denying their existence. Islam is clear in confessing one, eternal, unbegotten, unequaled God, while Christianity holds that a single God is reflected in the three persons of the Holy Trinity.

[B. W.]

Very interesting, however the article needs a bit more so folks can garner what the author is saying more clearly.

The name elohim as it applied to judges and those in assigned authority granted by God were to do some task assigned them as one united with God's will. However, those false elohims refer to those in rebellion to God's authority as those that sacrificed to idols did so to demons the bible tells us. The haelohim of nations most often represented rebellion and opposition to God, yet, God used these nations to punish his people in the OT. As for Elohim (Plural) used for God, it signifies God's unique one of a kind being that He is.
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