Again, the verb vayomer (he said) is masculine; it is never vatomer, the feminine of the same verb form
Something to remember, though, is that even though the form is plural one, verbs associated with God are conjugated in singular masculine
בָּרָ֣א (bā·rā) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
While there are some who argue that Elohim is a masculine name, others maintain that Elohim is a feminine term and should be interpreted as such
There are many theories as to why the word is plural: In both the NIV and HCSB translations, Elohim (plural) says "Let us" in the English translation
Genesis 1:26-27 says that the elohim were male and female, and humans In Hebrew, the suffix ים (im), mainly indicates a masculine plural
taking a plural verb or adjective) when used of pagan divinities (Psalms 96:5; 97:7)
Elohim was a masculine plural noun most often used with a singular verb
But inasmuch as IM is usually the termination of the masculine plural, and is here added to a feminine noun, it gives to the word Elohim the sense of a female potency united to a masculine idea, and thereby capable of producing an offspring
When we are introduced to Elohim in Genesis 1:1, the verse tells us he created the heavens and the earth
Which in term is based in (Ps 22: 19) "Strength" {Strong's # 360 Eya-loot
While the word Elohim (Strong's #430), the plural form of the singular noun elo'ah (Strong's #433), is a masculine noun, it does not have to imply that the Elohim is plural or even masculine
It is in plural form but
While the word elohim is plural in form, its meaning can be either plural or singular
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Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative -- angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X In Hebrew, the suffix ים (im), mainly indicates a masculine plural
taking a plural verb or adjective) when used of pagan divinities (Psalms 96:5; 97:7)
it governs a singular verb or adjective)
However, language is a tricky thing
In each case above, the characteristic feminine singular noun ending (Hey-) is replaced with the Tav and the vowels have been modified in the construct forms
The multiple forms and uses appear to be derived from the fact that the Feminine plural nouns and adjectives usually end in וֹת- (holem waw + taw)
In turn Elohim is used as the plural of "El", i
Note both Elah and Eloah are masculine singular constructions but from varying regions and time periods
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For instance, as a general rule, words ending in -o are masculine and words ending in -a are
Enjoy 🙂
They change the ending vowel according to their gender (feminine or masculine) and number (singular or plural)
The word Elohim is the plural of El (or possibly of Eloah) and is the first name for God given in the Tanakh: "In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1): The name Elohim is unique to Hebraic thinking: it occurs only in Hebrew and in no other ancient Semitic language
The Hebrew word "Elohim" (אֱלֹהִים) is a combination of the singular noun "Eloah" (אֱלוֹהַּ), to which the plural ending "im" has been added
In the plural form, masculine nouns end in "-i," and feminine nouns end in "-e
It is the usual word for "god" in the Torah
In Hebrew, the ending -im usually refers to a plural masculine in the plural form
) Likewise, plurale tantum --words always in plural form like "elohim" (god/gods/angels/judges), "panim" (faces), "mayim" (waters), "shemayim" (heavens), etc
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This means that אלוהים is indeed singular (and is sometimes referred to in feminine, but that's a story for another time)
The Bible translated it in Latin as "God," a word meant to reinforce monotheism
Blue Letter Bible
Since the verb in Genesis 1:1 is singular indicating that its subject has to be singular or a singular entity, elohim in plural form cannot be a common noun
See more Though plural in form, elohim can take a singular verb and other singular attributives
The form of the word Elohim, with the ending -im, is plural and masculine, but the construction is usually singular, i
In the verse above, אלהים (‘elohim) is used with a plural verb
I can't imagine that the entire translation of "God" throughout the bible has
Now, perhaps the word elohim is followed by singular words and hence the
While the masculine plural form is the most common form, the masculine singular אל (el) and the feminine singular אלוה (eloah) are also found in the Hebrew text of Scripture
Think of Elohim (incidentally a female noun with a masculine PLURAL ending - how about that any transexuals on the board!) Elohim is a male plural ending ( - im) onto a female
aleph, lamedh, vav, he