Re: [tied] Re: Elohim

<'elo:ah>, to be precise. It mean's simply 'god' and is a derivative of Hebrew <'e:l> (Proto-Semitic *'il- 'god'), cf. "Allah".

http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/S9.html

I suspect that it's some kind of back-derivative of the plural (or "augmentative") <'elo:hi:m> (with a secondary <h>?), and that it's formal femininity may be an accidental by-product of its derivational history, but I know too little about Semitic etymology to speculate further.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: "Håkan Lindgren" <h5@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 8:07 AM
Subject: [tied] Re: Elohim


> A lurker listening here. What does the word "eloh" mean?
>
> Hakan
>
>
> "Richard Wordingham " wrote:
>
> > What's feminine about 'Elohim'? The '-i:m' is the normal masculine
> > plural ending.
>
> But ELOH is itself a feminine word. The fact that the name of the 'God'
> who creates Heaven and Earth in Genesis is actually the masculine plural
> of a feminine singular has caused the spilling of much theological ink.
> To my mind it indicates that the ancient Hebrews were not the strict
> monotheists they later became, but being a polytheist myself I can get
> away with such heresy:-)
>
> -- Julianus