Bible Q & A

Q. You say the English word “God” in Genesis 1:1 is translated from the Hebrew word Elohim . Could you tell me what the name Elohim means?
 
A. Elohim is a uniplural noun. It is similar to such English words as group, church, crowd, family, or organization.
Take, for example, the word church. We find in I Corinthians 12:20 that there is only one church—the “one body” yet composed of “many members.” Even though it takes many persons to constitute the church, it is not many churches—it is only the one church!

A family is made up of more than one person, yet only the one family. In like manner, God is not merely one person, but a family. God is the supreme divine family which rules the universe! The whole Gospel Jesus brought to mankind is, merely, the good news of the Kingdom of God. That Kingdom is a family—a ruling divine family into which humans may be born!
 
The Church of God, New World Ministries P.O. Box 5536 Sevierville, TN 37864