Notes on 'elohiym

I find the translation of the word 'elohiym in the 82 Psalm troubling. 'elohiym can mean God or Godly. To illustrate the point Psalm 82:1 "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods." and in Psalm 82:6 it says "I have said, Ye are gods". I would like to suggest that God in the first case and Godly in the later two is more correct. For instance: "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the GODLY." and "I have said, Ye are GODLY".

I suggest that this is borne out by Psalm 82:7 where it says, "But ye shall die like men,". This phrase from the Hebrew "'aken Muwth 'adam" can also be translated as "Surely die like all mankind." but even if we go with the King James translation it is obvious that we are dealing with mortals since God or gods do not die. This is a critical point since heretical pseudo-Christian sects such as "Word of Faith" churches use this passage to blaspheme God.

Psalm 82 - Full Text

References in Scripture

Psalm 82:1

Psalm 82:6-7

Psalm 82:1

1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.


Psalm 82:6-7

6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.


'elohiym,

Strong's Number: 0430. 1.(plural) a.rulers, judges, b.divine ones, c.angels d.gods
2.(plural intensive - singular meaning) a.god, goddess b.godlike one c.works or special possessions of God d.the (true) God e.God 'elohiym - KJV Hebrew Lexicon


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To Understand my faith better I have decided to construct these pages. They are strictly educational, non-commercial and to foster scholarly discussion. All Bible quotes are from the King James Version unless otherwise stated. I use the KJV because while not a perfect translation it is literal and out of Copyright. All mistakes are my own and if you differ from my thoughts I welcome your comments. J. Barry O'Connell Jr.