Introduction

The subject of this chapter is often included under the titles of “Names for God in the Old Testament” or “The God of Israel.” However, both imply that there was only one deity with different names. Our title is more neutral to emphasize a focus on how the Hebrews/Israelites were influenced by the polytheism of the ancient world, what gods they worshiped in their early history, and how they eventually came to believe in a deity of their own and then ultimately became a monotheistic people. As in other aspects of the Hebrew/Israelite religion, the conception of the deity was influenced by the environment in which biblical authors lived.

It was customary for clans and tribes in the ancient world to have their peculiar gods, especially among nomads like the patriarchs. Added to this complexity are the patriarchal narratives themselves, with their intertwining sources from differing dates, which makes the task of trying to determine the truth about their deities confusing and sometimes frustrating.

Elohim and Yahweh

Elohim, the favorite of E, is really a grammatical plural in Hebrew. Sometimes it means “gods” (e.g., Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 6:14), but when used of Israel's God (about 2,500 times in the OT) it usually has a singular meaning. Exceptions include when God said: “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness” (Genesis 1:26) and “Come, let us go down, and confuse their language” (Genesis 11:7).