HOW DO WE KNOW THAT ELOHIM IS USED IN THE SINGULAR?

Many people have asked, "Elohim" אֱלֹהִים appears plural with the ending '-im'. Therefore, they believe this is an error. Or some use this to mock the Christian God saying it is God in the plural.

However, allow me to use my understanding of Hebrew to explain why Elohim when it is used for the God of Israel, it is always SINGULAR.

Like Greek, in Hebrew, the adjective must always agree with the noun. What this simply means is: when you use an adjective for a plural noun, the adjective must follow the grammatical number (either singular or plural) of the noun.

We have lost this in English, except for one or two examples, like you cannot say, "This are the men who came to school this morning." Automatically, you know something is not write and you have to swap the word 'This' with 'These'.

In Hebrew, if the noun is plural, the adjective also must appear in the plural form. Therefore, we have the example of:

נְעָרִים טוֹבִים

This means, "Good young men".
The adjective טוֹבִים     (טוֹב  means 'good') is in the plural; hence, the adjective in this case, 'agrees' with the plural noun 'young men'.

More examples here:

Likewise, in Jeremiah 16:6, we see the adjective גְדֹלִים refers to the 'great men' (plural noun).









NOW, once you understand that the Hebrew noun and adjective must agree (plural noun/plural adjective and singular noun/singular adjective), we then see how the word גָּדוֹל which means 'great' does not appear as a plural adjective. This is because it could never be the case when Elohim when referring to the God of Israel is in the singular.

 

THE HOPE תִקְוָ֔ה

תִקְוָ֔ההַ

It is interesting that a country's national anthem should be just titled, "The Hope". As I analyse it, I begin to understand and know who God is.

Hope is all there is for a nation that has been crushed for many centuries. They were often attacked by their enemies but the biggest devastation encountered was the attack of the Babylonians in 576 BC where they were taken on exile to Babylon. The Solomon temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was razed to the ground.

Then in 70 AD, the nation was again destroyed by the Romans and the second Jerusalem temple was destroyed. Once again, they became exiles. For many years, they were dispersed throughout the world.

All that the people had was continuing on with their hope that God gave them. 

From Job 4:6 we are reminded that our integrity is our hope:

Job 4:6 הֲלֹ֣א יִ֭רְאָתְךָ כִּסְלָתֶ֑ךָ תִּ֝קְוָתְךָ֗ וְתֹ֣ם דְּרָכֶֽיךָ׃

Job 4:6  “Is not your fear of God your confidence, 
And the integrity of your ways your hope?


Hope is something that God -- and God alone -- can give us for the future. As believers, we do not depend on the fortune tellers to tell us about our future. We know that in God, we have a future and a hope.

Jer. 29:11 כִּי֩ אָנֹכִ֨י יָדַ֜עְתִּי אֶת־הַמַּחֲשָׁבֹ֗ת אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י חֹשֵׁ֥ב עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה מַחְשְׁב֤וֹת שָׁלוֹם֙ וְלֹ֣א לְרָעָ֔ה לָתֵ֥ת לָכֶ֖ם אַחֲרִ֥ית וְתִקְוָֽה׃

Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.


We know that our hope in God is that He will restore double to us.

Zech. 9:12 שׁוּ֚בוּ לְבִצָּר֔וֹן אֲסִירֵ֖י הַתִּקְוָ֑ה גַּם־הַיּ֕וֹם מַגִּ֥יד מִשְׁנֶ֖ה אָשִׁ֥יב לָֽךְ׃

Zech. 9:12  Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; 
This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.

And lastly, we know that God Himself is The HOPE.

Jer. 17:13 מִקְוֵ֤ה יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יְהוָ֔ה כָּל־עֹזְבֶ֖יךָ יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ יְסוּרַי [וְ][סוּרַי֙] בָּאָ֣רֶץ יִכָּתֵ֔בוּ כִּ֥י עָזְב֛וּ מְק֥וֹר מַֽיִם־חַיִּ֖ים אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃ ס

Jer. 50:7  “All who came upon them have devoured them; 
And their adversaries have said, ‘We are not guilty, 
Inasmuch as they have sinned against the LORD who is the habitation of   
        righteousness, Even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’


Indeed, the national anthem of Israel grew "from the depths of despair to the heights of a new hope!" God is the hope who gives hope.

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