It represents a central issue-justice vs. It crosses disciplines without violating academic integrity or muddling research methodology. “Mbaye Lo advances a bold thesis, at once well articulated and substantively documented. “Without falling into the traps of simplistic essentialism, Mbaye Lo eloquently shows how different articulations of chief values in Western and Islamic traditions have important consequences when it comes to issues of governance in contemporary Islamist polities.” (Massimo Ramaioli, Assistant Professor, Social Development and Policy Program, Habib University, Karachi, Pakistan) It reminds the reader, any reader, that centralizing justice does not necessarily mean ignoring other contributing factors to human freedom.” (Said Khaled El Hassan, Professor of Political Theory, Endowed Chair in Islamic Civilization and Human Coexistence at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco) Mbaye Bashir Lo’s alertness to the centrality of literal justice in the Islamist practices is of great importance and, commendably, worthy of admiration. It is only when our knowledge of Elohim becomes personal that we move towards what the Bible calls saving faith.“Dr. Likewise, acknowledging the existence of an Elohim doesn’t put you in a position any better than one who actively and aggressively denies the concept of God. In reality, a man drowning in ten feet of water isn’t in much better shape than a man drowning in a hundred feet of water. Or perhaps we continue in even greater suppression and fail to acknowledge any concept of Elohim, choosing instead to place ourselves as the mighty one. This means, we morph our Elohim impulse into worship of some lesser god or we slip into vague notions of a higher power. We suppress that truth in our unrighteousness. According to Scripture, everyone knows there is a higher power. Usually found in poetry, this plural is an emphatic statement of the root idea, as might and counsel.” It may also (or alternatively) carry some force as a plural of amplication. “…that is, ‘a more or less intensive focusing of the characteristics inherent in the idea of the stem…rendered in English by forms in –hood, -ness, -ship”.Hebrew uses the plural form for abstract nouns such as youth, old age, maidenhood, and life. I, however, agree with John Frame that this is a plural of abstraction: Many scholars refer to this as a divine plural.
Does this mean this is a clear reference to the Trinity? While that cannot be disproven, it also could not be proven from the plurality. You can always rely on Him because He is your eternal source of strength. He has always existed and will always exist. After that the name Yahweh appears as well and is often paired with Elohim and, in the NIV, the two together are translated "the LORD God."Īs written by Mike Leake, another interesting aspect of the name Elohim is that it is, in fact, a plural. These names of God reveal who God wants to be for you. Elohim occurs thirty-two times in the first chapter of Genesis. Christians may recognize in this plural form a hint of the Trinity-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the God of gods, the highest of all. Its plural form is used not to indicate a belief in many gods but to emphasize the majesty of the one true God. Though El is used more than 200 times in the Hebrew Bible, Elohim is used more than 2,500 times. It can refer either to the true God or to pagan gods. The Hebrews borrowed the term El from the Canaanites. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"Įlohim (e-lo-HEEM) is the plural form of El or Eloah, one of the oldest designations for divinity in the world. Jesus used a form of the name in his agonized prayer from the cross. This ancient name for God contains the idea of God's creative power as well as his authority and sovereignty. When we pray to Elohim, we remember that he is the one who began it all, creating the heavens and the earth and separating light from darkness, water from dry land, night from day. Psalm 109:26Įlohim is the Hebrew word for God that appears in the very first sentence of the Bible.