אֱלֹהִים
God
‘God’ is one of 9 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Construct-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
Grammatical forms
- Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Construct 1,421 times (55%)
- Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Absolute 1,178 times (45%)
- Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct 1 time (0%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 2,600 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Page 12 of 12 — showing verses 2,201–2,246 of 2,246 distinct verses where H430 appears, across 35 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Jonah 14 verses
- Jonah 3:5 בֵּֽ/אלֹהִ֑ים prep + n c mp The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
- Jonah 3:8 אֱלֹהִ֖ים n c mp but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and animal, and let them cry mightily to God. Yes, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands.
- Jonah 3:9 הָ/אֱלֹהִ֑ים ptcl def.art + n c mp Who knows whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, so that we might not perish?"
- Jonah 3:10 הָֽ/אֱלֹהִים֙ הָ/אֱלֹהִ֗ים ptcl def.art + n c mp ptcl def.art + n c mp God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God repented of the evil which he said he would do to them, and he didn't do it.
- Jonah 4:6 אֱ֠לֹהִים n c mp Yahweh God prepared a vine, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the vine.
- Jonah 4:7 הָֽ/אֱלֹהִים֙ ptcl def.art + n c mp But God prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine, so that it withered.
- Jonah 4:8 אֱלֹהִ֜ים n c mp It happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he fainted, and requested for himself that he might die, and said, "It is better for me to die than to live."
- Jonah 4:9 אֱלֹהִים֙ n c mp God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the vine?" He said, "I am right to be angry, even to death."
Micah 9 verses
- Micah 3:7 אֱלֹהִֽים n c mp The seers shall be disappointed, And the diviners confounded. Yes, they shall all cover their lips; For there is no answer from God."
- Micah 4:2 אֱלֹהֵ֣י n c mp cs Many nations will go and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, And to the house of the God of Jacob; And he will teach us of his ways, And we will walk in his paths." For out of Zion will go forth the law, And the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem;
- Micah 4:5 אֱלֹהָ֑י/ו אֱלֹהֵ֖י/נוּ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cp Indeed all the nations may walk in the name of their gods; But we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God forever and ever.
- Micah 5:4 אֱלֹהָ֑י/ו n c mp cs + sfx pers 3ms He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, In the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God: And they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.
- Micah 6:6 לֵ/אלֹהֵ֣י prep + n c mp cs How shall I come before Yahweh, And bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?
- Micah 6:8 אֱלֹהֶֽי/ךָ n c mp cs + sfx pers 2ms He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, To love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
- Micah 7:7 לֵ/אלֹהֵ֣י אֱלֹהָֽ/י prep + n c mp cs n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cs But as for me, I will look to Yahweh. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
- Micah 7:10 אֱלֹהָ֑יִ/ךְ n c mp cs + sfx pers 2fs Then my enemy will see it, And shame will cover her who said to me, Where is Yahweh your God? Then my enemy will see me and will cover her shame. Now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.
- Micah 7:17 אֱלֹהֵ֨י/נוּ֙ n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cp They will lick the dust like a serpent. Like crawling things of the earth they shall come trembling out of their dens. They will come with fear to Yahweh our God, And will be afraid because of you.
Nahum 1 verse
Habakkuk 3 verses
- Habakkuk 1:11 לֵ/אלֹהֽ/וֹ prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Then he sweeps by like the wind, and goes on. He is indeed guilty, whose strength is his god."
- Habakkuk 1:12 אֱלֹהַ֛/י n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cs Aren't you from everlasting, Yahweh my God, my Holy One? We will not die. Yahweh, you have appointed him for judgment. You, Rock, have established him to punish.
- Habakkuk 3:18 בֵּ/אלֹהֵ֥י prep + n c mp cs Yet I will rejoice in Yahweh. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
Zephaniah 5 verses
- Zephaniah 2:7 אֱלֹהֵי/הֶ֖ם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp The coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They will find pasture. In the houses of Ashkelon, they will lie down in the evening, for Yahweh, their God, will visit them, and restore them.
- Zephaniah 2:9 אֱלֹהֵ֣י n c mp cs Therefore as I live, says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, surely Moab will be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The remnant of my people will plunder them, and the survivors of my nation will inherit them.
- Zephaniah 2:11 אֱלֹהֵ֣י n c mp cs Yahweh will be awesome to them, for he will famish all the gods of the land. Men will worship him, everyone from his place, even all the shores of the nations.
- Zephaniah 3:2 אֱלֹהֶ֖י/הָ n c mp cs + sfx pers 3fs She didn't obey the voice. She didn't receive correction. She didn't trust in Yahweh. She didn't draw near to her God.
- Zephaniah 3:17 אֱלֹהַ֛יִ/ךְ n c mp cs + sfx pers 2fs Yahweh, your God, is in the midst of you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will rest in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.
Haggai 2 verses
- Haggai 1:12 אֱלֹֽהֵי/הֶ֔ם אֱלֹהֵי/הֶ֑ם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Yahweh, their God, and the words of Haggai, the prophet, as Yahweh, their God, had sent him; and the people feared Yahweh.
- Haggai 1:14 אֱלֹהֵי/הֶֽם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of Yahweh of Hosts, their God,
Zechariah 11 verses
- Zechariah 6:15 אֱלֹהֵי/כֶֽם n c mp cs + sfx pers 2mp Those who are far off shall come and build in the temple of Yahweh; and you shall know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. This will happen, if you will diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your God."'"
- Zechariah 8:8 לֵֽ/אלֹהִ֔ים prep + n c mp and I will bring them, and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness."
- Zechariah 8:23 אֱלֹהִ֥ים n c mp Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "In those days, ten men will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
- Zechariah 9:7 לֵֽ/אלֹהֵ֑י/נוּ prep + n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cp I will take away his blood out of his mouth, And his abominations from between his teeth; And he also will be a remnant for our God; And he will be as a chieftain in Judah, And Ekron as a Jebusite.
- Zechariah 9:16 אֱלֹהֵי/הֶ֛ם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp Yahweh their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; For they are like the jewels of a crown, Lifted on high over his land.
- Zechariah 10:6 אֱלֹהֵי/הֶ֖ם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp "I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph, And I will bring them back; For I have mercy on them; And they will be as though I had not cast them off: For I am Yahweh their God, and I will hear them.
- Zechariah 11:4 אֱלֹהָ֑/י n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cs Thus says Yahweh my God: "Feed the flock of slaughter.
- Zechariah 12:5 אֱלֹהֵי/הֶֽם n c mp cs + sfx pers 3mp The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, 'The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Hosts their God.'
- Zechariah 12:8 כֵּֽ/אלֹהִ֔ים prep + n c mp In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of Yahweh before them.
- Zechariah 13:9 אֱלֹהָֽ/י n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cs I will bring the third part into the fire, And will refine them as silver is refined, And will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will hear them. I will say, 'It is my people;' And they will say, 'Yahweh is my God.'"
- Zechariah 14:5 אֱלֹהַ֔/י n c mp cs + sfx pers 1cs You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with you.
Malachi 7 verses
- Malachi 2:15 אֱלֹהִ֑ים n c mp Did he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? Why one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
- Malachi 2:16 אֱלֹהֵ֣י n c mp cs For I hate divorce," says Yahweh, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with violence!' says Yahweh of Hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you don't deal treacherously.
- Malachi 2:17 אֱלֹהֵ֥י n c mp cs You have wearied Yahweh with your words. Yet you say, 'How have we wearied him?' In that you say, 'Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Yahweh, and he delights in them;' or 'Where is the God of justice?'
- Malachi 3:8 אֱלֹהִ֗ים n c mp Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In tithes and offerings.
- Malachi 3:14 אֱלֹהִ֑ים n c mp You have said, 'It is vain to serve God;' and 'What profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked mournfully before Yahweh of Hosts?
- Malachi 3:15 אֱלֹהִ֖ים n c mp Now we call the proud happy; yes, those who work wickedness are built up; yes, they tempt God, and escape.'
- Malachi 3:18 אֱלֹהִ֔ים n c mp Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who doesn't serve him.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
אלהים — transliterated ʼĕlôhîym — is a Hebrew name carrying the sense “God.” It first appears in Genesis 1:1. The Hebrew Bible uses it across 2,246 verses — among the most common. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H430 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 2,246
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 2,246 distinct verses.
- 35 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 35 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #13
- by frequency
- Top 25 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 13 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 2,246 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Psalms 322 verses 14%
- Deuteronomy 312 verses 14%
- Genesis 190 verses 8%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 2,246 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 784 verses · 35%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 779 verses · 35%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 683 verses · 30%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: God 2,100×, Gods 160×, Is no god 7×
- American Standard Version: God 1,915×, Gods 141×, Jehovah thy god 20×
- Berean Standard Bible: God 2,183×, Gods 176×, May god 17×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: God 1,924×, God of 307×, Gods 148×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H430 across 2,605 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 173 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H430 across 2,605 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 248 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 2 further occurrences.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H430 across 2,560 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 60 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 40 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H430 across 2,584 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 48 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
15 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 15 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. pl. in number.
- a. rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power: האלהים Ex 21:6 (Onk 𝔖, but τὸ κριτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ 𝔊) 22:7, 8; אלהים 22:8, 27 (𝔗 Ra AE Ew RVm; but gods, 𝔊 Josephus Philo AV; God, Di RV; all Covt. code of E) cf. 1 S 2:25 v. Dr.; Ju 5:8 (Ew, but gods 𝔊; God 𝔖 BarHeb.; יהוה 𝔙 Be) ψ 82:1, 6 (De Ew Pe; but angels Bl Hup) 138:1 (𝔖 𝔗 Rab Ki De; but angels 𝔊 Calv; God, Ew; gods, Hup Pe Che). e.g. Exodus 21:6
- b. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels ψ 8:6 (De Che Br; but angels 𝔊 𝔖 𝔗 Ew; God, RV and most moderns) Gn 1:27 (if with Philo 𝔗 Jer De Che we interpret נעשה as God’s consultation with angels; cf. Jb 38:7). e.g. Psalms 8:6
- c. angels ψ 97:7 (𝔊 𝔖 Calv; but gods, Hup De Pe Che); cf. בני (ה)אלהים = (the) sons of God, or sons of gods = angels Jb 1:6; 2:1; 38:7 Gn 6:2, 4 (J; so 𝔊 Bks. of Enoch & Jubilees Philo Jude v 6; 2 Pet 2:4 JosAnt. i, 3, 1, most ancient fathers and modern critics; against usage are sons of princes, mighty men, Onk and Rab.; sons of God, the pious, Theod Chrys Jer Augustine Luther Calv Hengst; 𝔊L read οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ), cf. בני אלים. e.g. Psalms 97:7
- d. gods האלהים Ex 18:11; 22:19 (E) 1 S 4:3; 2 Ch 2:4 ψ 86:3; אלהי האלהים the God of gods, supreme God Dt 10:17 ψ 136:2; אלהים Ex 32:1, 23 (JE) Ju 9:13; אלהים אחרים other gods Ex 20:3; 23:13 Jos 24:2, 16 (E) Dt 31:18, 20 (JE) 5:7 + (17 times in D, not P) Ju 2:12, 17, 19; 10:13 1 S 8:8; 26:19 1 K 9:6, 9 (= 2 Ch 7:19, 22) 11:4, 10; 14:9 2 K 5:17; 17:35, 37, 38; 22:17 (= 2 Ch 34:25) 2 Ch 28:25 Je 1:16 + (18 times Je) Ho 3:1; אלהי (ה)נכר foreign gods Gn 35:2, 4 Jos 24:20, 23 (E) Dt 31:16 (JE) Ju 10:16 1 S 7:3 2 Ch 33:15 Je 5:19; א׳ נחור (v. 4 b); א׳ מצרים Ex 12:12 (P) Je 43:12, 13; א׳ האמרי Jos 24:15 (E) Ju 6:10; א׳ ארם etc. Ju 10:6; אלהים מעשה ידי Dt 4:28; א׳ הגוים gods of the nations 2 K 18:33; 19:12 Dt 29:17; 2 Ch 32:17, 19 Is 36:18; 37:12; א׳ העמים Dt 6:14; 13:8 Ju 2:12 ψ 96:5 1 Ch 5:25; 16:26; 2 Ch 32:13, 14; א׳ כסף Ex 20:23 (E); א׳ זהב Ex 20:23 (E) 32:31 (JE); א׳ מַסֵּכָה Ex 34:17 (J) Lv 19:4 (H). e.g. Exodus 18:11
- 2. Pl. intensive.
- a. god or goddess, always with sf. 1 S 5:7 (Dagon), Ju 11:24 (Chemosh), 1 K 18:24 (Baal), Ju 9:27 Dn 1:2(×2); or cstr. לעשתרת א׳ צדנים לכמוש א׳ מואב to Ashtoreth goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh god of Moab, etc. 1 K 11:33; א׳ הארץ god of the land 2 K 17:26(×2), 27, and so the Syrians suppose that Yahweh is a mountain-god and not a god of valleys 1 K 20:28. e.g. 1 Samuel 5:7
- b. godlike one Ex 4:16 (J; Moses in relation to Aaron), Ex 7:1 (P; in relation to Pharaoh), 1 S 28:13 (the shade of Samuel), ψ 45:7 (the Messianic king, O God, 𝔊 𝔖 Jer, most scholars ancient and modern, but thy throne is God’s = God’s throne AE Ki Thes Ew Hup, cf. 1 Ch 28:5). e.g. Exodus 4:16
- c. works of God, or things specially belonging to him (vid. אֵל 5) הר אלהים ψ 68:16; Ez 28:14, 16; אש אלהים Jb 1:16; גן (ה)אלהים Ez 28:13; 31:8, 9. e.g. Psalms 68:16
- d. God (vid. 3 & 4).
- 3. הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God, י׳ הוא האלהים Yahweh is (the) God Dt 4:35, 39; 7:9 1 K 8:60; 18:39(×2) 2 Ch 33:13 הוא האלהים 1 K 18:24 Is 45:18; י׳ האלהים Jos 22:34 (P?) 1 K 18:21; 2 Ch 32:16; אתה הוא האלהים 2 S 7:28; 1 K 18:37; 2 K 19:15; 1 Ch 17:26; Is 37:16; Ne 9:7; האלהים as subj. or obj. is used in E 33 times, Chr 38 times, Ec 31 times, Jon 5 times, elsewhere Gn 5:22, 24; 6:9, 11 (sources of P) 17:18 (P) Jos 22:34 (P?) Gn 44:16 (J) Dt 4:35, 39; 7:9; Ju 6:36, 39; 7:14; 10:14; 16:28; 21:2 1 S 10:3, 7; 14:36; 2 S 2:27; 6:7; 7:28; 12:16 1 K 8:60; 18:21, 24(×2), 37, 39(×2) 2 K 19:15 (Ephr) Jb 2:10 Je 11:12 Is 37:16; 45:18 ψ 108:14 Dn 1:9, 17; י׳ הא׳ הקדוש 1 S 6:20; י׳ הא׳ הגדול Ne 8:6; הא׳ אשר בירושלם Ezr 1:3; אדני האלהים Dn 9:3; in many phrases, as איש האלהים the man of God, acting under divine authority and influence: = (a) angel Ju 13:6, 8, (b) prophet (the term coming into use in the Northern kingdom in the age of Elijah 1 S 9:6–10, cf. אִישׁ הָרוּחַ Hos 9:7): of Moses Dt 33:1 Jos 14:6 (E) 1 Ch 23:14 2 Ch 30:16 Ezr 3:2 ψ 90:1; of Samuel 1 S 9:6–10; of David 2 Ch 8:14 Ne 12:24, 36; Shemaiah 1 K 12:22 (= 2 Ch 11:2); Elijah, Elisha, and others of their time 1 K 13:1–31; 17:18–24; 20:28 2 K 1:9–13; 4:7–42; 5:8–20; 6:6–15; 7:2, 17; 8:2–11; 13:19; 23:16–17 (Ephr.) 2 Ch 25:7, 9; unnamed prophet 1 S 2:27; Hanan Je 35:4; a later title of prophet was עֶבֶד האלהים the servant of God, used of Moses 1 Ch 6:34 2 Ch 24:9 Ne 10:30 Dn 9:11. בית האלהים the house of God, Ju 18:31, especially late, Chr (52 times) Ec 4:17 Dn 1:2; בית י׳ הא׳ 1 Ch 22:1; האלהים (ברית) ארון the ark (of the covenant) of God Ju 20:27 1 S 4–5. 14, 2 S 6–7. 15 (23 times) 1 Ch 13. 15. 16, 2 Ch 1:4 (13 times); מטה האלהים the rod of God Ex 4:20; 17:9 (E); הר האלהים the mount of God (Horeb) Ex 3:1; 4:27; 18:5; 24:13 (E) 1 K 19:8 (Ephr.); מלאך האלהים the (theophanic) angel of God Gn 31:11 Ex 14:19 (E) Ju 6:20; 13:6, 9 2 S 14:17, 20; 19:28; in other combinations Ex 18:16 Nu 23:27 (E) Ju 20:2 1 S 4:8; 5:11; 10:5 2 S 16:23 1 K 12:22 1 Ch 21:7 + ψ 87:3 Ec 9:1. e.g. Deuteronomy 4:35
- 4. אֱלֹהִים = God י׳ אֱלֹהִים אֱמֶת = Yahweh is God in truth Je 10:10. e.g. Jeremiah 10:10
- a. אלהים (as subj. obj. direct or indirect) is used by P (50 times in story of creation and deluge, elsewhere 28 times), by E (91 times), J chiefly in poetic sources Gn 3:1, 3, 5(×2); 9:27; 39:9 Dt 32:17, 39, by D (11 times) Ju (21 times) S (50 times) K (29 times) Chr (45 times); in ψ 42–86 (180 times often by editorial change for an original יהוה), elsewhere ψ 3:3; 5:11; 7:11, 12; 9:18; 10:4, 13; 14:1, 2, 5; 25:22; 36:2, 8; 77:14; 100:3; 108:2, 6, 8, 12(×2), 14 Jb 5:8; 20:29; 28:23; 32:2; 34:9 (& in Prologue 6 times) Pr 2:5; 3:4; 25:2 Ec (7 times) Hos (5 times) Am 4:11 (כמהפכת אלהים את סדם as God overthrew Sodom = Je 50:40 = Is 13:19) Zc 8:23; 12:8 Mi 3:7 (but אליהם 𝔊 𝔖) Is 35:4 Is 2 (9 times) Je 10:10 Ez (13 times) Mal (5 times) Jon (4 times); the phrase היה ל׳ לאלהים Gn 28:21 (ER) 17:7, 8 Ex 6:7; 29:45 Lv 11:45; 22:33; 25:38; 26:12, 45 Nu 15:41 (P) Dt 26:17; 29:13 2 S 7:24 (= 1 Ch 17:22) Zc 8:8 Je (6 times) Ez (6 times); אלהים צדיק righteous God ψ 7:10; א׳ קדשים holy God Jos 24:19 (E); א׳ חיים living God Dt 5:23 1 S 17:26, 36 Je 10:10; 23:36; א׳ חי 2 K 19:4, 16 (= Is 37:4, 17). For the phrases יהוה א׳, י׳ א׳ צבאות, א׳ צבאות, אל א׳ י׳, יה א׳, י׳ צבאות א׳, י׳ אלהי צבאות, אדני א׳ vid. יהוה, יה, צבאות & אדני. e.g. Genesis 3:1
- b. cstr. אֱלֹהֵי (α) with persons אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם = God of Abraham, a phrase of J, Gn 26:24; 28:13; 31:53, Gn 31:42 (ε) Ex 3:6 ψ 47:10 1 K 18:36 1 Ch 29:18 2 Ch 30:6; א׳ אדני אברהם Gn 24:12, 27, 42, 48 (J); אלהי אב father’s God (various sf. & names), a phrase of E, Gn 31:5, 29, 42; 46:3; 50:17 Ex 3:6, 13, 15, 16; 15:2; 18:4 Jos 18:3, elsewhere Gn 32:10; 43:23 (J) Ex 4:5 (J?) Dt (8 times) Ju 2:12 2 K 21:22 Chr (31 times) Dn 11:37; אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל Israel’s God, phrase of E, Gn 33:20 Ex 5:1; 24:10; 32:27 Jos 8:30; 14:14; 22:16; 24:2, 23, elsewhere Ex 34:23 Jos 7:13, 19, 20 (JE) Nu 16:9 Jos 9:18, 19; 22:24; 10:40, 42; 13:14, 33 (R vid. Di Jos 7:13) Ju 4:6; 5:3, 5; 6:8; 11:21, 23; 21:3 1 S 1:17 + (20 times) K (26 times) Chr (45 times) ψ 41:14; 106:48 (doxol.) 59:6; 69:7 Is 17:6; 21:10, 17; 29:23 Is 3; 24:15; 37:16, 21 Is 2; 41:17 + (6 times) Je 35:17 + (48 times), Ez 8:4 + (7 times) Zp 2:9 Mal 2:16 Ru 2:12; א׳ מערכות ישראל God of the battle array of Israel 1 S 17:45; א׳ יַעֲקֹב 2 S 23:1 (poet.) ψ 20:2; 46:8, 12; 75:10; 76:7; 81:2, 5; 84:9; 94:7 Is 2:3 (= Mi 4:2); א׳ העבריים God of the Hebrews Ex 3:18; 5:3; 7:16; 9:1, 13 (JE); it is used with other proper names, Nahor Gn 31:53 (E), Shem Gn 9:26 (J), David 2 K 20:5 2 Ch 21:12; 34:3 Is 38:5, Hezekiah 2 Ch 32:17, Elijah 2 K 2:14; א׳ אדני המלך the God of my lord the king 1 K 1:36. (β) with nouns of attributes or relationships, א׳ קֶדֶם ancient God Dt 33:27; א׳ עולם everlasting God Is 40:28; א׳ אֱמֶת true God 2 Ch 15:3; א׳ אָמֵן Is 65:16 (vid. אָמֵן); א׳ משפט Is 30:18 Mal 2:17; א׳ מרום Mi 6:6; א׳ כָל בָשָׂר God of all flesh Je 32:27; cf. א׳ הרוחת לכל בשר Nu 16:22; 27:16 (P); א׳ השמים God of heaven Gn 24:7 (JR) 2 Ch 36:23 Ezr 1:2 Ne 1:4, 5; 2:4, 20; cf. א׳ כל הארץ Is 54:5; י׳ א׳ השמים וא׳ הארץ Gn 24:3 (JR); א׳ מִקָּרֹב a God at hand opp. א׳ מֵרָחֹק Je 23:23, א׳ ישועתי, א׳ יִשְׁעִי God of my salvation ψ 18:47 (= 2 S 22:47) 24:5; 25:5; 27:9; 65:6; 79:9; 85:5 Is 17:10 Mi 7:7 Hb 3:18 1 Ch 16:35; א׳ ישועתי ψ 88:2; א׳ תשועתי ψ 51:16; א׳ צִדְקִי God of my righteousness ψ 4:2; א׳ חַסְדִּי ψ 59:11, 18; א׳ צוּרִי God who is my rock 2 S 22:3 (cf. ψ 18:3); א׳ מָעוּזִּי֯ God who is my stronghold ψ 43:2; א׳ תְהִלָּתִי God who is my praise ψ 109:1. e.g. Genesis 26:24
- c. with sf. in P (22 times incl. phr. ויראת מאלהיך) Lv 19:14, 32; 25:17, 36, 43 (H) Ex 8:21 Jos 24:27 (E) Dt 32:37 (poet.) Jos 9:23 (JE) Dt 10:21; 31:17 Ju 10:10; 16:23, 24 1 S 10:19 2 S 10:12; 22:32 + (4 times poet.) 1 K 12:28; 20:23 2 K 19:10 Chr (83 times) ψ (62 times) Pr 2:17; 30:9 Ru 1:15, 16(×2) Is 1:10; 7:13; 8:19, 21 Is 2 (29 times) Je 5:4, 5; 23:36; 51:5 Ez 34:31 Dn (5 times) Ho (12 times) Am 2:8; 4:12 Jo 1:13(×2), 16; 2:17 Mi 6:8; 7:7 Jon 1:5, 6 Zp 3:2 Na 1:14 Zc 9:7; 12:5; אלהים with sf. is also used with יהוה several hundred times (vid. יהוה). e.g. Leviticus 19:14
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
n.m.pl. (f. 1 K 11:33; on number of occurrences of אֵל, אֱלוֹהַּ, אֱלֹהִים cf. also Nesl.c.)
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from אלוה (ʼĕlôwahh) (H433) — God.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
אֱלֹהִים
- , v. אֱלוֹהַּ
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 348 distinct written forms H430 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 288 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H430, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Bible dictionary
Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (God). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.
Easton's Bible Dictionary · M. G. Easton, 1897
(A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew 'El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of 'Eloah_, plural _'Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by "LORD," printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argument to prove it. He who disbelieves this truth is spoken of as one devoid of understanding (Ps. 14:1).
The arguments generally adduced by theologians in proof of the being of God are:
(1.) The a priori argument, which is the testimony afforded by reason.
(2.) The a posteriori argument, by which we proceed logically from the facts of experience to causes. These arguments are,
(a) The cosmological, by which it is proved that there must be a First Cause of all things, for every effect must have a cause.
(b) The teleological, or the argument from design. We see everywhere the operations of an intelligent Cause in nature.
(c) The moral argument, called also the anthropological argument, based on the moral consciousness and the history of mankind, which exhibits a moral order and purpose which can only be explained on the supposition of the existence of God. Conscience and human history testify that "verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth."
The attributes of God are set forth in order by Moses in Ex. 34:6, 7. (see also Deut. 6:4; 10:17; Num. 16:22; Ex. 15:11; 33:19; Isa. 44:6; Hab. 3:6; Ps. 102:26; Job 34:12.) They are also systematically classified in Rev. 5:12 and 7:12.
God's attributes are spoken of by some as absolute, i.e., such as belong to his essence as Jehovah, Jah, etc.; and relative, i.e., such as are ascribed to him with relation to his creatures. Others distinguish them into communicable, i.e., those which can be imparted in degree to his creatures: goodness, holiness, wisdom, etc.; and incommunicable, which cannot be so imparted: independence, immutability, immensity, and eternity. They are by some also divided into natural attributes, eternity, immensity, etc.; and moral, holiness, goodness, etc.
Smith's Bible Dictionary · William Smith, 1863
(good). Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures two chief names are used for the one true divine Being--ELOHIM, commonly translated God in our version, and Jehovah, translated Lord . Elohim is the plural of Eloah (in Arabic Allah); it is often used in the short form EL (a word signifying strength, as in EL-SHADDAI, God Almighty, the name by which God was specially known to the patriarchs. (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; Exodus 6:3) The etymology is uncertain, but it is generally agreed that the primary idea is that of strength, power of effect, and that it properly describes God in that character in which he is exhibited to all men in his works, as the creator, sustainer and supreme governor of the world. The plural form of Elohim has given rise to much discussion. The fanciful idea that it referred to the trinity of persons in the Godhead hardly finds now a supporter among scholars. It is either what grammarians call the plural of majesty, or it denotes the fullness of divine strength, the sum of the powers displayed by God. Jehovah denotes specifically the one true God, whose people the Jews were, and who made them the guardians of his truth. The name is never applied to a false god, nor to any other being except one, the ANGEL-JEHOVAH who is thereby marked as one with God, and who appears again in the New Covenant as "God manifested in the flesh." Thus much is clear; but all else is beset with difficulties. At a time too early to be traced, the Jews abstained from pronouncing the name, for fear of its irreverent use. The custom is said to have been founded on a strained interpretation of (Leviticus 24:16) and the phrase there used, "THE NAME" (Shema), is substituted by the rabbis for the unutterable word. In reading the Scriptures they substituted for it the word ADONAI (Lord), from the translation of which by Kurios in the LXX., followed by the Vulgate, which uses Dominus, we have the Lord of our version. The substitution of the word Lord is most unhappy, for it in no way represents the meaning of the sacred name. The key to the meaning of the name is unquestionably given in God's revelation of himself to Moses by the phrase "I AM THAT I AM," (Exodus 3:14; 6:3) We must connect the name Jehovah with the Hebrew substantive verb to be, with the inference that it expresses the essential, eternal, unchangeable being of Jehovah. But more, it is not the expression only, or chiefly, of an absolute truth: it is a practical revelation of God, in his essential, unchangeable relation to this chosen people, the basis of his covenant.
Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 2,078 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 2,246 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 1:1
- Exodus 1:17
- Leviticus 2:13
- Numbers 6:7
- Deuteronomy 1:6
- Joshua 1:9
- Judges 1:7
- Ruth 1:15
- 1 Samuel 1:17
- 2 Samuel 2:27
- 1 Kings 1:17
- 2 Kings 1:2
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
