Monday, 13 April 2020

Genesis 1 : 1 and 26

Right at the beginning of the Bible we see God, Elohim, expressed as a plural, which seems a bit odd: In the beginning the gods? This does not seem to agree with the sense that he is the one and only God, however it has been suggested that this is an obscure reference to the trinity at work in creation. On the other hand, Elohim is used frequently in the book of Genesis to refer to Jehovah Yahweh and therefore behaves as a singular noun, even though Elohim can mean gods. It has been suggested that since the accompanying verb is singular then Elohim is singular and instead refers to greatness. Not many gods but a great God.

However, in verse 26 we see plurality again as God now consults with himself before his final act of creation, with all three parts of the trinity active in the creation of man just as they were in the creation of the universe.
Please note that the account of creation in this chapter is neither scientific or myth; it is God's revelation of his work of creation. There are two purposes to the chapter: to show God as the originator of creation, and man as the ultimate goal of creation.


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