Let’s Start at the Beginning
Most people know that the Bible opens with the famous words: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). But far fewer of us are aware of what these words actually sound like in the original language of Scripture: Hebrew. Let’s learn to say these words as they were first spoken thousands of years ago:
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ
braysheet bara Elohim et ha-shamayim v’et ha-aretz
A Title, not a Name
You can see that the Hebrew word for “God” in this verse is Elohim אֱלֹהִים. This word is composed of the root eloh (meaning “divine”) and the plural ending im. Does this mean that according to the very first verse of the Bible, the world was created by multiple gods? Actually, it’s His honorific title. The ancient Israelites called their one God Yahweh; but they also addressed him as Elohim. As a sign of respect, they used a plural title.
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