Elohim
is used, not only for the one true God, but it is sometimes
applied to heathen deities and to men. (See, for example, Exodus 7:1; Judges 5:8; Psalm 82:1).
However, in some cases it would appear that this name has been translated in
the A.V. as a plural where the one true God is intended. For example, in Genesis 3:5 where Satan told Eve that she and her
husband would be as gods, knowing good and evil, it would appear that
Eve at this time could not have known of any false gods or others who could be
called gods, and it would therefore make better sense to make Elohim here refer
to the one true God. There is nothing in this verse to make the first
occurrence of Elohim (translated God) to be a different person
from the Elohim at the end of the verse (translated gods).
Likewise in Psalm 138:1
David declared: “before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.” Of course,
David could have had in mind praising God before some great ones in the earth,
but it is unlikely that he was thinking about standing in an idol temple to
praise God. It seems more likely that he was simply reiterating what he had
said in the first part of the verse: “I will praise thee with my whole heart:
before Elohim (God) will I sing praise unto thee.”
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