# When אלוהים (Elohim) is used of foreign gods, would it include female deities? (Biblical Hebrew)



## Isidore Demsky

I understand "Elohim" is the plural masculine form of "Eloah," but when it's used of foreign gods, would it include female deities like Ashtaroth (or would they have to be referred to separately, using the feminine ending)?

And is אֱלֹהֵ֖י masculine or feminine?


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## arielipi

There is no elohot, like any plural masculine it wraps the females.
Elohey is masculine.
the singular form is eloha not eloah


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## origumi

arielipi said:


> the singular form is eloha not eloah


עד כמה שאני יודע דווקא eloah, יש מתחת לאות ה פתח גנוב.

Beyond that - I believe that arielipi is right, there's no feminine form to this word (in any conjugation) in Biblical Hebrew. Yet like any other word, the masculine plural can apply to group of masculine+feminine.


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## Drink

Isidore Demsky said:


> And is אֱלֹהֵ֖י masculine or feminine?



It is just the construct state of אֱלֹהִים, not a different word. They are both masculine and either singular or plural, depending on the context.



arielipi said:


> the singular form is eloha not eloah



Just like גבוה, most Israelis mispronounce it as -oha, but it is really -oah. Just like מוח is moach, not mocha.


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## hadronic

For the feminine, we can use the word אלה ela ?


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## origumi

hadronic said:


> For the feminine, we can use the word אלה ela ?


אלה or אלילה.


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## hadronic

Is there a "idol" connotation to אלילה ?


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## origumi

Idol as an image or alike? Not necessarily. It emphasizes the pagan or polytheistic nature of the goddess / female divinity.


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## hadronic

pagan / polytheistic : this is exactly what I meant by "idol".


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## Drink

hadronic said:


> pagan / polytheistic : this is exactly what I meant by "idol".



But then again, English "goddess" has the exact same connotation.


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## origumi

hadronic said:


> pagan / polytheistic : this is exactly what I meant by "idol".


To clarify my previous answer:

Dealing with foreign deities, there's a mixture of the deity and of the objects that represent it. For example, אשרה is a deity name and yet the Bible uses this word to denote the object or ritual place, e.g.: וַיָּקֶם מִזְבְּחֹת לַבַּעַל וַיַּעַשׂ אֲשֵׁרָה = and he built altars to the Ba`al and he made an Ashera.

Following this distinction, אלילה may refer to both the (physical) idol and the (abstract) divinity. In practice it emphasizes the concept of (abstract) pagan divinity more than its (physical) idol.


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## arielipi

אל ואלה are more like good and goddess.
אליל ואלילה are more of a pagan connotation.


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