Friday, August 8, 2014

Genesis 20:13 and the "Plurality of the Gods"

On the plurality of the Gods, one text that is rarely discussed is that of Genesis 20:13--The Hebrew of this verse uses plural verb structures and plural persons when discussing the (true) Gods who caused Abraham to wander. It is rendered – 

Wyhy k'sr ht'w 'ty 'lhym mbbyt 'by ... (English: "And it came to pass when (the) Gods caused me to wander from my father's house..."). Another way to put it: "And it came to pass when they, (the) Gods, caused me to wander from the house of my father..." Not only is this consistent with LDS theology, but also supports the creation story in the Book of Abraham. If it had been the singular 'God', it would have been ht'h 'lhym rather than the plural ht'w 'lhym, consistent with the creation account of the Book of Abraham (Abraham 4:1ff) and LDS theology, though it blows strict forms of monotheism (whether Unitarian or creedal Trinitarian) out of the water.

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