Generally speaking, the word ‘elohim’
takes a singular form of the verb although it itself has a plural form. For
example, ‘And God said . . . ‘ uses the third person singular form of the verb ‘to
say’. However, there are exceptions to this rule and one such example is Gen
20:13,
And it came to pass, when God
caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is
thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall
come, say of me, He is my brother. Gen 20:13 (KJV)
English versions render ‘elohim’
as ‘God’ here even though ‘caused . . . to wander’ is a third person plural
form of the verb ‘to wander’. The plural form of the verb is linked to ‘princes’
in Isa 19:13, so ti is unclear why versions can resist a plural for ‘elohim’ in
Gen 20:13 and translate the Hebrew as “And it came to pass, when gods caused me
to wander . . . “
That Abraham would have spoken to
the pagan Abimelech in this way illustrates more than the use of language in a
way with which Abimelech would have been familiar—he would have been familiar
with the gods directing the ways of men. What the English translators neglect
is the dimension of speaking to a pagan and how close the narrative is
reflecting the conversation. Thie implied narrator is conforming his
description of the encounter to the terms used in the acutal speech of Abraham
at this point.
While Abraham was not a pagan and
would have understood the concept of angelic involvement in the lives of men,
angels are not the referent of ‘elohim’ in this record of Abraham’s speech;
rather, Abraham is using Abimelech’s own framework of understanding in order to
execute a successful (ordinary) conversation. (Andrew Perry, “Marginal Notes:
Gen 20:13 Elohim,” Christadelphian EJournal of Biblical Interpretation [January
2014]: 88-89)
