Chizuk Emunah Under the Microscope: Chapter 9

In chapter 9, Troki argues against the idea that Elohim is a reference to the Trinity.Troki notes that Elohim refers to God, but also refers to human authorities, such as in Exodus 22:9. He also quotes Exodus 7:1, where Moses is an Elohim to Pharaoh. He also argues that Eloha is used as well, such as in Deuteronomy 32:15, Psalm 50:22, and Isaiah 44:6. They are singular terms used of God. Troki also notes that words like Adonim are used, such as in Isaiah 19:4, Genesis 39:20, and Exodus 31.

I agree with Troki that one cannot develop a doctrine of the Trinity purely from the Tanakh. It is a later revelation. The Tanakh teaches that there is one God. The New Testament teaches this as well, and then specifies that within this one God, there are three persons. The use of Elohim in the Tanakh allows for the further revelation in the New Testament that God is multi-personal. The term Elohim is unique to Biblical Hebrew. It appears in no other Semitic language.

Generally, Elohim is used with singular verbs. One can try to make a case that because of this,  Elohim is just a way of saying God. The plural ending is majestic and nothing more. If this was the case, then we should not expect to find evidence of God referring to himself as Elohim and using plural verbs, adjectives, and participles with it. If the supporting words are plural, then it hints that Elohim, in that context, is also plural. If Elohim is plural, and it refers to the God of Israel, then it follows that the God of Israel is also, in a sense, plural. If God is multi-personal, then, we would expect to find God saying, ‘We,’ ‘Us,’ or ‘Our’ as well as ‘I,’ ‘Myself’, or ‘Me’ because God is One and Three at the same time.

The first example is from Genesis 20:13

וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר הִתְעוּ אֹתִי אֱלֹהִים מִבֵּית אָבִי וָאֹמַר לָהּ זֶה חַסְדֵּךְ אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשִׂי עִמָּדִי אֶל כָּל־הַמָּקֹום אֲשֶׁר נָבֹוא שָׁמָּה אִמְרִי־לִי אָחִי הוּא׃
    And when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’

Both God and "caused me to wander" are in the plural here.

Next is Genesis 35:7

 וַיִּבֶן שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ וַיִּקְרָא לַמָּקֹום אֵל בֵּית־אֵל כִּי שָׁם נִגְלוּ אֵלָיו הָאֱלֹהִים בְּבָרְחֹו מִפְּנֵי אָחִיו
 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother.

Both God and "revealed himself" are in the plural.

Finally, Deuteronomy 4:7

כִּי מִי־גֹוי גָּדֹול אֲשֶׁר־לֹו אֱלֹהִים קְרֹבִים אֵלָיו כַּיהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּכָל־קָרְאֵנוּ אֵלָיו
    For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?
Both God and near are in the plural.

So this isn't just a majestic title. It really can be a plural form, even when applied to the God of Israel. this shows that God is both singular and plural, just as the Trinity teaches.

For more information on the use of Elohim, Sam Shamoun has a response article on Answering Islam:
http://answeringislam.org/authors/shamoun/elohim_trinity.html

Gleason Archer also has a presentation on this subject: