Elohim from Hashem by Natalie Kendel
Genesis 1:1
The Bible opens with this line:
“Bereshit bara Elohim et hasha-mayim ve’et ha’aretz.”
Meaning, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
It seemed suitable, therefore, for the first song on this album to begin with that line: “Bereshit bara Elohim..." - "In the beginning, God created...”
Elohim. This is the first name of God which we are introduced to in the biblical narrative.
In ancient, biblical Hebrew, Elohim means “Gods” - it is plural. (The plural of El, or possibly Eloah.)
El means “God” or “deity”, functioning as a generic term for a powerful being. It's derived from a common Semitic root for divinity, often linked to concepts of might, strength, power, and a strong guide.
But here, we have Elohim. Not merely El – not merely God, but Gods.
It is at this point that many religious people might start to squirm uncomfortably in their seat. "Are we saying that God being one, being singular, is not biblical? That the Creator of Heaven and Earth is not one creator but multiple? Are we suggesting polytheism?"
Not at all. In fact, the entire rest of the biblical narrative goes on to repeatedly negate that view. It puts forth again and again that there is only one true God. Only one maker. The One. But why then are we introduced to “Gods” the plural? And in the very first line of the story, no less. Is this a grammatical error?
Introductions can be quite significant, can't they. When you meet a person, first impressions matter. The way you present yourself to others matters. It says something about how you wish to be addressed, how you wish to be known, it says something about your identity. If that's the case, what does God wish people to know about him based on this first introduction? Why does he reach out his hand and say, "Hi, I'm Elohim" on the first page?
There are two important things to note here:
1. He is plural
2. He is Creator. Creator of everything we see. The Heavens, and everything on the planet we stand on.
If you were to ask a random Christian to make a statement about God and who he is, and to do so in a single sentence, they would most likely reply: “God is love”. This statement is reflected in the biblical text, it is a running theme throughout the narrative and Christian faith. The belief that God is love itself. Love himself. God is love.
But love is, by definition, relational. Love is outward-facing. It is considering something other than yourself. Serving someone other than yourself. It is the opposite of the self-contained, narrow, only inward-looking narcissism or selfishness. Love can only exist and play out and be what it is inside relationship. Because love isn't a feeling or a theory, it is a relating to another, and doing so in a certain way.
So how could God, if he was just one ego, can he be love? If he existed in the beginning, and he was self-contained and independent and one person, how can be, by his very nature, love?
It is here that we see the massive and meaningful punch that is Genesis 1:1. God is declared as 𝗋̲𝖾̲𝗅̲𝖺̲𝗍̲𝗂̲𝗈̲𝗇̲𝖺̲𝗅̲ by nature: he is categorised as a plural. He himself is made up of more than one. We, in fact, are being introduced - given a glimpse - of what the story will late reveal as being what we call The Trinity. A unity between three persons. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. This is God. God is himself a relationship.
Thus, Elohim does not introduce a polytheistic system, not multiple gods, but one God who is three. A unity so absolute, we find it difficult to understand that level of complete service and devotion. But we're invited into that very mystery and the beauty of this truth: that God is love and he can only be that because, even within himself, he is existing in relationship. Relationship and love and unity and service between three. In Genesis 1, God is a They, and he's about to create something beautiful into the void and the chaos.
Tracklist
| 1. | Elohim | 4:36 |
Lyrics
Bereshit bara Elohim
(Hebrew: In the beginning, God created)
Bereshit bara Elohim
Bereshit bara Elohim
Bereshit bara Elohim
In the beginning
in the beginning
was Elohim
The three who are one
And the Spirit hovered over the waters
in the beginning
At the beginning
At the beginning
of Heaven and Earth,
the story begins:
was the El who’s Elohim,
at the beginning
Bereshit bara Elohim
Bereshit bara Elohim
Bereshit bara Elohim
Bereshit bara Elohim
From the beginning
From the beginning
the might and the power;
the plural is one
And in perfect unity,
the One who is the three,
from the beginning
Who is this who at their core’s relationship?
A perfect unity between the three
Each distinct and yet in perfect harmony
The one who is the three;
the Holy Trinity
Who are They who came before the everything,
whose very nature is community?
For love is not a theory;
Love’s a Person who’s defined and found within
the one who’s Elohim
Bereshit bara Elohim
Bereshit bara Elohim
Bereshit bara Elohim
Bereshit bara Elohim
Bereshit bara Elohim (In the beginning)
Bereshit bara Elohim (was Elohim, the three who are one)
Bereshit bara Elohim (In the beginning)
Bereshit bara Elohim (was Elohim, the three who are one)
Bereshit bara Elohim (was Elohim)
was Elohim
Credits
License
All rights reserved.
Theologian, Natalie Kendel, is a singer-songwriter, author, pastor, and theological lecturer.
Using an imaginative, narrative approach, Kendel aims to musically communicate the biblical narrative.
Breaking from much mainstream religious music, Kendel weaves unique lyrics with exegetical depth. Her music invites the listener into a meaningful journey.
This artist supports Free Palestine.