ANOTHER derivative of the root El, is אלוֺהּ Eloah. It has the same primitive meaning as to eternity and almighty power, but has a further special reference fixed by its usage. Its first occurrence connects it with worship, and wherever it is used of the Divine Being, it is in opposition to idols and all false gods. Deut. xxxii. 15 and 17 (first). This sets forth the essential meaning of Eloah.

When Eloah is used there is always a contrast between the true and living God and them that are no gods. See 2 Chron. xxxii. 15; Ps. xviii. 31: "Who is Eloah but Jehovah?"�; Isa. xliv. 8, etc.

It occurs 57 times in its Hebrew form and 95 times in its Chaldee form אלהּ Elah, making in all 152 occurrences.

Because it is the God who is worshipped it is sometimes used of the gods of the heathen, because they were gods whom the heathen worshipped. And hence we often find it combined with the pronouns: my God, thy God, our God, his God, their God, because the God that anyone worships thus becomes his God.

Hence He is specially the God whom we worship and for whom we wait — our Redeemer. See Job. xvi. 20, 21, and compare this with the New Testament expression the "Great God and Saviour."� We know that our Saviour Jesus liveth, that He will "stand on the earth in the latter day,"� and that "in our flesh,"� raised and glorified, we shall see Him and for ever be with Him.

The following are the fifty-seven occurrences of the Hebrew Title,

אלוֺהּ ELOAH.

Deut. xxxii. 15, 17 (1st); 2 Chron. xxxii. 15 (1st); Neh. ix. 17; Job iii. 4. 23; iv. 9, 17; v. 17; vi. 4, 8, 9; ix. 13; x. 2; xi. 5, 6, 7; xii. 4, 6 (2nd); xv. 8; xvi. 20, 21; xix. 6, 21, 26; xxi. 9, 19; xxii. 12, 26; xxiv. 12; xxvii. 3, 8, 10; xxix. 2, 4; xxxi. 2, 6; xxxiii. 12, 26; xxxv. 10: xxxvi. 2; xxxvii. 15, 22; xxxix. 17; xl. 2; Psalm xviii. 31 (1st); 1. 22; cxiv. 7; cxxxix. 19; Prov. xxx. 5; Isa. xliv. 8* (1st); Dan. xi. 37 (2nd), 38 (twice), 39; Hab. i. 1 1; iii. 3.

And the following are the occurrences of the same word in its Chaldee spelling. The meaning is, of course, the same in each language, as its usage shows: —

אלהּ ELAH (Chaldee).

Ezra iv. 24; v. 1, 2 (twice), 5, 8, xi, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17; vi- 3, 5 (twice), 7 (twice), 8, 9, 10, 12 (twice), 14, 16, 17, 18; vii. 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 (twice), 20, 21, 23 (twice), 24, 25 (twice), 26; Jer. x. 11; Dan. ii. 11, 18, 19, 20. 23, 28, 37, 44, 45. 47 (three times); iii. 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 25, 26, 28 (three times), 29 (twice); iv. 2, 8 (twice), 9, 18; v. 3, 4, 11 (twice), 14, 18, 21, 23 (twice), 26; vi. 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 16, 20 (twice), 22, 23, 26 (twice).

If these words "God"� be marked with Eloah or Elah against them, then it will be clear that in every other passage where the word God occurs in small roman type, it is the word Elohim which is used.

Continued in Part 8