Jeremiah 16:20:6Jer.16.20.W6TAB
אֱלֹהִֽים׃
elohim
“gods”
- Transliteration
- e-lo-HIM
- Extended
- eh-loh-HEEM
- IPA
- /ʔɛloˈhiːm/
Meaning by language
- English
- gods
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Hateph Seghol | reduced 'eh' | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
e-lo-HIM
- phraseyour reading level
LO e-lo-HIM
- clause
ve-HE-ma LO e-lo-HIM
- sentence
ha-ya-a-SE-lo a-DAM e-lo-HIM ve-HE-ma LO e-lo-HIM
Exegesis
Elōhîm {אֱלֹהִ֑ים | ʾĕ-lō-hîm} ‘gods’ serves as the object of human fabrication with a qualitative plural nuance.
The negative particle lōʾ {לֹ֥א | lōʾ} ‘not’ with elōhîm {אֱלֹהִֽים | ʾĕ-lō-hîm} ‘gods’ asserts their lack of divine status. The verb-first word order emphasizes human agency, while the subsequent nominal clause underscores the absence of genuine divinity, intensifying the polemic against idolatry.
Root and etymology
ʾ-l-hʾ-l-h
“god, deity”
In context — Jeremiah 16:20
Shall a man make gods for himself, and they are not gods?
About this coordinate
Jeremiah 16:20:6 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 6 of Jeremiah 16:20, so the Hebrew word אֱלֹהִֽים׃ (elohim) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Jer.16.20.W6, which extends further down to each syllable (Jer.16.20.W6.S1) and character.