Elohim Meaning: What the Name Means in the Bible
Updated October 22, 2026. Counts from the full KJV and World English Bible text.
Elohim (Hebrew אֱלֹהִים) means God (a plural form that takes a singular verb when it means the one God). Strong's Hebrew dictionary lists it as H430 (elohiym). In the King James Version text, the word God appears 4,106 times in 3,575 verses.
The first verse in the King James Version text that matches is Genesis 1:1.
What Elohim means
The first name for God in the Bible, and the one in Genesis 1:1. The ending -im is normally a plural, and scholars read it here as a plural of majesty: many in form, one in meaning. The same word is also used in the Hebrew Bible for the gods of other nations.
| Hebrew | אֱלֹהִים |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | Elohim (ĕlōhîm) |
| Literal meaning | God (a plural form that takes a singular verb when it means the one God) |
| English Bibles print it as | God |
| Strong's | H430 אֱלֹהִים (elohiym): plural of eloah (H433): gods in the ordinary sense; specifically, the supreme God; occasionally applied to magistrates (judges) |
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew dictionary, public domain. Every Hebrew form, transliteration and definition on these pages was read against the matching Strong's entry on Biblehub on 2026-10-22. Verse text is the King James Version and the World English Bible, both public domain.
Where Elohim appears in the Bible
English Bibles print Elohim as God, so we can count the English word but not the Hebrew one. The English word God also translates the Greek Theos in the New Testament, which is why the Old Testament and New Testament counts are split below.
| English text searched | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| the word God | 4,1063,575 verses (2,739 OT, 1,367 NT) | 4,0373,528 verses (2,693 OT, 1,344 NT) |
| the word God in Genesis 1 | 3226 verses | 3226 verses |
Books with the most matches (KJV: the word God)
Found in 63 books in all.
First 40 of 3,575 verses (KJV, the word God): Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:2, Genesis 1:3, Genesis 1:4, Genesis 1:5, Genesis 1:6, Genesis 1:7, Genesis 1:8, Genesis 1:9, Genesis 1:10, Genesis 1:11, Genesis 1:12, Genesis 1:14, Genesis 1:16, Genesis 1:17, Genesis 1:18, Genesis 1:20, Genesis 1:21, Genesis 1:22, Genesis 1:24, Genesis 1:25, Genesis 1:26, Genesis 1:27, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 1:29, Genesis 1:31, Genesis 2:2, Genesis 2:3, Genesis 2:4, Genesis 2:5, Genesis 2:7, Genesis 2:8, Genesis 2:9, Genesis 2:15, Genesis 2:16, Genesis 2:18, Genesis 2:19, Genesis 2:21, Genesis 2:22, Genesis 3:1.
First use of Elohim
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Names related to Elohim
- El Shaddaiאֵל שַׁדַּי: God Almighty
- El Elyonאֵל עֶלְיוֹן: God Most High
- Jehovahיְהוָה: LORD, the personal name of God
- Adonaiאֲדֹנָי: my Lord, a title of respect and rule
See all names: the names of God and their meanings.
Common questions
Is Elohim plural?
Elohim is plural in form (the -im ending), and Strong's lists it as the plural of eloah. When it names the one God it takes a singular verb, which is why scholars call it a plural of majesty. In Genesis 1:1 the verb "created" is singular.
Is Elohim the same as Yahweh?
No. Elohim is a title meaning God. Yahweh (rendered LORD in the KJV) is the personal name God gives in Exodus 3. The two appear together as "LORD God" from Genesis 2:4.
How many times is Elohim in the Bible?
Searching the full King James Version text for the word God finds 4,106 times in 3,575 verses, 2,739 in the Old Testament and 1,367 in the New. The World English Bible has 4,037 times. English Bibles translate Hebrew names, so a count in English counts the translation, not the Hebrew word.
Sources
Source: H430 via biblehub.com/hebrew, read 2026-10-22. Hebrew meanings: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew dictionary, public domain. Verse text: King James Version and World English Bible, public domain. Counts: Bible Says About, 2026-10-22.
Verses on our topic pages: Bible verses about creation, Bible verses about worship, Bible verses about holiness. Word counts: God, Lord and Bible names and their meanings.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-22.