God

The general word for “god” in Hebrew is El. The same word is also the name for a Canaanite god. In the Old Testament, El is another name for YHWH. The plural of this word (Elohim in Hebrew) is the most commonly used name for the God of Israel in the Old Testament.

Most of our information about the god El has been drawn from Ugaritic texts, written around 1400 BC. They present El as the highest deity, the head of a collection of gods (also called a “pantheon”, see gods and spirits).

In the Old Testament, YHWH (the LORD) is represented as the only God. In this representation, YHWH as the God of Israel has completely subsumed El’s position. The word Elohim, the plural of El, is usually used for God.

The word El is also used in certain combinations, such as:

The word can also be found in the names of people such as Israel, Samuel and Elijah, as well as in a place name such as Bethel, which means “house of God”.