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From: de@moscom.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Question about "plural" aspect of Hebrew name of Deity
Message-ID: <268@moscom.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Dec-84 20:57:08 EST
Article-I.D.: moscom.268
Posted: Mon Dec 17 20:57:08 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Dec-84 00:42:09 EST
References: <2715@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Organization: MOSCOM Corp, E Rochester, NY, USA
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> Some people have recently discussed the fact that one of the commonly
> used names of G-d is formally plural.  Almost all the time when this
> word is used to refer to the true G-d (as opposed to pagan deities), the
> use of singular verbal, pronominal, and adjectival forms make it clear
> that a single entity is being referred to by the apparently plural name.
> 
> However, there is at least one case where this doesn't appear to be so.
> I'm not too sure whether anything significant can or should be made of
> it, but I'd be very interested in knowing how Jewish tradition has ex-
> plained it.
> 
> In Exodus 32:4 (the "golden calf" incident), we read:
> 
> 		vayomru 'eleh 'eloheikha yisra'el
> 		'asher he`elukha me'eretz mitzrayim
> 
> Note the plural demonstrative ('eleh), as well as the plural verb
> (he`elukha -- he, ayin, lamed, vav, khaf sofit).
>


I quote to you the answer given in the Soncino text (taken without permission):

    From the fact that the words were addressed to Israel and not spoken by them
    (otherwise the text would have read, 'this is our god'), it may be inferred
    that not the native-born Israelites clamoured for gods, but the mixed
    multitude who came out of Egypt with them.  They made the idol and led 
    Israel astray.  They were not foolish as to imagined the Calf was a Divine 
    object;  but they were influenced by the widespread heathenish belief that 
    the idolatrous image was imbued with God's spirit and power and could help
    them in their needs.

A close examination of the text shows that the "trop" (the punctuation/note),
beneath the work "masakhah" is an "etnakhtah", a trop corresponding to a 
semi-colon in English.  The next thought has a tenuous connection to the
preceding phrase.  Thus "and they said: ..." is not Aaron speaking but the
mixed multituded who were used to speaking of gods.

			     David Esan (moscom!de)

			     ZZ