The Hebrew D_ity has many names, which are used to describes His various "Attributes." The Sages of Yisrael held that all these attributes could be grouped into two categories, under two main attributes - the Attribute of Mercy and the Attribute of Justice/Judgment. The Attribute of Mercy is suppose to be represented by the Tetragrammaton (Y + H + V + H, that is, yod + hey + vav + hey) and the Attribute of Justice was represented by the word A + L + H + Y + M (i.e., aleph + lamed + hey + yod + mem). Philo of Alexandria said the reverse was true: E"LoHiYM refers to the Attribute of Mercy and the Four-Lettered Name refers to the Attribute of Justice/Judgment.
The plural A + L + H + Y + M comes from the singular A + L + V + H (i.e., aleph + lamed + vav + hey), which means "god, might, power" and also "strength."
The ancient pictograph for the letter A (aleph) is an "ox" head; the letter L (lamed) is an "ox goad" (shepherd's crook); the letter M (mem) is a horizontal (squiggling/zig-zagging) line, which indicates "water." The modern Hebrew names for these letters exactly reflect the ancient pictographs.
The ancient pictograph for the letter Y (yod) is an "arm." The modern Hebrew name for the letter Y is "yod," which means "hand." The concept being conveyed by this pictograph is probably that of "strength," because the "strength" of a man is in his "arm" and is manifest in the work of his "hand" (i.e., that which man has wrought by the work/strength of his hand). So, even though the name of this letter doesn't exactly reflect the ancient pictograph, the concept of "might" and "power" and strength" has remained.
The ancient pictograph for the letter V (vav) is a "rod." The "rod" (a tapered stick about three feet long with a knob at one end) was used by the ancient herdsmen as a weapon to defend the flock. As Brother Cliff says, "it was used to beat the crap out of wolves." It was also used sort of like a javelin, or throwing stick, to strike the strays and alert them that they'd better not wonder off and that they'd better get their tails back to the flock. In short, the "rod" was a tool used to keep the flock "together." In Hebrew, the "vav," when used as a prefix, indicates the conjunction "and." Nowadays, the "vav" is said to mean a "hook," or a "nail." So, even though the name of this letter doesn't exactly reflect the ancient pictograph, the concept of "togetherness," "conjunction," being "hooked" (collected) and "nailed" (joined) has remained.
The ancient pictograph for the letter H (hey) is - I think - an "overseer." I base my assumption on several things. The actual pictograph is that of "a seated human stick figure with its arms partially raised skyward." The fact that the figure is seated would seem to indicate a "man of leisure," that is, a "non-laborer." The hands held skyward would also seem to indicate that this figure represents a person whose hands do not labor; however, it could also indicate a devotional act. Either way, the figure represents a person of "importance" and "significance." The Old Hebrew alphabetic representation for the letter H (hey) is a "tilted stick with three lines coming from its upper half." This Old Hebrew character for H (hey) sort of resembles a backwards letter E with an extended tail. This would seem to indicate a "flail." The "flail" was an instrument used to separate the wheat from the chaff; thereby preparing the grain for winnowing. (At this point, I trust your minds are exploding with various Scriptural images and quotes). The "fail" and "crook" where used by the Pharaohs of Egypt to denote their control over all Egyptian agriculture and animal husbandry. The evolution from "overseer" to "fail" to the word "Behold!" seems fairly logical to me. After all, who should one take notice of? Who is it that separates the wheat (useful) from the chaff (useless)? Who should one "behold?" (The "Face" which we should seek to "behold" belongs to Whom?) Who alerts others by saying "Lo!" Who commands others to "Behold!" So, even though the name of this letter doesn't exactly reflect the ancient pictograph, the concept of "overseer" and "leader" has remained.
The Hebrew word A + L + V + H (aleph + lamed + vav + hey) means "god, might, power" and also "strength." The plural form of A + L + V + H is A + L + H + Y + M (aleph + lamed + yod + mem), which means "gods, might, powers." It is also one of the proper "Names" of the Hebrew D_ity. In the proto-Sinaic, A + L + H + Y + M reads "Ox - goad - overseer - arm - water." (Y wasn’t used in ancient times to indicate the masculine plural ending of "YM." So, the "YM" plural ending would probably have simply been written "M" in the proto-Sinaic; however, I will include Y in my etymology of this word. Either way, with or with out the Y, the ideographic concept is not harmed). So, what we have here is, an "ox goading overseer (of the) arm/strong water (region?)," that is, the "cattle owners of the Tigris and Euphrates (valley)." The reason YM came to be used as a masculine "plural" ending can probably best be explained by the "seasonal" flooding of the "strong waters" that brought mineral rich soil deposits down into the valley. In other words, "strong waters" bring life and "fecundity." (I won’t get into the obvious "masculine" sexual aspect of these ancient "fertility" beliefs, etc.).
How does this relate to the Hebrew word for "gods," "powers" and "strengths?" Who had the economic "power" in the Old West? The Cattlemen's Association! How did the white settlers conquer the Native Americans who lived in the Plains? They killed off the buffalo, upon which these Native American’s livelihood ("power") depended. How do the Masai of Africa measure success, wealth and "power?" It all comes down to how much cattle a person owns. In certain African tribes, to possess an ox's tail (fail?) is to let others know that you are a chief, or an elder of the tribe. Who possesses the cattle on a thousand hills? E"lohim! What was G_d's preferred sacrifice in the Bible? Livestock, that is, cattle - as opposed to fruits and veggies!
Now you’re going to hate me, because I’m about to quote from Prof. Mary Boyce’s book, "Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices" :
". . . the ancestors of both Iranians and the Indians had formed one people, identified as the proto-Indo-Iranians. They were a branch of the Indo-European family of nations, and they lived it is thought, as pastorialists on the south Russian steppes, to the east of the Volga. They were semi-migratory, herding their cattle, sheep and goats. . . . Their society was divided into two main groups: priests and laity (whose men would have been herdsmen and hunters). . . . the proto-Indo-Iranians forged a religious tradition of immense strength, so that to this day elements from it are preserved by their descendants, the Brahmans of India and the Zoroastrians of Iran. . . . The mountains flanking the Inner Asian steppes - notably the Altai Mountains - contained rich deposits of copper and tin; and so the steppe-dwellers were able to equip themselves formidably as fighting-men. . . . With the horse-drawn chariot the old way of life seems to have given place to a more restless, dangerous one, a typical 'heroic age,' in which chieftains and their followers set out in quest of gain and glory, and were as ready to raid a neighboring tribe as to pillage alien settlements. . . . Sometimes the warrior's booty consisted of herds of cattle, carried off by force; and the fame of a great champion had to be paid for with the blood of the slain, and the sufferings of the weak and unprotected. It was during this turbulent and restless age, it seems, when might ruled rather than law, that Zoroaster lived, and sought a revelation of the purpose of man's troubled days on earth. . ."
So, who were the ancient "elohiym?" (Remember, that we too are called "elohiym" in Psalm 82). These Indo-Iranians (i.e., the horned-helmeted, former cattle herdsmen of the Russian steppes) invaded the agricultural settlements of the Tigris-Euphrates and Indus valley, overturned the Semitic and Aboriginal animal 'totem' cults, fused their pastorial beliefs and gods with those of the already multi-cultural agrarian peoples and instituted a strict caste system, which occasionally, depending on the lust of the rulers and the beauty of their subjects, could be overlooked. (I'll cover the 'sons of G-d' knowing the 'daughters of men' and the 'mighty-ones' and the "gods" of these invaders from the north a little later on). These conquerors functioned as the supreme religious and civil authority. They gave their pastorial priests, and occasionally the Aboriginal and Semitic native shamans, star-gazers and prophets, the power to act as celestial diviners - responsible for discerning the most auspicious times for planting and harvesting, while predicting and averting famines, plagues, natural disasters, etc. Further, these Indo-Iranian invaders continued a program of exploration and military conquest and utilized their "newly acquired" (skilled and unskilled) work force to construct huge, fortified cities to house the patricians and towering temples for the priests, so that they might better study, interpret and serve the celestial deities.
Sounds a lot like Nimrod, his cities and the Tower of Babel, that is, the "gate of G-d," . . . no? Actually, the ancient pictograph for Babel, using the proto-Sianic alphabet, is "house-house-ox goad." The ideographic concept is "the house, housing the ox goad," or "the housing house of the ox goad." Or, could it be the "BUILDING that HOUSES the astronomical observatory which is dedicated to the zodiac, by which those living from 4,000 to 2,000 B.C.E. were GOADED to tend to their crops." Note, during the "Age of Taurus" (i.e., "Age of the Ox" - c. 4,000 to 2,000 B.C.E.), the equinox was judged by the sun's appearance in the constellation of Taurus. Hmmm. . . .
Well, I could go on and on and on, but will have to stop here. This word study isn’t finished yet. I still have to cover Y"H, but maybe there’s enough here for you to do it yourself. I would only like to point out that YH probably means "Strong Overseer" or "Hand/Arm of the Overseer," which may allude to the Attribute of Mercy (i.e., Salvation by a strong hand, etc.). As for the VH, . . . It probably means "Rod of the Overseer," which may allude to the Attribute of Justice which holds us "together" (i.e., by the rod) and gives us correction when we go astray (i.e., rod = word = Torah, etc.). In other words, both the Mercy and Justice Attribute are to be found in the one Name, belonging to the ONE TRUE D_ITY OF YISRAEL! You get the idea. There is no trinity folks! Get over it already! This study isn’t as refined as I would have liked, but I didn’t want to keep everyone - all two of you - hanging for too long. Please, no need to get into the "chariots of fire" = U.F.O.’s and the "elohiym" = the gray aliens who mutilate "cattle" and the rest of that stuff. I think it sufficient to point out that the "gods of old" were the cattle rich conquerors of the ancient Mesopotamian valley and that the word "elohiym" simply refers to economic power, upon which the golden rule is based - "Those who have the GOLD (i.e., wealth) make the RULES (i.e., act as the judges, cf. Psalm 82)."
Shalom,
Steve