# The O left out in the word God **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794 "2014-03-15T21:00:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TaoPilot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TaoPilot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TaoPilot)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/41 "2014-03-22T18:42:55Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > Then why is it capitalized? Same reason I refer to my dad as “Dad”. It’s not his name, but it is what I call him. If I’m writing a letter to my sister, and I mention him, I’ll say “Hey, Dad is doing fine”. If I’m mentioning someone else’s dad, I’ll say “Hey, George’s dad is doing fine”, without the capitalization. The Hindus have gods, the ancient Greeks had gods, and the Christians have a god, and they call him “God”. ---
**Author:** ![TaoPilot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TaoPilot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TaoPilot)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/42 "2014-03-22T18:46:35Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > As some of you may know, the “name” of God as some have taken from the Hebrew Bible is Jehovah, from the letters (most?) often used when The Big Guy is mentioned: a “y”(yud), a “h”(hey), a “v”(vahv), a “h”(hey). Words in parents are the sounded-out transliteration a of the four Hebrew letters. That’s it, those there. No vowels, no nothing. Hence, Jehovah, Yahweh, take your pick. Ahh, so he’s [The Vowelless](http://sluggy.wikia.com/wiki/K%27Z%27K) ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/43 "2014-03-23T03:27:49Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/44 "2014-03-23T04:15:56Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > Then why is it capitalized? Special case. Many people also capitalize pronouns, and possibly other parts of speech, referring to Him. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/45 "2014-03-23T05:31:34Z")
> [@Fleetwood](#): > > What about those posters that use og? > G-less heathens, I presume? There was a thread where the OP was ranting something about Jesus (of Nazareth) wherein, typing too quickly, he wrote “Son og God”, which subsequently became meme-ified by a bunch of people. > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Another Name of God common in the Hebrew Bible is sounded out, with more orthographic authority, as “Elohim.” When mentioned in any setting outside of praying! Jews will pronounce it Elokim. That seems really odd inasmuch as I understand “Elohim” to be a plural referring to various deities (e.g., Baal). y-h-v-h would be known as “El”, no? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/46 "2014-03-23T15:34:32Z")
> [@For You](#): > > That seems really odd inasmuch as I understand “Elohim” to be a plural referring to various deities (e.g., Baal). y-h-v-h would be known as “El”, no? It’s both, which can cause some confusion. El is used to mean “God,” and elohim is used for gods or for God. Opening verse of Genesis: “In the beginning, God [Elohim] created heaven and earth.” For Jews, the use of plural is similar to the way that kings use the royal “we,” as an honorific. For Christians, use of the plural implies/foreshadows the Trinity. There can be situations where it’s not clear whether elohim means God or gods, but generally it’s clear from context. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/47 "2014-03-23T16:27:29Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > There can be situations where it’s not clear whether elohim means God or gods, but generally it’s clear from context. When you look at the mythos, Judaism seems to claim to be monotheistic but is actually polytheistic. One could infer that it began as a sort of “our god is better than their god” rivalry that was revised into “our god is the one-and-only god”. Add in Satan and Jesus and Gabriel and Michael and so on and it starts to resemble any old pantheon like the Greeks, Norse or Hindus put up. ---
**Author:** ![Puzzler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d07c76/32.png) [@Puzzler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Puzzler)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/48 "2014-03-23T16:46:26Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > It’s both, which can cause some confusion. El is used to mean “God,” and elohim is used for gods or for God. Opening verse of Genesis: “In the beginning, God [Elohim] created heaven and earth.” For Jews, the use of plural is similar to the way that kings use the royal “we,” as an honorific. For Christians, use of the plural implies/foreshadows the Trinity. > > There can be situations where it’s not clear whether elohim means God or gods, but generally it’s clear from context. And to add confusion, Adonai in Hebrew is “my lords” (plural). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/49 "2014-03-23T16:56:19Z")
Scholars love to talk about the different time-periods over which the Bible was written, and the different religious structures at different times of the Jews signified by the Yahve period, the Elohistic, etc. That it is reconciled theologically in the received tradition of the consistency of the Canon is unsurprising. Plus Jews have never been into theology. ---
**Author:** ![Tacit\_Knowledge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@Tacit\_Knowledge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tacit_Knowledge)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/50 "2014-03-23T20:12:33Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > From out in right field: > > I know I have seen G-d used as an abbreviation for (pardon me) “Goddam,” but damned if I’m gonna go look for a cite. 😉 Actually the ONLY time I recall ever seeing or hearing “gd” is in the context of saying “goddamn” without cussing. And since “god” is either a generic title for a non-existent role or the name of a religious storybook character - depending upon context - I hardly think it really matters if one “takes it in vain” (which s a non-sensical notion in itself). Silly religious people and their silly rituals… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/51 "2014-03-23T20:28:05Z")
> [@Tacit\_Knowledge](#): > > And since “god” is either a generic title for a non-existent role or the name of a religious storybook character - depending upon context - I hardly think it really matters if one “takes it in vain” (which s a non-sensical notion in itself). Silly religious people and their silly rituals… I am agnostic. I recall sliding off a roof I was shingling, wondering if the 90 lb clothesline would hold me at 120 lb, and being very sorry that I “used the Lord’s name in vain” on the way down. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794/52 "2014-03-23T21:18:26Z")
> [@Tacit\_Knowledge](#): > > - I hardly think it really matters if one “takes it in vain” (which s a non-sensical notion in itself). Silly religious people and their silly rituals… My understanding is “taking the Lord’s name in vain” means, essentially, saying “I _swear_ by God I will …(whatever)” – basically, telling God that he(it) stands as a witness to your oath. Just saying “God damnit” does not really count as “taking the Lord’s name in vain”. The basic idea of “cussing” has been seriously distorted over time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-o-left-out-in-the-word-god/683794.md?page=2)