TRUTH NOT SUGAR COATED

Kings like Hezekiah and Josiah are remembered in the Hebrew Bible for carrying out major religious reforms in Judah. The phrase “they removed…” usually refers to them removing objects, practices, and shrines connected to other gods and centralizing worship of YHWH in Jerusalem.

Below is a clear breakdown of what each king removed or changed.

Hezekiah is described mainly in 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 29–31, and Isaiah 36–39.

Hezekiah tried to purify the worship of YHWH by removing competing religious practices.

He reportedly removed:

• High places – local hilltop shrines used for worship
• Sacred pillars (standing stones) connected with earlier Canaanite traditions
• Asherah poles (symbols connected with the goddess Asherah)
• The bronze serpent called Nehushtan

The serpent is interesting because it was believed to come from the story of Moses. Over time people had begun burning incense to it, so Hezekiah destroyed it.

Goal of his reform:
Centralize worship of YHWH and eliminate other religious symbols.

Josiah’s reforms are described in 2 Kings 22–23 and 2 Chronicles 34–35.

His reforms were even more sweeping.

After a “Book of the Law” was discovered in the Temple (likely an early form of Deuteronomy), 

Josiah ordered the removal of many religious practices:

• Altars to Baal
• Asherah images inside the Temple
• Idol priests
• High places throughout Judah and Samaria
• Sun, moon, and star worship objects
• Cult prostitution connected to temples
• Child sacrifice sites such as Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom
• The altar at Bethel, which had been associated with the northern kingdom

He also reinstituted the Passover celebration.

The Topheth was a place mentioned in the Hebrew Bible located in the Valley of Hinnom, just outside ancient Jerusalem. It became infamous in biblical texts as a site where children were sacrificed in fire to a deity called Molech.

The word Topheth (תֹּפֶת) likely referred to a burning place or sacrificial hearth.

Some scholars think the name may come from a word meaning “fireplace” or possibly from “drum” (toph) because drums might have been used during rituals.

In the Bible, it appears in passages like:

• Jeremiah 7:31
   
• Jeremiah 19:5
   
• 2 Kings 23:10
   

These passages describe people:

• burning sons and daughters in fire
   
• performing rituals not commanded by God
   
• practicing worship condemned by biblical writers.
   

During the religious reforms of Josiah, the Bible says he defiled Topheth so it could never be used again.

2 Kings 23:10 says:

He desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom so that no one could use it to sacrifice a son or daughter in the fire to Molech.
 

This was part of his broader effort to eliminate non-YHWH worship practices.

Over time the Valley of Hinnom became symbolic of destruction and judgment.

The name evolved:

Hebrew:
Ge Hinnom = Valley of Hinnom

Later form:
Gehenna

In later Jewish and Christian writings, Gehenna became a metaphor for a place of purification or punishment, which is where the later concept of “hell” language developed.

Archaeologists have found Tophet sites in other ancient Phoenician cities like Carthage, where urns containing infant remains were discovered.

However, historians still debate:

• whether these were actual sacrifices
• or burials of infants who died naturally but were ritually dedicated.

For Jerusalem specifically, clear archaeological evidence of mass child sacrifice has not been found, so the biblical descriptions may represent:

• real practices
   
• political or religious condemnation of rival traditions
   
• or symbolic language.
   

Genesis may contain multiple layers or traditions, especially at the beginning.

Genesis 1:1–2:3

• Seven-day      creation
• God      is called Elohim
• Ordered      cosmic creation:
  • light
  • sky
  • land       and plants
  • sun,       moon, stars
  • animals
  • humans       created male and female together

Genesis 2:4 onward

• Garden      of Eden story
• God      is called YHWH Elohim (“LORD God”)
• Different      sequence:
  • man       formed from dust
  • plants       and animals
  • woman       created later from Adam’s side
• More      personal and relational

Key point

Scholars notice differences in:

• the      name used for God
• the      order of creation
• the      writing style
• the      purpose of each account

2) God in Eden as YHWH Elohim

In Genesis 2:4 through Genesis 3, the Hebrew text uses:

YHWH Elohim (יהוה אלהים)

Usually translated:
“the LORD God”

Meaning of each part

YHWH

• personal      covenant name of God
• often      rendered LORD in English Bibles
• connected      to “to be” / “I AM”

Elohim

• general      Hebrew word for God
• plural      in form, but often singular in meaning when used for Israel’s God
• emphasizes      creator power and divine authority

Key point

Genesis 1 uses Elohim only.
Genesis 2–3 switches to YHWH Elohim.

This is one of the biggest clues scholars use to identify different traditions behind Genesis.

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• why      the name YHWH seems to disappear again for a while
• and      how it is later formally revealed to Moses

3) Where Elohim and YHWH actually appear

Your question

“Where does it say Elohim and YHWH”

Main answer

In the Hebrew text:

Genesis 1:1–2:3

• uses Elohim
• example:      Genesis 1:1
  Bereshit bara Elohim
      “In the beginning God created…”

Genesis 2:4–3:24

• uses YHWH      Elohim
• example:      Genesis 2:4
      “in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens”
• example:      Genesis 2:7
      “Then YHWH Elohim formed the man…”
• example:      Genesis 2:8
      “And YHWH Elohim planted a garden…”

Why English Bibles look different

• Elohim     → God
• YHWH     → LORD
• YHWH      Elohim → LORD God

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• the      passages in Exodus 3 and Exodus 6
• where      God reveals the divine name to Moses

4) Why you do not see YHWH in an Ethiopian Bible

Your question

“I'm looking at an Ethiopian Bible. I don't see YHWH.”

Main answer

That makes sense.

In Ethiopian biblical tradition, the Hebrew letters יהוה are usually not preserved as “YHWH.”
Instead, Geʽez terms are used.

Common equivalents:

• Egziabher      (እግዚአብሔር)     = Lord / Lord God
• Amlak      (አምላክ)     = God

So where Hebrew has:

• Elohim
• YHWH      Elohim

An Ethiopian Bible may show:

• Amlak
• Egziabher      Amlak

Why

Because Jewish tradition stopped pronouncing YHWH aloud and used substitutes like Adonai (“Lord”).
Other translations followed that custom.

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• the exact      verse where the divine name first appears
• and      why the wording changes there

5) Where YHWH came from and first documentation

Your question

“what did YHWH come, where was it first documented”

Main answer

YHWH is the Tetragrammaton, the four-letter divine name.

First appearance in the Bible

• Genesis      2:4

Earliest evidence outside the Bible

1. Egyptian      inscriptions (~1400–1300 BCE)
   • mention       “Shasu of Yhw”
   • often       linked by scholars to Yahweh

1. Mesha      Stele (~840 BCE)
2. Kuntillet      Ajrud inscriptions (~800 BCE)
   • phrases       like:
     • “Yahweh        of Samaria”
     • “Yahweh        of Teman”

Meaning

Often connected to the Hebrew verb hayah (“to be”)

Related to Exodus 3:14:
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh

• “I      AM WHO I AM”
• or      “I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE”

Why people stopped saying it

By the Second Temple period, the name was treated as too sacred to pronounce, so people used:

• Adonai
• HaShem

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• the 4      major traditions scholars believe were woven into the Old Testament

6) Where Elohim first appears and where it comes from

Your question

“Where is elohim first used and where does that come from”

Main answer

Elohim first appears in:

Genesis 1:1
Bereshit bara Elohim
“In the beginning God created…”

Word origin

Comes from the older Semitic root:

El

• means      god / mighty one

Related terms:

• El
• Eloah
• Elohim
• El      Shaddai
• El      Elyon

Why Elohim looks plural

The -im ending is usually plural in Hebrew.

So Elohim looks like “gods,” yet when used for the God of Israel it often takes singular verbs, such as:

bara Elohim

• “God      created”

Ancient background

The word El existed long before the Hebrew Bible and appears in ancient Near Eastern cultures, including Ugaritic texts.

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• the      possibility that El, Elohim, and Yahweh may      originally have belonged to different traditions that were later unified

7) Is Elohim only in the Hebrew Bible?

Your question

“Is that only in the Hebrew Bible that Elohim appears”

Main answer

Not only there, though it is primarily a Hebrew word.

Main places it appears

1. Hebrew      Bible / Tanakh
2. Other      Jewish writings in Hebrew
   • prayers
   • rabbinic       writings
   • medieval       commentaries
   • modern       Hebrew religious texts

Related words in other Semitic languages

• Hebrew:      El / Eloah / Elohim
• Aramaic:      Elah / Alaha
• Arabic:      Ilah → Allah

In translations

Usually translated, not preserved:

• Greek:      Theos
• Latin:      Deus
• English:      God
• Geʽez: Amlak

Suggested deeper dive

You were again pointed back to:

• the      switch from Elohim in Genesis 1
• to YHWH      Elohim in Genesis 2–3

8) Origin of “God” versus “Lord God”

Your question

“WHAT'S THE ORIGIN OF GOD OR IS IT LORD GOD”

Main answer

These are different in origin.

“God”

The English word God comes from Germanic languages:

• Old      English: god
• Proto-Germanic:      ǥuđan

It was used by English translators to render:

• Elohim
• El
• Eloah

“LORD”

In English Bibles, LORD usually represents YHWH.

This happened because Jewish tradition substituted Adonai(“Lord”) for the divine name when reading aloud.

So:

• God     = English translation of words like Elohim
• LORD     = substitute for YHWH
• LORD      God = translation of YHWH Elohim

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• early      archaeology and history of El and Yahweh

9) Is “Lord” like saying Mr. or Mrs. before God?

Your question

“Lord is like say Mrs or Mister GOD but in plural form”

Main answer

Not exactly.

“Lord” is not plural in that sense and not like “Mr.” or “Mrs.”

It is closer to a title of authority:

• master
• ruler
• sovereign

Hebrew background

Adonai

• from      Adon = lord, master
• plural-looking      form used as an honorific

Key distinction

• LORD     in all caps = YHWH
• Lord     normal caps = Adonai

Key point

Both Adonai and Elohim can look plural but still refer to one God.

Suggested deeper dive

You were told there are:

• multiple      styles of describing God across Genesis 1, 2, and 3

10) Your follow-up about Lord being placed before God

Your question

“Is God/Elohim is plural and you put Lord in front of it do you are what I'm saying about the Mr in front of it”

Main answer

Your instinct made some sense conceptually, though not grammatically.

Main clarification

• Elohim     looks plural but often functions singularly
• Lord     is a title, not a personal name
• YHWH      Elohim means something like:
  • “Yahweh,       the God”
  • or       “Yahweh the Creator”

So your “title before a name” idea was said to be a decent conceptual shortcut, though not exact grammar.

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• a      look at the different divine titles in Genesis and their ancient Near      Eastern background

11) Your interpretation of “Let us make man in our image”

Your question

“Yes but in Genesis it says we created man in our image meaning plural God, the Mother and Father together as One…”

Main answer

This centered on Genesis 1:26:

“Let us make man in our image…”

Important observations

The Hebrew is plural:

• na‘aseh     = let us make
• our      image
• our      likeness

Then Genesis 1:27 shifts back to singular:

• “So      God created…”

Common scholarly explanations

1. Divine      council
2. Plural      of majesty
3. Later      Christian Trinity reading

Your interpretation

Your view — masculine and feminine together as one — was acknowledged as a spiritual interpretation many people explore.

Supporting point

Genesis 1:27 says:

• male      and female were created
• both      reflect the divine image

Suggested deeper dive

You were invited to connect this to:

• broader      ideas of divine masculine and feminine

12) Trinity and tripartite Genesis

Your question

“Okay so that's what originally got us here tonight is the Trinity. The tripartite portion of Genesis.”

Main answer

A distinction was made between:

• The      Trinity
• Tripartite      / layered readings of Genesis

Trinity

Later Christian doctrine:

• Father
• Son
• Holy      Spirit

Not explicitly taught in the original Hebrew Genesis text.

Three ways “tripartite” can apply to Genesis

A. Three or more interpretive levels

Jewish/mystical reading traditions like PaRDeS:

• Peshat
• Remez
• Derash
• Sod

B. Three-part narrative structure

• Genesis      1 = cosmic creation
• Genesis      2–3 = Eden / human origin
• Genesis      4–11 = early human history

C. Later Christian symbolic reading

• Creator      / Father
• Word      / Logos
• Spirit      over the waters

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• the two      creation traditions woven together in Genesis

13) Two different creation traditions in Genesis

Your response

“Yes please”

Main answer

You were shown the two traditions side-by-side.

First creation account

Genesis 1:1–2:3

• God      = Elohim
• cosmic
• structured
• seven-day      framework
• humans      created male and female together
• God      speaks creation into existence

Second creation account

Genesis 2:4–3:24

• God =      YHWH Elohim
• earthy      and personal
• Adam      formed from dust
• garden
• animals      brought to Adam
• Eve      created from Adam’s side
• God      walks in the garden

Why scholars think they are different sources

Differences in:

• divine      name
• style
• order
• focus

These are often linked to:

• Priestly      tradition (P) → Genesis 1
• Yahwist      tradition (J) → Genesis 2–3

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• a      Hebrew word in Genesis that may hint at masculine/feminine unity

14) Male and female together in the divine image

Your response

“Yes please”

Main answer

This focused on Genesis 1:27.

Main idea

The verse links:

1. humanity      created in the image of God
2. humanity      as male and female
3. both      together expressing that image

Additional Hebrew points

Adam

At first, adam means humanity / humankind, not just a male named Adam.

Tsela

Often translated “rib,” but usually means side.

This led to a symbolic possibility:

• humanity      divided into complementary sides

Mystical traditions mentioned

Later Jewish mystical ideas:

• Tiferet     = masculine principle
• Shekhinah     = feminine presence

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• the      mysterious Hebrew word et (את)     in Genesis 1:1

15) Your personal recognition of this as your story

Your statement

“That is my story right there, that is what I was shown”

Main answer

Your interpretation was affirmed as spiritually meaningful to you.

Textual point restated

Genesis 1:27 does support the idea that:

• both      male and female together reflect the image of God

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• passages      in the Hebrew scriptures where God is described with feminine or      maternal imagery

16) How the Book of Mormon differs from Genesis

Your question

“How does the book of Mormon differ from what we're been discussing in Genesis”

Main answer

Several differences were laid out.

Genesis

• ancient      Hebrew scripture
• focus      on creation, early humanity, beginnings of Israel
• uses      names like Elohim and YHWH

Book of Mormon

• published      in 1830
• associated      with Joseph Smith and Latter-day Saint tradition
• centered      on peoples in the Americas
• uses      more explicit Christian theological language:
  • God       the Father
  • Jesus       Christ
  • Holy       Ghost

Key differences

• origin
• time      period
• theology
• divine      names
• focus

Suggested deeper dive

You were pointed back to:

• early      Jewish mystical ideas about masculine and feminine divine aspects

17) Are we all children of God and created equal?

Your question

“Did the Bible say we are all children of God and all created equal”

Main answer

The exact phrase “all created equal” is from the Declaration of Independence, not the Bible.

But similar biblical ideas appear.

Main passages given

Genesis 1:26–27

Humanity created in God’s image

Acts 17:28–29

“We are also his offspring”

Galatians 3:28

“Neither Jew nor Greek… male nor female…”

Acts 10:34

“God shows no favoritism”

Important distinction made

The Bible can be read as teaching:

1. all      humans are created in God’s image
2. later      traditions sometimes distinguish becoming children of God spiritually

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• passages      where YHWH appears to speak to another YHWH

18) Enlil and Enki

These are Mesopotamian gods from Sumerian/Akkadian/Babylonian tradition.

Enlil

• god      of air, wind, storms
• ruler      of divine assembly
• often      strict/harsh
• linked      to the flood in Mesopotamian myth

Enki

• god      of water, wisdom, magic, creation
• protector      of humanity
• warns      Utnapishtim in the flood story

Why they were compared to the Bible

Because Mesopotamian myths share themes with Genesis:

• humans      from clay
• garden/paradise
• flood
• divine      council language

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• ancient      tablets showing how Enki helped create humans, with parallels to Genesis

19) Anu

Anu (An) was described as:

• the      Mesopotamian sky father
• supreme      sky god
• source      of divine authority

Divine family structure

• Anu     = sky
• Enlil     = air / authority
• Enki     = water / wisdom

Symbolism

• horned      crown
• celestial      symbols
• highest      heaven

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• the council      of gods under Anu
• and      comparison to divine council language in the Hebrew Bible

20) How many versions of the Hebrew Bible are there?

Several major textual traditions were named.

Main traditions

1. Masoretic      Text
   • standard       Hebrew Bible in Judaism today
   • major       manuscripts:
     • Aleppo        Codex
     • Leningrad        Codex

1. Samaritan      Pentateuch
   • Torah       only
   • about       6,000 differences from Masoretic tradition

1. Septuagint
   • ancient       Greek translation
   • sometimes       reflects different Hebrew source traditions

1. Dead      Sea Scrolls
   • older       manuscript evidence
   • show       multiple textual traditions existed

Common editions to buy

• Biblia      Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS)
• Biblia      Hebraica Quinta (BHQ)
• JPS      Tanakh

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• places      where the Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and Dead Sea Scrolls differ in      Genesis, especially around Genesis 1:26

21) Genesis 1:26 across textual traditions

The wording “Let us make man in our image” was shown to exist across traditions.

Masoretic Text

Plural wording:

• “Let      us make”
• “our      image”
• “our      likeness”

Genesis 1:27

Switches back to singular:

• “So      God created…”

Septuagint

Also preserves plural wording:

• “Let      us make man in our image”

Dead Sea Scrolls

Also preserve the same plural wording

Scholarly explanations repeated

1. divine      council
2. royal      plural
3. earlier      polytheistic background
4. later      Christian Trinity reading

22) Where YHWH appears to speak to another YHWH

Two passages were highlighted.

Psalm 110:1

“YHWH said to my lord: Sit at my right hand.”

Hebrew:
Ne'um YHWH la'adoni

This sounds like:

• YHWH      speaking
• to      another exalted figure

Interpretations given:

1. a      human king
2. a      heavenly/divine figure
3. later      Christian reading of Father and Son

Genesis 19:24

“YHWH rained down sulfur and fire… from YHWH out of heaven.”

This sounds like:

• YHWH      … from YHWH

Another related verse

Genesis 3:22

• “The      man has become like one of us…”

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• evidence      that earliest Hebrew religion may have included a Divine Father and      Divine Mother

23) Divine Mother / Asherah alongside YHWH

Your response

“Yes please”

Main answer

A case was presented that some scholars believe early Israelite religion included a feminine divine presence.

Main evidence given

1. Asherah inscriptions

Kuntillet Ajrud inscriptions:

• “YHWH      of Samaria and his Asherah”
• “YHWH      of Teman and his Asherah”

2. Asherah poles in the Bible

The Bible condemns Asherah worship, implying it was common enough to need condemning.

Example:

• 2      Kings 23:6
• Asherah      object removed from the temple

3. Wisdom in Proverbs 8

A feminine figure present with God in creation

4. Divine council passages

Example:

• Psalm      82

5. Elohim’s plural form

Possibly preserving older divine family concepts

Historical development proposed

1. early      Israelite religion had multiple divine beings / possibly a divine mother
2. prophets      pushed toward YHWH alone
3. later      Judaism became more strictly monotheistic

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• the      Hebrew grammar of Genesis 1:1
• and      deeper layered meaning in the first sentence

Additional note

It was mentioned that some mystical systems associate:

• right      = power / strength
• left      = hidden wisdom / inward path

Suggested deeper dive

You were offered:

• unusual      things hidden in the Hebrew letters of Genesis 1:1