The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible

by Michael S. Heiser

ARE THE ELOHIM REAL? Those who want to avoid the clarity of Psalm 82 argue that the gods are only idols. As such, they aren’t real. This argument is flatly contradicted by Scripture. It’s also illogical and shows a misunderstanding of the rationale of idolatry. With respect to Scripture, one need look no further than Deuteronomy 32:17. They [the Israelites] sacrificed to demons [shedim], not God [eloah], to gods [elohim] whom they had not known. The verse explicitly calls the elohim that the Israelites perversely worshiped demons (shedim). This rarely used term (Deut 32:17; Psa 106:37) comes from the Akkadian shedu.6 In the ancient Near East, the term shedu was neutral; it could speak of a good or malevolent spirit being. These Akkadian figures were often cast as guardians or protective entities, though the term was also used to describe the life force of a person.7 In the context of Deuteronomy 32:17, shedim were elohim—spirit beings guarding foreign territory—who must not be worshiped.8 Israel was supposed to worship her own God (here, eloah; cf. Deut 29:25).9 One cannot deny the reality of the elohim/shedim in Deuteronomy 32:17 without denying the reality of demons.