Hi Jason,
I found this and thought there was some good info. here.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
One of the oldest and most widely distributed terms for Deity known to the human race is 'Ēl, with its derivations 'Ēlīm, 'Ĕlōhīm, and 'Ĕlōaȟ.
Like theos, Deus and God, it is a generic term, including every member of the class deity. It may even denote a position of honor and authority among men. Moses was 'Ĕlōhīm to Pharaoh (Exo 7:1) and to Aaron (Exo 4:16; compare Jdg 5:8; 1Sa 2:25; Exo 21:5, Exo 21:6; Exo 22:7; Psa 58:11; Psa 82:1).
It is, therefore, a general term expressing majesty and authority, and it only came to be used as a proper name for Israel's God in the later period of abstract monotheism (belief that there is only one deity) when the old proper name Yahweh was held to be too sacred to be uttered.
The meaning of the root 'Ēl, and the exact relation to it, and to one another, of 'Ĕlōhīm and 'Ĕlōah, lie in complete obscurity.
By far the most frequent form used by Old Testament writers is the plural 'Ĕlōhīm, but they use it regularly with singular verbs and adjectives to denote a singular idea. Several explanations have been offered of this usage of a plural term to denote a singular idea - that it expresses the fullness and manifoldness of the Divine nature, or that it is a plural of majesty used in the manner of royal persons; other cognate (same or similar) expressions are found in Gen 1:26; Gen 3:22; 1Ki 22:19; Isa 6:8.
These theories are, perhaps, too ingenious to have occurred to the early Hebrew mind, and a more likely explanation is, that they are survivals in language of a polytheistic (belief in or worship of many gods) stage of thought. In the Old Testament they signify only the general notion of Deity.
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Hope this is helpful
mercy, peace and love
Kat