If you’ve ever spent time reading through the Bible—especially the Old Testament—you may have noticed something curious: a lot of names end in “el.” Names like Daniel, Gabriel, Samuel, Ezekiel, and Emmanuel. This is not a coincidence. These names trace directly back to the Hebrew word Elohim.
Elohim is the name translated as “God” in Genesis—and crucially, it is plural. In Neville Goddard’s teachings, this plurality is not multiple gods, but multiple states of consciousness contained within one creative power: imagination. Elohim is imagination expressing itself as many states. Every “el” name points to one of those states within the reader’s own imagination.
The Meaning of “El”
In Hebrew, “El” means God. It is the singular root embedded within the plural name Elohim. When “el” appears in a name, it signals that the name is not describing a person, but a specific state or quality of imagination.
Neville taught that God is not an external being, but your own wonderful human imagination. Therefore, every appearance of “El” in scripture is a reference to imagination operating in a particular mode. These names describe how imagination judges, hears, strengthens, heals, or reveals itself.
Names as States of Consciousness
The Bible is not a record of historical individuals, but a psychological drama. Its characters are states of consciousness that the reader occupies. Because Elohim is plural, all these states already exist within imagination, waiting to be assumed.
Below are several “el” names and the states they symbolise:
Divine Name Meanings
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Daniel – “God is my judge”
A state where imagination, not external circumstance, is the final authority. -
Samuel – “Heard by God”
The recognition that inner speech is heard and acted upon by imagination. -
Ishmael – “God hears”
Affirms that no inner word is neutral—imagination responds to all of them. -
Gabriel – “God is my strength”
Imagination expressing itself as inner certainty and resolve. -
Michael – “Who is like God?”
A rhetorical statement revealing that nothing rivals the creative power of I AM. -
Raphael – “God heals”
The restorative power of imagination through revision and assumption. -
Ezekiel – “God will strengthen”
A state sustained internally, regardless of external appearance. -
Nathaniel – “Gift of God”
The understanding that desire itself is a divine movement of imagination. -
Uriel – “God is my light”
Insight arising from imagination when attention turns inward. -
Emmanuel – “God is with us”
The realisation that imagination never leaves the one imagining. -
Elijah – “My God is Yah (I AM)”
A state of identity fully anchored in I AM. -
Bethel – “House of God”
Not a location, but a mental dwelling where imagination abides.
The Bigger Picture
The repetition of “el” throughout scripture is deliberate. It reminds the reader that all states already exist within imagination. Elohim is not something outside you—it is the totality of conscious states you may assume.
As Neville taught:
“God became man that man may become God.”
The Bible, read correctly, reveals not history but identity. “El” is the mark of imagination written into every name, quietly reminding the reader:
You are not separate from God. You are imagining.