Topic(s):  Bible Study

Todd Clippard

There is no real difference in the words used to designate God, god, and gods. All are variations of the Greek theos (theos, theon, theoi). The Strong's number for this word is 2316.

In John 1:1, the word appears in the singular and is refers to the God of heaven;
In Acts 17:23, it appears in the singular and refers to idolatry;
In Acts 14:11, it appears in the plural and was used in reference to Paul and Barnabas (gods in the likeness of men);
In Acts 28:6, it was used in the singular and applied to Paul (the Miletans thought Paul was a god);
In 2 Corinthians 4:4, it appears in the singular and refers to the devil;
In John 10:34-35, it appears as a plural word and refers to men;
In 1 Corinthians 8:6 it appears in the plural and refers to idolatry in general.

Obviously, these are not exhaustive appearances of the word, but are given to show how the word is used in various contexts. As in any word study, the intended meaning must always be determined by the context.