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Why is “אֱלהִים” (Elohim) spelled like god ha-yam (El the sea), with no “o” sound, in Genesis and Exodus?
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The spelling in the Bible is always אֱלֹהִים, never אֱלוֹהִים. The /o/ sound comes from the diacritic on the letter ל; vowels aren't always indicated by letters. In Modern Hebrew, the trend is for vowels to be systematically indicated by letters when possible, so the ordinary spelling is אֱלוֹהִים.
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In traditional vocalization, the א is elided when a prefixed clitic is added. Thus, “to God” is לֵאלֹהִים (lelohím) rather than לֶאֱלֹהִים (le'elohím). Observant Jews, outside of prayer, may prefer to write and say אֱלוֹקִים (elokím), so as not to abuse the name of God.
See https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%94%D7%99%D7%9D
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Why is “אֱלהִים” (Elohim) spelled like god ha-yam (El the sea), with no “o” sound, in Genesis and Exodus?
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The spelling in the Bible is always אֱלֹהִים, never אֱלוֹהִים. The /o/ sound comes from the diacritic on the letter ל; vowels aren't always indicated by letters. In Modern Hebrew, the trend is for vowels to be systematically indicated by letters when possible, so the ordinary spelling is אֱלוֹהִים.
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