GOD, NAMES OF — the titles or designations given to God throughout the Bible. In the ancient world, knowing another’s name was a special privilege that offered access to that person’s thought and life. God favored His people by revealing Himself by several names that offered special insight into His love and righteousness.
Jehovah/Yahweh--The God who Is. One of the most
important names for God in the Old Testament is Yahweh, or Jehovah, from the
verb “to be,” meaning simply but profoundly, “He Is.” His full name is found
only in Ex. 3:14 and means “I am who I am” or “I will be who I will be.” The
four-letter Hebrew word YHWH was the name by which God revealed Himself to
Moses at the burning bush (Ex.
God is the author of life and salvation. His “I am” expresses the fact that He is the infinite and original personal God who is behind everything and to whom everything must finally be traced. “I am who I am” signals the truth that nothing else defines who God is but God Himself. What He says and does is who He is. The inspired Scriptures are the infallible guide to understanding who God is by what He says about Himself and what He does. Yahweh is the all-powerful and sovereign God who alone defines Himself and establishes truth for His creatures and works for their salvation.
Moses was called to proclaim deliverance to the people and
was told by God, “Thus you shall say to the children of
Used 6828 times in the O.T. Likely
related to the verb, To Be. This name was uniquely revealed to
The divine name Yahweh is usually translated “Lord” in English versions of the Bible, because it became a practice in late Old Testament Judaism not to pronounce the sacred name YHWH, but to say instead “my Lord” (Adonai)—a practice still used today in the synagogue. When the vowels of Adonai were attached to the consonants YHWH in the medieval period, the word Jehovah resulted. Today, many Christians use the word Yahweh, the more original pronunciation, not hesitating to name the divine name since Jesus taught believers to speak in a familiar way to God.
Adonai--Lord of All. Means Lord or Master, occurs 449 times in the O.T. Emphasizes the servant/master relationship, and suggests God’s authority as Master; one who possesses absolute authority. What can we learn from this name of God?
1. The Master, Lord has the right to expect obedience: “Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since Thou hast spoken to Thy servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
2. The slave may expect provision
The following are other names in honor of the Lord in the Old Testament that stem from the basic name of Yahweh:
Yahweh Raah--The Lord My Shepherd. Psa 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Yahweh M’qaddishkhem--The Lord Your Sanctifier. Appears first in Ex 31:13, in conjunction with keeping the Sabbath.
13 “But as for you, speak to the sons of
God set His people apart for his own purposes and glory. They were to be a holy people because they served a holy God. The same is still true today.
Heb
1 Pet
Yahweh El Gemolah--The
Lord of Recompense. Jer 51:56 For the destroyer is coming against her, against
Yahweh Nakeh--The God Who Smites. 9 ‘And My eye will show no pity, nor will I spare. I will repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the LORD, do the smiting.
Yahweh Rapha, The God Who Heals. Exod 15:22-26 Then Moses led
Yahweh Tsidkenu, The Lord our Righteousness. Jer 23:6 “In His days
Jer 33:16 ‘In those days
Jehovah-jireh--The Lord Will Provide. This name is translated as “The-Lord-Will-Provide,” commemorating the provision of the ram in place of Isaac for Abraham’s sacrifice (Gen. 22:14).
Used only once in the O.T. God asked Abraham to offer his only son as a human sacrifice. The pagan nations around them practiced human sacrifice regularly. God was in essence asking Abraham, “Is your love for me, the true God as great as their love for their false gods?” Abraham was willing to surrender his son to God, and to God’s will. Abraham was willing to surrender his son, not fully understanding, but fully trusting. What about you?
14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Jehovah-nissi--The Lord Our Banner. This name means “The-Lord-Is-My-Banner,” in honor of God’s defeat of the
Amalekites (Ex.
The Israelites had just exited from
15 And Moses built an altar, and named it The LORD is My Banner;
Jehovah-shalom--The Lord is Peace.
This phrase means “The-Lord-Is-Peace,”
the name Gideon gave the altar that he built in Ophrah (Judg.
22 When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he
said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to
face.” 23 And the LORD said to him, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not
die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is
Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. Judges
Jehovah-shammah--The Lord is There. This phrase expresses the truth that “The-Lord-Is-There,” referring to the city which the prophet Ezekiel saw in his vision (Ezek. 48:35).
35 “The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. “And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”
Jehovah-tsebaoth--The Lord of Hosts. This name, translated “The-Lord-of-hosts,” was used in the days of David and the prophets, witnessing to the Almighty God of sovereign power who is surrounded by His heavenly hosts (1 Sam. 1:3).
“Sabbaoth” means “to assemble.” The idea seems to be warfare, warriors. They are assembled for battle. This name of God is used repeatedly in the prophetic books, usually indicating some great national crisis. This term was also used of angels. What can we learn? Yahweh who rules the hosts of heaven, is able to mobilize them in an instant on behalf of his child. He is your guardian, protector. There is no battle you face that is overwhelming for Him and His hosts.
1 Sam 17:45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
Ps 24:8-10 Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
Ps 46:10-11 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Jehovah Elohe Yisrael--The Lord God of
El. Another important root name for God in the Old Testament is El. By itself it refers to a god in the most general sense. It was widely used in ancient eastern cultures whose languages are similar to Hebrew and therefore may refer either to the true God or to false gods. The highest Canaanite god was El, whose son was Baal. In the Bible the word is often defined properly by a qualifier like Jehovah: “I, the Lord (Jehovah) your God (Elohim), am a jealous God (El)” (Deut. 5:9).
El Olam--Everlasting God. Stresses the unchangeableness of God
Gen
El Olam is all His people will ever need, from generation to generation, (Ps 100:5, 103:17).
Times change, people change, governments change, everything changes. But God doesn’t. He never has. He never will. He has been who He currently is and who He will be. In a world that is spinning so rapidly, nothing seems to be dependable, constant, God doesn’t change. People will fail you. Disappoint you. Make and break commitments. Betray you. God never will.
Isa 40:28-31 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. 29 He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. 30.Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at
Jacob built an altar on a piece of land he purchased at Shechem and called it ͅEl Elohe Israelʷ (“God, the God of Israel”), commemorating his wrestling with the angel at the place he called Peniel (“the face of God”), and receiving his new name Israel (Yisrael, “God strives”) (Gen. 32:28–30; 33:20).
El Shaddai--The God of Strength. (God Almighty), signifying God as a source of blessing, is the name with which God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex. 6:3).
Probably related to the word “Mountain” and suggests the power or strength of God. This name also emphasizes God’s covenant keeping nature (Gen 17:1). “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2 “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
Some feel Shaddai is derived from a root that refers to a mother’s breast, sustaining a newborn infant. If so, it conveys love, tenderness, mercy, all that a mother is to a dependent newborn, God is to his children.
Examples:
1. Jacob fleeing from Esau.
God comforts his own and makes them fruitful.
Gen 28:3-4 “And may God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 “May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you; that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.”
The God of strength and power is also able to comfort the weary and protect the weak
Ps 91:1-2. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”
2. Job chastened by God
God often corrects His own to make them fruitful. Used this way in the book of Job 31 times. Job was a “perfect” man. God wanted to refine him still more, make him even more fruitful. And by the end of the book, God had given to Job more than he had to begin with.
El Elyon--The God Most High. God is supreme above all other gods
Gen 14:18-22 And Melchizedek king of
He possess everything else. Satan sought to ascend to the heights and belike the Most High God. He failed. There is no one else, nothing else that can or ever will challenge God’s rulership over His universe.
El Roi--The God Who Sees. Only used once in the Bible, Genesis 16:13, on the lips of Hagar. Sarah had given Hagar to Abraham to have children. This was according to custom in those days, but not according to God. After Hagar bore Ishmael, Sarah treated her so harshly, Hagar ran away. She fled into the wilderness. Think with me about her situation: She was removed from family. She was removed from friends. She was alone and away from shelter, food, water, help, sustenance, everything that she needed. Then the Lord’s angel appeared to her, and rescued her.
Gen 16:13Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “Thou art a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?”
God sees your heartache. God sees your struggles with your disobedient child. God sees your
Elohim--The Strong One, Above all others who are called god. Elohim is the plural form of El, but it is usually translated in the singular. Some scholars have held that the plural represents an intensified form for the supreme God; others believe it describes the supreme God and His heavenly court of created beings. Still others hold that the plural form refers to the triune God of Genesis 1:1–3, who works through Word and Spirit in the creation of the world. In any event, Elohim conveys the idea that the one supreme being, who is the only true God, is in some sense plural.
Used 2550 times in the O.T. First used of God’s creative activity. God is the absolute and supreme source of everything that is.
Several important names of God identify Him as Branch, King, Wisdom, Shepherd, and Servant:
Branch of Righteousness. Jeremiah 23:5–6 names the coming messianic figure, the “Branch of righteousness,” who will descend from David and be raised up to reign as King to execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. Christians see in this linkage a prophecy about God the Son taking on human flesh to serve as righteous King.
King. This descendant of David will have several divine qualities. He will be a Branch of Righteousness, a King, and His name will be called “The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jehovah-tsidkenu).
Wisdom. In Proverbs 8:1–36 Wisdom, who always says and does what is righteous, works with God in the creation of the universe. Paul describes Christ in similar terms in Colossians 1:13–19; 2:1–3.
Shepherd. God is also
described in prophecy as the Shepherd who will feed His flock, gather the lambs
in His arms, carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those with young (Is.
40:11; Jer. 31:10; Ezek. 34:11–16). Jesus applied this name to Himself (Luke
15:4–7; John
Servant. The name of Servant also identifies the divine Messiah and His saving ministry on behalf of His people. God’s Servant is described in terms that apply to Jesus. He is upheld and chosen by God; He delights in God; He receives God’s Spirit. Like Wisdom in Proverbs 8, He is holy, just, and righteous. He will bring Jacob back to Him and will be a light to the nations since He is an offering for sin (Is. 42:1–4; 49:1–7; 53:1–12).
Word of God. The Word of God figures prominently in Scripture as another name of God. The Word is not as clearly a person in the Old Testament as in the New Testament where Jesus Christ is identified as the personal Word of God (John 1:1, 14). But it is evident from Psalm 33:4, 6, and 9 that the Word should be understood in a personal sense, for “the word of the Lord is right” indicates a personified Word. “By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made” (v. 6), echoes the creation in Genesis 1:3, 6. In the New Testament Jesus is seen to be both Word and Law personified.
Glory. God is described as Glory in Exodus 16:7; Psalm 104:31; and Isaiah 60:1. In the New Testament Jesus shares the glory of God (Matt. 25:31; 1 Cor. 2:8; Heb. 1:3).
When the new age arrives with the birth of Jesus Christ, the names of the three persons who comprise the Trinity are made more explicit. These names fulfill the deeper meanings of the Old Testament names for God.
In the New Testament God is known as Father (Matt.