The Names of God

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THE NAMES OF GOD

The word god has several meanings: deity, divinity, idol, spirit, or supernatural being, are some we could think of.  It refers to a being people worship or follow and Satan is referred to in the Bible as “the god of this world,” god being spelt with a small “g” whereas references to the true God are always written with a capital “G.”  If we think of the word God as a term, then the name of God becomes important to us, especially when we are commanded not to take His Name in vain.  These are His Names and their meantings:   

ADONAI: “Lord” is found in Genesis 15:2; and Judges 6:15.  Here it is used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men.  They write G-d, whereas Christians insert the vowel.  In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in His dealings with His chosen people, the Jews, while Adonai is used more when God deals with the Gentiles.

EL, ELOAH: God as “mighty, strong, prominent” is found in Genesis 7:1; and Isaiah 9:6. Etymologically, El appears to mean power, as in “I have the power to harm you” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of His being mighty stands.

ELOHIM: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” appears in Genesis 17:7; and Jeremiah 31:33.  This is the plural form of Eloah, which confuses some people, however, this speaks of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and supports the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident and it is God, Elohim, who speaks the world into existence in Genesis 1:1.

EL SHADDAI: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” is found in Genesis 49:24; and Psalm 132:2-5.  Here it refers to God’s ultimate power over all.

YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH: “LORD” can be read of in Deuteronomy 6:4; and Daniel 9:14.  To me, this is the only real name of God since the other names seem to be titles and ways of describing His attributes or nature. To me they highlight the writers’ personal relationship with the Creator.  They are how the writers’ personal experiences of Him are put into words.  They show us that we too need to meet Him on a one-to-one level, that of relationship not religion.  Our sin and salvation are a personal matter between God and ourselves.  YHWH, Yahweh, Jehovah, is translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) in order to distinguish it from Adonai “Lord.” The revelation of the name is first given to Moses as “I Am who I Am” in Exodus 3:1). This name specifies an immediate presence. It says that He is everywhere.  Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3).

YAHWEH-JIREH: “The Lord will Provide” is written in Genesis 22:14.  This is the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac.  Abraham called both the place and God by that name.

YAHWEH-RAPHA: “The Lord Who Heals” is mentioned in Exodus 15:26, where He says “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from diseases, and by curing them when afflicted with them and in soul, by pardoning their iniquities.

YAHWEH-M’KADDESH: “The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy” is used in Leviticus 20:8; and Ezekiel 37:28, where God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, could cleanse His people and make them holy.  People can not make themselves Holy by thought or action. 

YAHWEH-SHALOM: “The Lord Our Peace” is in Judges 6:24. This name is given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him.  Again, a place name and Name of God are connected.

YAHWEH-NISSI: “The Lord Our Banner” can be read in Exodus 17:15, where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17.

YAHWEH-ELOHIM: “LORD God” appears in Genesis 2:4; and Psalm 59:5.  The combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic “Lord,” mean that He is the Lord of Lords. No other Lord is greater than the one God.

YAHWEH-TSIDKENU: “The Lord Our Righteousness” can be read in Jeremiah 33:16.  As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides righteousness to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Obeying the Law or thinking that one is a ‘good person’ will not guarantee a place in Heaven.  The notion of a Judgement whereby if we have done more good than bad in the world we will get into Heaven is a false one and there is no scriptural basis to that common belief. 

YAHWEH-SHAMMAH: “The Lord is There” is in Ezekiel 48:38.  This is the name attributed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the once departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1-4).

YAHWEH-SABAOTH: “The Lord of Hosts” is written in Isaiah 1:24; and in Psalm 46:7.   “Hosts” means hordes.  This refers to both angels and men. He is Lord of the host of heaven, and of the inhabitants of the earth.  He is the Lord of Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that he is able to accomplish what he determines to do.

YAHWEH-ROHI: “The Lord Our Shepherd” is famous in Psalm 23:1, which is sang in Churches and played at many funerals. After David considered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him.  He learnt from his own life experiences and so he declares “Yahweh-Rohi is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).  This foreshadows Jesus as “The Good Shepherd who takes away the sins of the world.”

EL ELYON: “Most High” appears in Deuteronomy 26:19.  It is derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and tells of absolute right to lordship.

EL-OLAM: “Everlasting God” is in Psalm 90:1-3.  God’s nature is without beginning or end, (He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end), free from all constraints of time, since there is no time in Eternity.  God created time when He created sun and moon.  Outside of the earth there is no time.  This Name implies He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

EL ROI: “God of Seeing” is in Genesis 16:13.  This is the name ascribed to God by Hagar, who was alone and desperate in the wilderness, having been driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14).  When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She comprehended that El Roi saw her in her distress and was testified because she realised that He is a living God who sees all.

EL-GIBHOR: “Mighty God” is in Isaiah 9:6.  It is the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, (Yeshua) in this prophetic portion of Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).

To begin to know God these Names tell much about Him.  Abraham, who was known as a friend of God surely knew Him by all of these.  Do we?