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- Tim Mackie
- People, Place, and Time. Understanding the ancient cultural context of the people, places, and times of the Bible is important for grasping what is actually going on in a particular story within the Bible.
- El or Elohim. Among ancient Israel’s neighbors, people referred to the most powerful god as “El,” which is not actually a name, but an ancient Semitic title, “god.”
- Yahweh. Remember, in English and in Hebrew, the word “God” (or El, or Elohim) is not a name, but a generic title for a deity that could be applied to other, lesser, spiritual beings.
- Jehovah. Much later in Israel’s history (around the 3rd or 2nd century B.C.E.) , people stopped pronouncing Yahweh’s name aloud, likely as a form of reverence.
Elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, God is called Adonai (also translated as “Lord”); a El and Eloah (also rendered as “God”); Shaddai, traditionally translated as “the Almighty”; El Elyon, the “Upper God” or “Most High”; and Yahweh Elohim, the “Lord God”—to name just a few of God’s names (see the sidebar to this article ...
- EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 139:19) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power” and “might” (Genesis 31:29).
- ELOHIM [el-oh-heem]: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah. Being plural, Elohim which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity.
- EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all.
- ADONAI [ˌædɒˈnaɪ; ah-daw-nahy]: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men.
- Introduction
- Principles For Studying God’s Names
- Naming God in The Old Testament
- Naming God in The New Testament
- Conclusion
A name reveals one’s identity. Divine names in the Bible are integral to knowing God’s identity. Who is God? And what is he like? Knowing God as he is named in Scripture enables us to trust him and to be faithful to the church’s global mission for the glory of his name.
There are important methodological considerations for studying God’s names. First, we should pay attention to what the Scriptures explicitly say about God’s names. For example, God explains his name to Moses (Exod. 3); and in the New Testament we are told that Jesus is given the name above every name (Phil. 2:9–11). Linguistic principles should gui...
God’s Names
The most common Hebrew names for God are YHWH (Yahweh), Elohim, and Adonay. There are many compound forms of Yahweh, especially Yahweh Sabaoth (“Lord of Hosts”), and cognates of Elohim, such as Eloah, and El with its compound forms, especially El-Shaddai. There are titles such as King, Creator, Father, Holy One, Redeemer, and Rock. These names, with their varied combinations, and many other designations deserve attention. This essay only highlights a few of them.
What the Names of God Reveal
El, Eloah, and the plural of majesty Elohim occur over 2500 times. These cognates are the basic Hebrew words for deity, much like “God” in English or theos in Greek. What gives shape to the divine identity is not generic titles, but the words, works, and ways of God. Allah, for example, the Arabic word for God in the Qur’an and Islamic tradition has a particular meaning, but the same designation has a different significance when used by Arabic speaking Christians. Through God’s actions his na...
Response of God’s People to His Name
The Lord chose to glorify his name by proclaiming it over his people (1Sam. 12:22). They, in turn, were to represent him in the world (Psa. 29). The Lord prohibited his people from taking his name in vain (Exod. 20:7); that is, they were not to bear his name improperly. Their mission was to carry YHWH’s name as his emissaries.4 But Israel failed. So, the prophets began to point to a time when God would redeem his people and extend the glory of his name (Ezek. 36:20–23). God would reveal more...
As God revealed himself in each new situation, Israel learned more about the Lord. This revelation reached full blossom with the unveiling of God’s glory in Christ (2Cor. 4:6). Here in “the name that is above every name” (Phil. 2:9) God’s loving nature is most fully revealed.
The naming of God in the Bible is a matter of God’s saving self-revelation. This is no generic god. It is the God who made promise to the patriarchs, the God who entered into covenant with Israel, and the God whose name is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.8This is the God Christians talk about when we talk about God. To the Father, we exclaim, “Halleluj...
May 10, 2024 · R.C. Sproul. 7 Min Read. The Bible ascribes many names and titles to God. In Scripture, the name or title of a person often says something important about the person’s character. In our culture today, we don’t name people on the basis of outstanding characteristics or attributes.
Feb 13, 2019 · The primary reason why there are so many names for God recorded throughout the Scriptures has to do with God's nature and character. The Bible itself is meant to reveal who God is—to show us what He is like and teach us what He has done throughout history.
Jul 5, 2024 · The Bible contains various names for God, each of which represents a unique way through which God reveals Himself to humanity. The most used names for God throughout Scripture are: Elohim, Adonai, El Roi, El Shaddai, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Shalom, Yahweh, YHWH, and LORD.
