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Emphasis the author is making
- The answer to this often-asked question is very simple. The Bible uses two separate names for God in the first two chapters of Genesis to describe different characteristics of the one God. The reason for the differences in names has to do with the emphasis the author is making. The Old Testament basically uses two words for God: Elohim and Yahweh.
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Nov 4, 2019 · In the Old Testament, we become familiar with the names Jacob, Joshua, Miriam, Hannah, Elijah. In the New Testament, we read regularly of James, Jesus, Mary, Anna, Elias. In actuality, those New Testament names are the English equivalents of the Greek and Hebrew names in the Bible.
Jun 21, 2012 · Throughout Scripture God reveals Himself to us through His names. When we study these names that He reveals to us in the Bible, we will better understand who God really is. The meanings behind God’s names reveal the central personality and nature of the One who bears them.
- 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.
- 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.
Today, scholars attribute some of the different names to different biblical authors; indeed, two of the four major authorial strands that scholars believe are woven together in the Bible are identified by the name of God that they use: E, or the Elohist strand, uses the name Elohim; J, the Yahwist strand, employs Yahweh (in German, Jahweh).
In this paper, we will look at the names used for God in the Old Testament. The question to be considered is whether or not the name/names used for God were intended to have a material effect on the theological content of the scripture?
Feb 20, 2023 · Each name of God reveals a different attribute to the original audience of the biblical passage and to us for all time. When we study these names, we will better understand who He truly is. We should never take His name lightly or in vain, but always rejoice in it and think deeply upon its meaning.
