What are the different names of God, and what do they mean?

Answer

Each of the various names of God describes a unique aspect of His multi-faceted character. Here are some of the well-known names of God in the Bible:

EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: God “mighty, strong, prominent” (Nehemiah 9:17;Psalm 139:19) – etymologically, El seems to mean “power” and “might” «It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spoke unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. », (Genesis 31:29). El is linked with other attributes, such as integrity «God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? », (Numbers 23:19), jealousy «thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, », (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion «Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God. », (Nehemiah 9:31), but the fundamental concept of “might” persists.

ELOHIM [el-oh-heem]: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7;Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah. Being plural, Elohim accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence «In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. », (Genesis 1:1).

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. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in God’s dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles.

YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH [yah-way / ji-hoh-veh]: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4;Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles as “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is given to Moses “I Am who I Am” «And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. », (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance «Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, And he saved them out of their distresses. », (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness “For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity; for it is great.”, (Psalm 25:11) and guidance “For you are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.”, (Psalm 31:3).

YAHWEH-JIREH [yah-way-ji-reh]: “The Lord Will Provide” “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”, (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac.

YAHWEH-RAPHA [yah-way-raw-faw]: “The Lord Who Heals” “And said, If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD your God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that heals you.”, (Exodus 15:26) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities.

YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]: “The Lord Our Banner” “And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:”, (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-M’KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]: “The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy” (Leviticus 20:8;Ezekiel 37:28).

Isaiah 37:28) – God emphasizes that He alone, not the law, can purify His people and make them holy.

YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]: “The Lord Our Peace” «Then Gideon erected an altar there unto the LORD, and named it Jehovah-shalom: to this day it remains in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. », (Judges 6:24) – the title given by Gideon to the altar he constructed after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he had feared upon seeing Him.

YAHWEH-ELOHIM [yah-way-el-oh-him]: “LORD God” (Genesis 2:4;Psalm 59:5) – a fusion of God’s distinct name YHWH and the general term for “God” indicating that He is the Lord who is God.

YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]: “The Lord Our Righteousness” «In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely: and this is the name by which she will be called, The LORD our righteousness. », (Jeremiah 33:16) – Similar to YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is solely God who imparts righteousness (from the Hebrew word tsidkenu) to humanity, ultimately through His Son, Jesus Christ, who bore our sins “so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” «For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.», (2 Corinthians 5:21).

YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]: “The Lord Our Shepherd” «The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. », (Psalm 23:1) – Upon reflecting on his role as a shepherd to his flock, David recognized that this was precisely the relationship God had with him, leading him to proclaim, “The Lord is my shepherd [Yahweh-Rohi]; I shall not want” «The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. », (Psalm 23:1, ESV).

YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mahw]: “The Lord Is There” «It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.», (Ezekiel 48:35) – the name ascribed 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 [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]: “The Lord of Hosts” (Isaiah 1:24;Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of 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.

EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]: “Most High” «and to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken.», (Deuteronomy 26:19) – 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 speaks of absolute right to lordship.

EL ROI [el-roh-ee]: “God of Seeing” «And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? », (Genesis 16:13).

(Genesis 16:1-14) – the name attributed to God by Hagar, who was alone and desperate in the wilderness after being cast out by Sarah. When Hagar encountered the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also understood that El Roi saw her in her distress and affirmed that He is a God who lives and sees all.

EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]: “Everlasting God” (Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s essence is without beginning or end, unrestricted by time, and He encompasses within Himself the very origin of time. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God” «Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. », (Psalm 90:2).

EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]: “Mighty God” «For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. », (Isaiah 9:6) – the title that characterizes the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic passage of Isaiah. As a formidable and powerful warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will bring about the defeat of God’s adversaries and reign with an iron scepter «And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. », (Revelation 19:15).