Who is God?
By Laurel Head
In the Old Testament, God is called by many names. They all describe his character and all of them can be applied to us today. This is not an exhaustive list, I will briefly look at some of the most common names of God in the Old Testament. I have heard most of these, but some of them I have not heard before. I will be using a Blue Letter Bible study resource to look more closely at these Hebrew words, but I will also be using other resources to contribute to this study.
El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty) - Gen 17:1, Gen 28:3, Gen 35:11, Gen 43:14, Gen 48:3. El Shaddai refers to God as completely nourishing, satisfying, and supplying His people with all their needs as a mother would her child. Connected with the word for God, “El,” this defines a God who freely gives nourishment and blessing, “He is our sustainer.”
El Elyon (The Most High God) - Gen 14:18, Gen 14:19, Gen 14:20, Gen 14:22, Psalm 57:2, Psalm 78:35. El is translated as "God" and can be used with other words to designate various aspects of God's character. The word Elyon literally means "Most High'' and is used both to describe and to name God throughout the Old Testament. It expresses the extreme sovereignty and majesty of God and His highest preeminence. When the two words are combined, El Elyon, it can be translated as "the most exalted God."
Adonai (Lord, Master) - Gen 15:2, Gen 15:8, Gen 18:27, Gen 18:30, Gen 18:31, Gen 18:32. Adonai is similar to Yahweh and Jehovah; however, Adonai is the plural form for Lord. Sometimes, in order to avoid disobeying the command “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (Exodus 20:7),” Adonai is used in place of Yahweh. Literally translated, Adonai means “my lords” (plural and possessive).
Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah) - Gen 2:4, Gen 4:3, Gen 6:3, Gen 12:7, Lev 19:18, Psalm 35:27. Yahweh is God’s name of promise. Yahweh is the name that describes God’s character and in respect of that, the Jews abstained from saying this because of the command “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). There are a few substitutes for Yahweh that are translated to Lord, Master, and God Almighty. Yahweh is also translated to “I Am” and “He That Is.”
Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner) - Exodus 17:15 (only occurs once). After the Israelites had defeated the Amalekites in Exodus 17, Moses built an altar to the Lord and named it Jehovah Nissi (The Lord Our Banner). Moses understood that God was the only reason that they had won, their allegiance was fully to God, and He was what gave them hope and something to focus on. Similarly to us, God is who we pledge our allegiance to and who gives us hope and something to focus on.
Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd) - Gen 48:15, Gen 49:24, Psalm 23:1, Psalm 80:1. Jehovah is literally translated to “Lord” or “The Existing One.” Raah is translated to “shepherd.” Ezekiel 34:11-15 states that a shepherd feeds his flock and leads them to pasture. In both the Old and New Testament, God tells his chosen people that he is their Shepherd and provider. Raah also can be translated to “friend” or “companion.” This shows the closeness God desires between His people and Himself. Jehovah-Raah can be translated to “The Lord My Shepherd” and “The Lord My Friend.”
Jehovah Rapha (The Lord Who Heals) - Exd 15:26. Jehovah Rapha is literally translated to “Jehovah Who Heals.” Many times God is called the Great Physician. For the Israelites, this was shown in Jeremiah 30:17, Jeremiah 3:22, Isaiah 30:26, Isaiah 61:1, and Psalms 103:3. For Christians, this is shown in how God will forgive our sins if we obey His commands.
Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts) - 1 Samuel 1:3, 1 Kings 19:14, 1 Chron 11:9, Psalms 24:10, Isaiah 1:24. The word Sabaoth is defined as “armies” or “hosts.” In 1 Samuel 1:3, Jehovah Sabaoth can be translated as “The Lord of Armies.” This shows God’s universal sovereignty over all spiritual and earthly armies. In Psalms 24:9-10, Psalms 84:3, and Isaiah 6:5, this name shows that “The Lord of Hosts” is the King over heaven and earth.