THE NAMES OF GOD
Name
Elohim
(God)
Scripture
Genesis 1
Jehovah Elohim
Genesis 4:2
Comments
Elohim - sometimes El or Elah. English form ‘God’.
The first of three primary names of deity. A uniplural noun formed from El = strength or the strong
one and Alah to bind oneself with an oath. Hence
the ‘Strong One who binds himself with an oath.’
‘Lord God’. JHVH called the tetragrammeton. Never
pronounced by Jews as ‘Jehovah’ but pronounced as
Adonai (Lord) as in Gen 4:2 ‘I have gotten a man
from the Lord’. Possible pronunciations could be
Yahweh or Jehovah. Means the ‘self-existent one’ as
in Exodus 3:14 - ‘He that is who he is’. Translated by
Moffat as ‘the eternal’. Havah from which Yahwe is
formed signifies to become known thus pointing to a
continuing and increasing self-revelation. Thus ‘the
self existent one who reveals himself’. It was God
who said ‘let us make man in our image’ but it is the
Lord God who acts thus indicating a special
relationship of Deity in his YHVH character to man.
YHVH is distinctly the redemptive name of deity.
When sin entered the world it was YHVH Elohim who
sought out the sinning ones and the same in the
redemption of the covenant people out of Egypt.
As Redeemer, emphasis is laid on the attributes of
YHVH which the sin and salvation of man bring into
exercise:
● Holiness (Lev. 11:44)
● Hatred & Judgment of Sin (Deut. 32:35-42)
● Love for and redemption of sinners but always
righteously (Gen. 3;21)
It is the first compound name of Deity used
distinctively of the relation of Deity to man as
creator, as morally in authority over man, as creating
and governing the relationships of man, as
redeeming man, of the relationship of Deity to Israel.
Compound Names of YHVH (Jehovah)
In the compound names of YHVH we have the idea of the ‘self-existent one’ who reveals
himself as ‘the Lord who will provide’, etc. according to the list that follows.
Jehovah-Adon Kal Ha’arets
Lord of Earth
Josh. 3:13
Jehovah-Bara
Lord Creator
Isaiah 40:28
Jehovah-Chatsahi
Lord my Strength
Psalm 27:1
Jehovah-Chereb
Lord the Sword
Deuteronomy 33:29
Jehovah-Eli
Lord my God
Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-Elyon
Lord Most High
Psalm 38:2
Jehovah-Gador Milchamah
Mighty in Battle
Psalm 24:8
Jehovah-Ganan
Lord our Defense
Psalm 89:18
Jehovah-Go’el
Lord my Redeemer
Isaiah 49:26 & 60:16
Jehovah Hamelech
Lord King
Psalm 98:6
Jehovah-Hashopet
Lord my Judge
Judges 6:27
Jehovah-Helech ‘Olam
Lord King Forever
Psalm 10:16
Jehovah-Hoshe’ah
Lord Saves
Psalm 20:9
Jehovah Jireh
The Lord will provide
Genesis 22:14
Jehovah-Kabodhi
Lord my Glory
Psalm 3:3
Jehovah-Kanna
Lord Jealous
Exodus 34:14
Jehovah-Keren-Yish’i
Horn of Salvation
Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-M’Kaddesh
Sanctifier
I Corinthian 1:30
Jehovah-Machsi
Lord my Refuge
Psalm 91:9
Jehovah-Magen
Lord my Shield
Deuteronomy 33:29
Jehovah-Ma’oz
Lord my Fortress
Jeremiah 16:9
Jehovah-Mephalti
Lord my Deliverer
Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-Metshodhathi
Lord my Fortress
Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-Misqabbi
Lord my High Tower
Psalm 18:2
Jehovah-M’gaddishcem
Lord my Sanctifier
Exodus 31:13
Jehovah-Naheh
Lord Who Smites
Ezekiel 7:9
Jehovah-Nissi
Lord my Banner
Exodus 17:8-15
Jehovah-Rohi
Lord my Shepherd
Psalm 23
Jehovah-Rophe
Lord my Healer
Isaiah 53:4,5
Jehovah-Sabaoth
Lord of Hosts
I Samuel 1:3
Jehovah-Sel’i
Lord my Rock
Psalm 18:2
Jehovah Shalom
The Lord our Peace
Isaiah 9:6
Jehovah Ra-ah
The Lord my Shepherd
Psalm 23
Jehovah-Shamah
Lord is Present or Here
Ezekiel 48:35
Jehovah Tsidkenu
Lord our Righteousness
Jeremiah 23:6
Jehovah-Tsori
Lord my Strength
Psalm 19:14
Jehivah-Yasha
Lord my Savior
Isaiah 49:26
Jehovah-‘Ez-Lami
Lord my Strength
Psalm 28:7
Jehovah-‘Immeku
Lord is with You
Judges 6:12
Jehovah-‘Izoa Hakaboth
Lord Strong & Mighty
Psalm 24:8
Jehovah-‘Ori
Lord my Light
Psalm 27:1
Jehovah-‘Uzam
Lord my Strength in Trouble
Isaiah 49:26
Adon – Forms & Compounds
Adon
Gen. 19:18
Adonai
Gen. 15:2
Adonai Jehovah
Gen. 15:2
‘Lord’. Comes from a root meaning to rule or be
sovereign or controller or master. It is used also of
humans. In Gen 19:18, Lot addresses the angels as
‘Lord’.
‘Lord’. ‘Adonai’ is an emphatic form of Adon and is
used only as a proper name for God - as in ‘My Lord’.
As applied to man the name can be used of ‘master’
or ‘husband’. Two principles are involved in the
relation of master and servant - the master’s right to
implicit obedience and the servant’s right to
direction.
‘Lord God’. Used in the compound sense, the name
emphasizes the Adonai rather than the Jehovah
character of Deity
Positional – Attributional – Functional – Relational Names
El Elyon
Gen. 14:18
El Shaddai
Gen. 17:1
El Olam
Gen. 21:33
El Elohe Israel
Gen. 33:20
The Most High God as known to the ancient
Melchisedek meaning the ‘possessor of heaven and
earth’. As El Elyon, God can divide the earth as he
wants and set boundaries as he wants.
The Almighty God. As Schofield says, the
etymological signification of Almighty God is
interesting and touching. God (El) signifies the
‘Strong One’. The qualifying word ‘Shaddai’ is from
the Hebrew word ‘shad’ which is the word for a
woman’s breast. The meaning is that God is the
nourisher or the satisfier. ‘All sufficient’ would have
been a better translation.
Translated ‘Everlasting God’. Olam is used of hidden
things or an indefinite time or age. Hence tit
expresses the eternal duration of the being of God.
The idea is that of things kept secret or hidden. It is
not merely that he is everlasting but that he is God
over everlasting things.
‘God the God of Israel’. Actually this was the name
of an altar reared by Jacob after he had been
renamed Israel. This was an act of faith in
appropriating his new name but also claiming Elohim
as the God through whom alone he could walk
according to his new name.
Qadowsh
Isa. 30:11
‘The Holy One’. This is a positional and attributional
title of God relative to Israel. He is holy in his
character and being: He is Father in his protective
and directive position to the nation.
God-Head Names
Ruach Elohim
(God the Spirit)
Father
Son
Aijeleth Shahar
Gen. 1:2
‘Spirit of God or God the Spirit’ Presented indirectly
in the statement ‘and the Spirit of God brooded on
the face of the waters’
Prov. 10:30
A functional name implicit in the question ‘who hath
ascended into heaven and who hath descended,
what is his name and what is his son’s name?’
Prov. 10:30
A functional name implicit in the question ‘who hath
ascended into heaven and who hath descended,
what is his name and what is his son’s name?’
Title of Psalm ‘The Hind of the Morning’. Psalm 22 is the psalm of
22
the suffering servant. The title is an oblique
reference to the work of the servant as Creator of
the new heavens and new earth and its Bright and
Morning Star.
When the revelation in the preceding names is composited, the Old Testament teaching on God
can be summarized as presenting an eternal, self-existent, supreme being who possesses and
governs heaven and earth, to whom nothing is hidden but to whom the hidden is known,
whose attributes are holiness, love, and justice, who is in moral authority over his creation man,
who binds himself with an oath in covenant relationship with man, who reveals himself
progressively in personal and provisional relationship with man, and who is Father (Prov 10:30),
Son (Prov 10:30), and Holy Spirit (Gen 1:2).