Naming God

            Names are important. It is someone’s name that identifies them for their entire life and even after their death. Whenever I mention my grandpa or someone says his name (Gene), particular feelings and thoughts flood my mind. Some of these thoughts are factual like he was my mom’s father and he was in the army. Other thoughts are more subjective to who is talking about him. I think of him as my grandpa who enjoyed playing and reading to me when I was little. I think of someone who enjoyed being outside in his garden, and I think of his passion for the St. Louis Cardinal baseball team. At the same time, my mom or my grandma think of other things. However, at some level, our subjective thoughts and feelings of Gene are similar. Even though he passed away several years ago, his name still identifies him and what comes to mind. In the same way, the names that we find for God in the bible identify who he is. It seems, then, that looking at the names that the writers of scripture give God would be a good starting point in our pursuit of learning who God is. So as to not cause confusion, we will be looking at the names of God the Father. We will not be looking at the names of the Son or Spirit. We will look at those when we spend time studying each.

            The most used name of God in the bible is Yahweh. Oftentimes, our English Bible translates it as Lord. Sometimes, this word is also translated as Jehovah. This name is seen being used 6,828 times in the Old Testament. Out of reverence to God, the Israelites wouldn’t say or spell the name of God. Instead, they would just use the consonants (YHWH). The Israelites did not feel that they were worthy enough to say God’s name. We see that God uses this as his covenantal name with the people of Israel. “God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name, the Lord, I did not make myself fully known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment” (Genesis 6:2-6). He is the Lord. He has entered into a covenant with the people of Israel. He has also entered into a covenant with all believers. We can trust that he will fulfill his promises because, throughout history, he has been fulfilling what he has covenanted with us. This name explains his nature: he is. His name, I Am, is related to this name. He is always. It doesn’t matter what point of history you pick or where in the world you choose; God is.

            Another name for God that is found in the Old Testament is Adonai. This also means Lord. However, there is a sharp distinction between Adonai and Yahweh. Yahweh denoted the majesty of God and his steadfastness towards us. It was his covenantal name. Adonai, on the other hand, means master, and it has the connotation of a ruling being. It shows that God is ruling over the world. “Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies?” (Joshua 7:8). This name is used when one is referring to himself as a servant of God, who is their master. This name is used only 450 times in the Old Testament.

            The last of the most common names of God in the Old Testament are Elohim, El, and Eloah. All three of these names mean the same thing but are just variations of the same base word. This word is used over 2,500 times in the Old Testament. This is the generic name for deity. It is simply translated as God. This is seen in both the singular and plural forms in reference to God. The plural form seems to cause an issue because our God is one. We worship a monotheistic god, not a polytheistic one. However, whenever the Israelites wanted to emphasize the majesty of God, they would use the plural form. This is seen in other words in Hebrew as well.

            The next seven names of God are each used only a handful of times, so I will only briefly discuss each. El Shaddai (el shaw-die) means God Almighty. This name is used only seven times. “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.” (Genesis 17:1). El Elyon (el el-yawn) means God Most High. This is used 28 times in reference to God. “Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:18-20). El Olam (el o-lam) means God Everlasting. This is only seen twice in the entire Old Testament. “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God” (Genesis 21:33). “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom” (Isaiah 40:28). Yahweh Tzevaot (tz-ev-out) or Yahweh Sabbaoth means The Lord of hosts/armies. These names are used 235 times. “This man would go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Armies at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the Lord’s priests (1 Samuel 1:3, CSB). Yahweh Jireh (gy-rah) means the Lord will provide. “So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided” (Genesis 22:14). Yahweh Shalom means The Lord our Peace. “So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites” (Judges 6:24). Yahweh Tsidkenu (ts-id-canoe) means The Lord Our Righteousness. “In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior” (Jerimiah 23:6).

            What does God’s name tell us about him? We learn that God is majestic and almighty. He is all-powerful and all-knowing. We see that he keeps his promises. He is our refuge and safe place. We can rely on him. We are able to find peace in him. Most importantly, we see that he is our righteousness. These names of God have given us a great place to start, but I hope we have seen that we have barely scratched the surface of who God is. There is much mystery about who God is, but he has also revealed a lot about himself to us. We will continue to explore the complexities and simplicities of God in the coming weeks. I hope that this pursuit of looking at the names of God has rekindled an awe of who God is in you as it has in me!