MEANINGS OF THE NAMES ATTRIBUTED TO GOD

MEANINGS OF THE NAMES ATTRIBUTED TO GOD

• El means strength, mighty, almighty, or, by extension, deity.
• Eloah is probably derived from El, and always refers to deity.
• Elah is the Aramaic (Chaldean) form of Eloah.
• Elohim is the plural form of Eloah, and the Old Testament uses this word more than any other to mean God. In this case, the Hebrew plural is an intensive form denoting the greatness, majesty, and multiple attributes of God. We must note, however, that the Bible also uses the word elohim to refer to false gods (Judges 8:33), spirit beings (I Samuel 28:13), and human rulers or judges (Psalm 82). In these cases it is translated god or gods.
• Adon means ruler, master, or lord whether human, angelic, or divine.
• Adonai is the emphatic form of Adon, and specifically refers to the Lord (God).
• Yahweh (Jehovah) is the redemptive name of God in the Old Testament (Exodus 6:3-8), and the unique name by which the one true God distinguished Himself in the Old Testament from all other gods (Isaiah 42:8). It means the "Self-Existing One or the Eternal One." This concept also appears in the phrases "I AM THAT I AM" and "I AM" used by God of Himself. Yahweh means "He is." When used by God, the verb form is in the first person, or "I Am." In other words, Yahweh and "I Am" are different forms of the same verb. Furthermore, both connote an active (possibly causative or creative) existence rather than just a passive existence.
• Jah appears once in the KJV as an abbreviation for Jehovah (Psalm 68:4). Jehovah appears by itself only four times in the KJV (Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; Isaiah 26:4) and only three times as part of a compound name (Genesis 22:14; Exodus 17:15; Judges 6:24). In every other place, the King James translators used GOD or LORD (large and small capitals) to represent YHWH or its abbreviation YH.

In most cases they used LORD (example: Genesis 2:4), using GOD only when Adonai (Lord) also appeared in the same phrase (example: Genesis 15:2).

In using LORD as a substitute for YHWH, they were simply following an ancient Jewish tradition of substituting Adonai for YHWH when copying or reading the Scriptures. This custom arose because the Jews wanted to safeguard against taking God's name in vain, which would violate the Third Commandment (Exodus 20:7). They felt that by constantly repeating the sacred name of God they might begin to treat it too casually and lightly. The name of God was so holy and sacred that they did not feel worthy to use it.

Jesus and the apostles also followed this custom. The New Testament uses the Greek word Kurios, meaning Lord, when quoting Old Testament scriptures containing YHWH (Matthew 3:3; 4:7, etc.). Since ancient Hebrew did not use written vowels and since the Jews stopped speaking the sacred name, no one knows what the original pronunciation of YHWH was. All we have are the four Hebrew letters (called the tetragrammaton), which are usually transliterated as YHWH or JHVH and pronounced Yahweh (Hebrew) or Jehovah (English). 

• We find that in the Old Testament God progressively revealed more about Himself as various needs arose in the lives of man, and He used names to express this self-revelation.

• When Abraham needed a lamb to sacrifice, God created a situation for revelation and Abraham called Him Jehovah-jireh, the LORD that provides.

• When Israel needed deliverance, God revealed that His name Jehovah had a previously unknown significance with respect to deliverance and salvation (Exodus 6:3-8).

• When Israel needed protection from disease and sickness, God revealed Himself as Jehovah-rapha, the LORD that heals.

• When Israel needed victory over enemies, God revealed Himself as Jehovah-nissi, the LORD our banner, i.e., victory.

Bible scholars denote this process as the PROGRESSIVE REVELATION OF GOD’S NAME. 

The names and titles described above all reveal important aspects about the nature of God, however, none of them is a complete revelation of God's nature. Many people in the Old Testament realized this; they desired to know more of God and expressed their desire by asking to know His name. When Jacob wrestled with the man at Peniel (a Theophany of God), he asked, "Tell me, I pray thee, thy name." God did not reveal His name but did bless him (Genesis 32:29). Manoah, the father of Samson, asked the angel of the LORD what his name was and received this reply: "Why asketh thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" (Judges 13:18). The prophet Agur asked about God, "What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?" (Proverbs 30:4), He was looking into the future, trying to see by what name God would reveal Himself when He would appear as the Son. Zechariah prophesied that a time would come when the LORD would be king over all the earth, and "in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one" (Zechariah 14:9).