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The Names of God

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word name as "a word or words by which a person, animal, place or thing is known or indicated".  Today, a person's name is the thing that identifies them from someone else.  Children are sometimes named after, or in memory of, other people in their family.  Sometimes there is no link at all and a child's name is simply chosen on the basis of the preference of its parents.   In biblical times, however, much more importance was placed on names.  Names had meaning and they were chosen, not on a whim, but in order to reflect something very important  - a circumstance, a prayer, a characteristic - about that person.  And so it is with the Names of God.  Through His Names, the Lord allows us to see facets of His divine personality and understanding the meaning behind these names permits us to get to know our sovereign Lord more closely and personally.  As Nelson's Illustrated Dictionary states: 'To know the Name of God is thus to know God Himself'.

There are many Names of God in the Bible but for the purposes of this study we shall concentrate briefly on only 12 of the major ones.  These 12 names each reflect a different characteristic or aspect of the nature of God Himself.  The most widely known Name of God in the Bible is Jehovah but, as we shall see, in many places this Name is developed and its meaning made fuller by the combination in which it is used.


1.    ELOHIM (God)
Derived from the word 'El', a term for God which was used in various ancient languages.  The word El refers to a deity that instills awe, fear and reverence.  Elohim is the plural noun which appears over 2,500 times in the Bible, highlighting the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Elohim tells of God's mighty power and all-sufficient strength as creator and sovereign of the universe.  This name appears from the very start of the Bible - the word "God" in Genesis 1:1 is written as Elohim.  "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" [Colossians 2:9].

2.  EL-SHADDAI (God Almighty)
Shaddai means to nourish, supply, satisfy and when connected to El means one who is mighty and able to nourish, satisfy and supply.  An all sufficient one.  The God of plenty.  God uses the name El-Shaddai when making His Covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17:1-2 and in Job 42:12 we read that "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first".  The Lord here is El-Shaddai.  El-Shaddai is written 48 times in the Old Testament and we experience that nurturing, supplying aspect of God's character in the New Testament too, for example, in John 1:16 and Romans 11:33.

3.  ADONAI (My Lord)
Adonai is translated 'Lord' in our bibles.  The word is made up of 'adon', which means lord, and 'ai' which means my.  Adonai is plural and refers to God as Lord.  The singular form (adon) is only used  when referring to men as lords or masters.   The name Adonai illustrates God's ownership of us as His creation and expresses the requirement of our obedient service to Him.  It is a relationship name and, interestingly, Adonai occurs many times in prophesies (e.g. over 200 times in Ezekiel) - especially concerning Israel, indicating God's everlasting claim on the nation of Israel.

4.  JEHOVAH/Yahweh (LORD)
This is the personal name of God and what He calls Himself.  It is a special revelation because it is God's covenant name.  It is written in capital letters in our bibles as LORD and occurs over 6,800 times.  It comes from the verb 'to be'  ("I am who I am" or "I will be who I will be" [Exodus 3:14]).  "God also said to Moses: Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has sent me to you'.  This is my name for ever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation".  [Exodus 3:15].  Jehovah is made up of 4 Hebrew letters roughly equivalent to our YHWH (Yahweh).  It is a very descriptive name portraying God's relationship with His people, His presence with us and His love for us.

In Exodus 34:6 we are told how God proclaimed His own Name and added words that described His divine character.  The following shows how that was accomplished.

5.  JEHOVAH-JIREH  (The Lord provides)
This particular Name of God appears first in Genesis 22:14 when Abraham called Mount Moriah, the place where God provided the ram in substitution for Isaac, Jehovah-jireh.   The word 'jireh' is generally translated 'to see'.  God foresaw the need and provided and His provision shall be seen.  (Mount Moriah later became known as Calvary and it was there where, again, God evidenced Himself as Jehovah-jireh by providing His own son Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for our sins).  This Name is an eternal testimony to God's provision for us.

6.  JEHOVAH-M'KADDESH (The Lord sanctifies)
"Keep my decrees and follow them.  I am the Lord, who makes you holy" [Leviticus 20:8].  Lord here is written Jehovah-M'Kaddesh which means to sanctify, to set apart, to be holy, to be hallowed.  Holiness a central aspect of God's character and God wants a people who are holy and set apart to worship Him.  Jeremiah 1:5 tells us "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart ..."  It is God's will that we should be sanctified and only He can make us so, through Jesus who is our sanctifier.

7.  JEHOVAH-NISSI (The Lord is my banner)
Nissi comes from the word "to lift up".  This was the name Moses attributed to God after a great victory over the Amalekites.  "Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my banner.  He said 'For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord ..." [Exodus 17:15-16].   The Name of God was seen as a banner under which Israel could rally in victory, and under which we too can congregate under God's protection.  When we lift up our hands to Him we are declare that we are His.  His Name is our standard, our ensign, and we trust only in Him.  Only in Him are we victorious.  When Jesus was lifted up on the Cross, He became Jehovah-nissi for us. "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." [John 12:32]. "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious" [Isaiah 11:10].

8.  JEHOVAH-ROHI  (The Lord is my Shepherd)
This name comes from "ro'eh" which means to pasture, and illustrates God's character of loving kindness and care for his people.  God is the Great Shepherd and it is as our Shepherd that God is probably best known.  (See Psalm 23).  A trusting relationship between a shepherd and his flock only comes about after a constant, close association.  We should be in constant touch with our Shepherd, the One who tends and cares for us.  He promises in Ezekiel 34:11 "For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.  As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep.  I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness".  This picture of Jehovah-Rohi is the most intimate of all the Names of God and the most loving.  "For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls"  [1 Peter 2:25].

9.  JEHOVAH-RAPHA (The Lord who Heals)
Rapha (or Rophe) means to heal, mend, make whole.  "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you" [Exodus 15:26].   The name Jehovah-Rapha indicates God's ernest desire to see all his people whole and healthy, both in body and spirit.  When we are healed we are get relief from our ailments by the application of a cure or remedy.  Jesus is the remedy for all our diseases.  He is still our healer today because "... by His wounds you have been healed" [1 Peter 2:24].

10.  JEHOVAH-SHALOM  (The Lord is Peace)
"So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it 'The Lord is Peace' and to this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites" [Judges 6:24].  The name of the altar that Gideon built to the Lord is a familiar word.  We recognise Shalom as meaning peace.  What is peace?  Peace is defined as 'a condition of freedom from disturbance, whether outwardly, as of a nation from war or enemies, or inwardly, within the soul' (International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia).  Shalom is rightly translated as peace, but it also carries the meaning  to be whole, sound, finished, fulfilled.  This Name of God therefore illustrates the kind of peace that we enjoy only from becoming whole and finished, living in a right relationship with God.  He is our Peace because we have been made new creations through Jesus Christ.  Our peace comes only from Him.

11.  JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH (The Lord is there)
Shammah (or sham) means there, or from thence.  It occurs over 800 times throughout scripture and in each case it refes to a place where God is doing something.  "Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden and there he put the man he had formed" [Genesis 11:9].  The word 'there' is written as 'sham'.  "Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights" [Exodus 34:28].  The name Jehovah-shammah focusses our attention on God's eternal presence.  He never leaves us or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5).  Jesus is Immanuel - God with us.  He is there, active and doing something.  This Name of God is also indicative of the promise of the restoration of Jerusalem "And the name of the city from that time on will be The Lord is There" [Ezekiel 48:35] where God will one day live.  "Now the dwelling of God is with men and He will live with them.  They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God"  [Revelation 21:2].

12.  JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU (The Lord our righteousness)
The word tsidkenu comes from the Hebrew 'tsadek', which means to be just, righteous in conduct and character, balanced (as on scales), straight.  Through this name we learn more about the justice of God.  His "righteousness is everlasting and [His] law is true" [Psalm 119:142].  This name is applied symbolically to Jerusalem and the Messiah.  As it is impossible for sinful man to measure up to God's standards of righteousness, it is only when we accept "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God" [2 Corinthians 5:21] that we can become acceptable in God's sight.  "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 righteousness". [Jeremiah 33:16].  Jesus Christ is Jehovah-Tsidkenu who will establish the everlasting Kingdom of justice.


The English words "God" and "Lord" convey to us the concept of a divine, supreme being but, sadly, not a lot else.  However, from the various Names of God used in the Bible we are able to gain a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the nature and character of our awesome God.  He, in His great wisdom, made provision for us to do this in scripture and we should be eager to learn more about Him, through His Names.  Perhaps the Lord's name would not be taken so lightly nowadays if people were aware of exactly who it is that they are profaning.  Through the Bible we are given glimpses of the marvellous character and nature of God as portrayed by His Names.   May we get to know Him through His Word, see Him more clearly for who He really is, and worship Him more sincerely as a result.
"Hallowed be Thy Name"


REFERENCES
Easton, M G: Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Matthew Henry: Concise Whole Bible Commentary
L. Dolphin: The Names of God
International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia,
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Dr R L Patterson: Study of the Names of God
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