20 of God’s Names, Explained with Bible Verses
Each of God’s countless titles elucidates a unique part of His complex persona. Some of the more popular titles for God in Scripture are as follows:
EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]:
God is called “mighty,” “strong,” and “prominent” in Nehemiah 9:17 and Psalm 139:19. El seems to mean “power” and “might” in its roots (Genesis 31:29). El is also linked to things like honesty (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and kindness (Nehemiah 9:31), but the idea of “might” is still at the heart of it.
ELOHIM [el-oh-heem]:
God is called “Creator, Mighty, and Strong” in Genesis 17:7 and Jeremiah 31:33. This is the plural form of the name Eloah, which fits with the Trinity doctrine. God (Elohim) spoke the world into existence in the first sentence of the Bible. This shows how powerful God is (Genesis 1:1).
EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]:
““God Almighty” and “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) talk about how powerful God is over everything.
ADONAI [ˌaedɒˈnaɪ; ah-daw-nahy]:
“Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) was used instead of YHWH, which the Jews thought was too holy for sinful people to say. In the Old Testament, YHWH is used more often when God talks to His people, and Adonai is used more often when He talks to people from other countries.
YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH [yah-way / ji-hoh-veh]:
“LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) is the only name for God that is really correct. In English Bibles, it is written as “LORD” (all capital letters) to distinguish it from Adonai, which also means “Lord.” “I Am Who I Am” is the name that is given to Moses (Exodus 3:14). This name points to a sense of nearness or presence. Yahweh is close to those who call on Him for help (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11), and direction (Psalm 119:105). (Psalm 31:3).
YAHWEH-JIREH [yah-way-ji-reh]:
“The Lord Will Provide” is the name Abraham gave the place (Genesis 22:14) when God sent the ram to be sacrificed instead of Isaac.
YAHWEH-RAPHA [yah-way-raw-faw]:
“The Lord Who Heals” (Exodus 15:26): “I am Jehovah who heals you,” both physically and spiritually. In the body, by preventing and curing sickness, and in the soul, by forgiving sins.
YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]:
“The Lord Our Banner” (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name remembers how the Israelites beat the Amalekites in the desert in Exodus 17.
YAHWEH-M’KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]:
“The Lord Who Holy-Makes Holy” (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that only He can make His people clean and holy, not the law.
YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]:
“The Lord Our Peace” (Judges 6:24) is what Gideon called the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord told him he wouldn’t die after seeing God like he thought he would.
YAHWEH-ELOHIM [yah-way-el-oh-him]:
“LORD God” (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic “Lord,” signifying that He is the Lord of Lords.
YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]:
“The Lord Is Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) – As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, only God gives people righteousness (from the Hebrew word tsidkenu), which is finally shown in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]:
“The Lord Is Our Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1) – After David thought about how he treated his sheep as a shepherd, he realized that was exactly how God treated him. So, he says, “Yahweh-Rohi is my Shepherd. I won’t want” (Psalm 23:1).
YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mahw]:
“The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) was a name for Jerusalem and its Temple. It meant that the glory of the Lord, which had left (Ezekiel 8–11), had come back (Ezekiel 44:1-4).
YAHWEH-SABAOTH [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]:
“The Lord of Armies” (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes” and can refer to both angels and people. He is the Lord of all the people in heaven and on earth, both Jews and non-Jews, rich and poor, masters and slaves. God’s name shows His greatness, power, and authority. It also shows that He can do what He sets out to do.
EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]:
“Most High” (Deuteronomy 26:19) comes from the Hebrew root that means “go up” or “ascend,” so it means “the highest.” El Elyon means “exalted” and “absolute right to be a lord.”
EL ROI [el-roh-ee]:
““God of Seeing” (Genesis 16:13) is what Hagar called God when she was alone and scared in the desert after Sarah sent her away (Genesis 16:1-14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized that in a theophany, she had seen God Himself. She also realized that El Roi saw her in trouble and told her that He is a living God who sees everything.
EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]:
“Everlasting God” (Psalm 90:1-3) (Psalm 90:1-3) – God has a nature that has no beginning or end and is not limited by time. He is also the cause of time, so He is outside of time. “You are God from the beginning to the end.”
EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]:
“Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) is a name for the Messiah, who is Christ Jesus. This part of Isaiah is a prophecy. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15). (Revelation 19:15).
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