The Names
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Hebrew Scriptures · God Almighty
אֱלֹהִים
Hebrew · el-oh-HEEM
Meaning
God, the mighty Creator.
Scripture
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1
In a few words
The first name Scripture gives God is plural in form and takes a singular verb: one Creator, named with a fullness of majesty.
King James Version
From Scripture. King James Version. 73 names and titles.
אֱלֹהִים · el-oh-HEEM
God, the mighty Creator.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1 · God Almighty
The first name Scripture gives God is plural in form and takes a singular verb: one Creator, named with a fullness of majesty.
אֵל · EL
God, the strong one.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
Psalm 19:1 · God Almighty
El is the old short name for the Mighty One. It lives inside longer names: El Shaddai, El Elyon, Immanuel.
אֵל עֶלְיוֹן · el el-YOHN
God Most High.
“Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.”
Genesis 14:19 · God Almighty
Melchizedek blesses Abraham by this name. God is above every other power, and possessor of heaven and earth.
אֵל רֳאִי · el ro-EE
The God who sees me.
“And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me.”
Genesis 16:13 · Covenant care
Hagar, unseen by the people who used her, gives God this name. He had seen her.
אֵל שַׁדַּי · el shad-DYE
God Almighty.
“I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”
Genesis 17:1 · God Almighty
This is the name God gives Abraham when a son still looks impossible. Almighty is the usual English for Shaddai.
אֵל עוֹלָם · el oh-LAHM
The everlasting God.
“And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.”
Genesis 21:33 · God Almighty
At Beersheba Abraham calls on the God who does not expire, whose years have no edge.
אֵל אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל · el el-oh-HAY yis-rah-EL
God, the God of Israel.
“And he erected there an altar, and called it EleloheIsrael.”
Genesis 33:20 · God Almighty
Jacob raises an altar and names it as a confession. This God is not a local power. He is God, and he is the God of Israel.
מָגֵן · thy shield
God himself is the protection, and the great reward.
“Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”
Genesis 15:1 · Covenant care
Before the covenant is cut, God answers fear with his own self. The shield is not a weapon he hands over. It is who he is.
שֹׁפֵט · the Judge
The one who does what is right, over every people.
“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Genesis 18:25 · Covenant care
Abraham pleads for the city and rests his case on the character of God. Justice is not a rule above God. It is how God judges.
יְהוָה · yah-WEH
The LORD. The One who is, and who will be present.
“This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
Exodus 3:15 · see also Exodus 3:14 · The Name
These four letters are the divine name given at the burning bush. Jewish reverence often says Adonai or HaShem rather than pronouncing it. The King James Version prints LORD. Yahweh is a scholarly way of saying the name.
אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה · eh-YEH ah-SHER eh-YEH
I AM THAT I AM. Being, and presence.
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
Exodus 3:14 · see also John 8:58 · The Name
Moses asks the name, and God answers with a verb of being. In the Gospel of John, Jesus takes the words up: Before Abraham was, I am.
אֲדֹנָי · ah-doh-NYE
Lord, Master, the sovereign one.
“And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless.”
Genesis 15:2 · The Name
Adonai is the word Jewish readers speak in place of the divine name, and it is a name of its own: the Lord who owns his people.
אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם · God of the fathers
The God who keeps covenant with a people, generation after generation.
“I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
Exodus 3:6 · see also Matthew 22:32 · God Almighty
At the bush, God does not introduce himself as a vague heaven. He names the fathers. Jesus says this is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
יְהוָה יִרְאֶה · yah-WEH yir-EH
The LORD will provide. The LORD will see to it.
“And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”
Genesis 22:14 · The Name
On the mountain of the sacrifice, Abraham names the place for what God did. The verb means both to see and to provide. God saw, and supplied the ram.
יְהוָה רֹפְאֶךָ · yah-WEH roh-FEH
The LORD who heals you.
“For I am the LORD that healeth thee.”
Exodus 15:26 · The Name
After bitter water is made sweet, God binds his name to healing. He is not only the one who parts the sea. He is the physician of his people.
יְהוָה נִסִּי · yah-WEH nee-SEE
The LORD is my banner.
“And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi.”
Exodus 17:15 · The Name
When Amalek is turned back, Moses does not plant his own name over the field. The banner over the victory is the LORD.
קַנָּא · kah-NAH
The LORD, whose name is Jealous.
“For the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
Exodus 34:14 · The Name
This is not petty envy. It is the exclusive love of a covenant God, who will not share his people with other gods.
יְהוָה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם · yah-WEH meh-kah-DESH-khem
The LORD who sanctifies you.
“I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.”
Exodus 31:13 · The Name
Holiness here is not first a project the people finish. God names himself as the one who sets them apart.
הַצּוּר · hah-TSOOR
The unshifting God, whose work is perfect.
“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
Deuteronomy 32:4 · Covenant care
The song of Moses sets God against every crumbling refuge. The Rock is true, just, and without iniquity.
יְהוָה שָׁלוֹם · yah-WEH shah-LOHM
The LORD is peace.
“Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom.”
Judges 6:24 · The Name
Gideon expects death after seeing the angel of the LORD. He lives instead, and names the altar for the peace God himself is.
יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת · yah-WEH tzeh-vah-OHT
The LORD of hosts. Commander of the armies of heaven.
“Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Isaiah 6:3 · see also 1 Samuel 1:3 · The Name
Hannah worships the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, and Isaiah hears the same name while the seraphim cry Holy. Hosts means armies.
רֹעֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל · ROH-eh yis-rah-EL
The shepherd who leads his people as a flock.
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock.”
Psalm 80:1 · Covenant care
The psalm does not petition a distant official. It asks the Shepherd, the one who goes ahead of Joseph, to shine forth.
יְהוָה רֹעִי · yah-WEH roh-EE
The LORD is my shepherd.
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Psalm 23:1 · The Name
David makes the shepherd name personal. Not only the Shepherd of Israel, but my shepherd, so the singer shall not want.
מֶלֶךְ גָּדוֹל · great King
King above every so-called god.
“For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”
Psalm 95:3 · God Almighty
The psalm invites the whole earth to sing, and then gives the reason. The LORD is not one deity among others.
מְצוּדָתִי · my fortress
A stronghold no enemy takes, because the stronghold is the LORD.
“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.”
Psalm 18:2 · Covenant care
David stacks pictures of safety, and every one of them is the LORD: rock, fortress, deliverer, strength.
מִגְדַּל־עֹז · a strong tower
The name of the LORD is itself a refuge.
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”
Proverbs 18:10 · Covenant care
Safety is not only in the acts of God. Proverbs says the name, trusted and run into, is the tower.
סֵתֶר · my hiding place
The God who covers the one who confesses, and keeps them.
“Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.”
Psalm 32:7 · Covenant care
This psalm begins with forgiven sin. The hiding place is not a corner to stay guilty in. It is God, who covers and preserves.
גֹּאֲלִי · goh-EL
My kinsman-redeemer, who takes up the cause and buys his people back.
“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”
Job 19:25 · Covenant care
A goel was the family member who paid the debt. Job, in the ash heap, says that his Redeemer lives and shall stand upon the earth.
קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל · keh-DOSH yis-rah-EL
The Holy One bound to Israel, who is also Saviour.
“For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.”
Isaiah 43:3 · Covenant care
Isaiah holds together what people often split. God is holy, set apart from sin, and he is near enough to call Israel his own.
יֹצְרֵנוּ · our potter
The Maker whose hands form his people.
“But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”
Isaiah 64:8 · Covenant care
Isaiah says we are the clay, and the LORD is both our Father and our potter. Everyone is the work of his hand.
בֹעֲלַיִךְ · thine husband
The Maker who binds himself to his people as a husband.
“For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name.”
Isaiah 54:5 · Covenant care
God speaks to a deserted city and gives himself a marriage name. The LORD of hosts is not ashamed to be called her husband.
בּוֹרֵא · the Creator
The everlasting God who made the ends of the earth, and does not grow weary.
“The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary.”
Isaiah 40:28 · God Almighty
Isaiah asks a tired people whether they have not heard. The Creator does not faint, and he gives power to the faint.
אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים · the living God
Not a carved silence, but the true God, an everlasting king.
“But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king.”
Jeremiah 10:10 · God Almighty
Jeremiah sets the living God against gods who did not make the heavens. He is true, he is alive, and he is king.
רִאשׁוֹן וְאַחֲרוֹן · the first and the last
Before every other claim, and after every rival has failed.
“I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”
Isaiah 44:6 · see also Revelation 1:17; 22:13 · God Almighty
The LORD says there is no God beside him. The book of Revelation puts the same words in the mouth of the risen Christ.
עִמָּנוּ אֵל · im-mah-noo-EL
God with us.
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14 · see also Matthew 1:23 · The Messiah
Isaiah gives the child this name, and Matthew says the birth of Jesus is that promise kept. God comes to dwell with us.
פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ · PEH-leh yoh-AYTS
Wonderful in counsel. Wisdom beyond advice.
“And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 · The Messiah
The child born in Isaiah chapter 9 carries a stack of divine names. The King James reads Wonderful, Counsellor, heard as one title or as two.
אֵל גִּבּוֹר · el gib-BORE
God the mighty warrior.
“And his name shall be called The mighty God.”
Isaiah 9:6 · The Messiah
Isaiah does not give the promised child a merely human rank. Mighty God is the same kind of name Scripture gives the LORD.
אֲבִיעַד · ah-VEE ad
Father of eternity. A care that has no sunset.
“And his name shall be called The everlasting Father.”
Isaiah 9:6 · The Messiah
This is a name of the child who is born in Isaiah chapter 9. It does not erase the Father and the Son. It says his fatherly rule does not end.
שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם · sar shah-LOHM
The prince whose government is peace.
“And his name shall be called The Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 · The Messiah
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. The peace does not fray when the news cycle turns.
צֶמַח · TSEH-mahkh
The righteous growth God raises from the line of David.
“Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.”
Zechariah 6:12 · see also Jeremiah 23:5 · The Messiah
When the throne looks cut down, the prophets say a Branch will come. Zechariah says, behold the man whose name is The Branch.
יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ · yah-WEH tsid-KAY-noo
The LORD our righteousness.
“And this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Jeremiah 23:6 · The Name
Jeremiah says the righteous Branch from David will reign, and this is the name he shall be called. Righteousness is not only his demand. It is his name.
עַתִּיק יוֹמִין · ah-TEEK yoh-MEEN
The eternal one who takes the throne and opens the books.
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool.”
Daniel 7:9 · God Almighty
Daniel sees a court older than the empires. The Ancient of Days sits, and one like a son of man is given a kingdom that does not pass away.
יְהוָה שָׁמָּה · yah-WEH shah-MAH
The LORD is there.
“And the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.”
Ezekiel 48:35 · The Name
The long vision of a restored city ends without a boast about walls. The name of the city is the promise.
מְצָרֵף · the refiner
The one who sits over the fire until the silver is pure.
“And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”
Malachi 3:3 · Covenant care
Malachi says the Lord comes to his temple like a refiner fire. He does not toss the metal away. He sits with it until the dross is gone.
יֵשׁוּעַ · Ἰησοῦς · yeh-SHOO-ah
The LORD saves.
“Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 · The Messiah
The angel does not pick a decorative name. Jesus, Yeshua, says what he comes to do: he shall save his people from their sins.
σωτήρ · the Savior
The one born in the city of David to save.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:11 · The Messiah
The angel does not tell the shepherds that a teacher has been born. A Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
מָשִׁיחַ · Χριστός · mah-SHEE-ahkh
The Anointed One. Christ.
“We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”
John 1:41 · The Messiah
Andrew tells his brother, We have found the Messiah. John adds the Greek so no one misses it. Christ is not a surname. It is the anointing.
ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ · Son of God
The Son, of one kind with the living God.
“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16 · The Messiah
Peter does not confess a gifted teacher only. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and Jesus says flesh and blood did not reveal it.
בַּר אֱנָשׁ · ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου · Son of Man
The human one Daniel saw, who gives his life as a ransom.
“The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28 · see also Daniel 7:13 · The Messiah
This is the name Jesus uses most for himself. It reaches back to Daniel: one like a son of man, given dominion, who came to serve and to give his life.
ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ · the Lamb of God
The one who takes away the sin of the world.
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
John 1:29 · The Messiah
John the Baptist does not begin with a throne. He points and says, Behold the Lamb. Passover and the lamb of Isaiah are gathered into a person.
ὁ Λόγος · hoh LOH-goss
The Word who was with God, and who was God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1 · The Messiah
John opens as Genesis opens, and then says the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The speech of God is a person.
τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου · the Light of the world
The light by which a person does not walk in darkness.
“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
John 8:12 · I am
Jesus says it in his own voice. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows him shall have the light of life.
ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς · the Bread of Life
The bread that ends the deepest hunger.
“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35 · I am
After the hillside loaves, Jesus says the sign was about himself. He is the bread come down from heaven. Whoever comes to him shall not hunger.
ἡ θύρα · the Door
The way in. Whoever enters by him shall be saved.
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
John 10:9 · I am
The sheep do not invent an entrance. Jesus says he is the door. By him they go in and out, and find pasture.
ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός · the Good Shepherd
The shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
John 10:11 · I am
He is not a hired hand who runs when the wolf comes. The good shepherd knows his own, and gives his life for them.
ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή · the Resurrection and the Life
Life over which death does not have the last word.
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
John 11:25 · I am
At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus does not only promise a future resurrection. He says he is the resurrection, and the life.
ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή · the Way, the Truth, and the Life
The way to the Father, and the truth, and the life.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 14:6 · I am
Thomas asks for a map. Jesus answers with himself. No one comes to the Father except through him.
ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή · the true Vine
The vine in whom the branches live and bear fruit.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.”
John 15:1 · I am
Israel had been called a vine. Jesus says he is the true vine, and his Father is the keeper of the vineyard. Apart from him the branch can do nothing.
אַבָּא · ὁ Πατήρ · AH-bah
Father. The word of a child, prayed by the Son and given to his people.
“Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:15 · see also Mark 14:36 · God Almighty
Jesus prays Abba, Father, in Gethsemane. Paul says the Spirit teaches the same cry to those who belong to Christ. Intimate, and reverent.
רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ · Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον · ROO-ahkh hah-KOH-desh
The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in the name of the Son.
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things.”
John 14:26 · The Spirit
The Spirit in these pages is not an impersonal force. He is the Holy Ghost, sent to teach and to bring the words of Jesus to remembrance.
παράκλητος · pah-RAH-klay-toss
Another Comforter, called to your side, to remain for ever.
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.”
John 14:16 · The Spirit
Jesus does not promise a thinner substitute. He promises another Helper of the same kind, who will abide with his people for ever.
τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας · the Spirit of truth
The Spirit who guides into all truth, and glorifies the Son.
“When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.”
John 16:13 · The Spirit
Jesus says this Spirit will not speak from a private whim. He will take what belongs to Christ and declare it.
λίθος ἀκρογωνιαῖος · the cornerstone
The chosen stone at the corner, on whom a people is built.
“Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”
1 Peter 2:6 · see also Isaiah 28:16 · The Messiah
Peter takes the stone from Isaiah and the psalm and says it is Christ. Whoever believes on him shall not be put to shame.
ἀρχιερεὺς μέγας · great high priest
The priest who has passed through the heavens and sympathizes with us.
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”
Hebrews 4:14 · The Messiah
Hebrews says we do not have a priest who cannot feel our weakness. We have Jesus, the Son of God, and we may come to the throne of grace.
μεσίτης · the Mediator
The one mediator between God and humankind, the man Christ Jesus.
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 2:5 · The Messiah
There are not many paths and a crowd of go-betweens. There is one God, and one mediator, himself truly man, who gave himself a ransom for all.
ὁ ἀρχηγὸς καὶ τελειωτής · author and finisher
The pioneer who begins faith, and the one who brings it to its goal.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”
Hebrews 12:2 · The Messiah
Hebrews says to look unto Jesus, who authors faith and finishes it, and who endured the cross for the joy set before him.
τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ · AL-fah and oh-MEG-ah
The first and the last, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:8 · see also Revelation 22:13 · God Almighty
The Lord God takes the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet as a name. Revelation also places Alpha and Omega on the lips of Jesus.
ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα · the Lion of Judah
The lion of the tribe of David, who has prevailed.
“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book.”
Revelation 5:5 · The Messiah
John weeps because no one can open the scroll. An elder says the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed. John turns, and sees a Lamb.
Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων · King of kings and Lord of lords
The name written on his robe and on his thigh.
“And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Revelation 19:16 · The Messiah
Every other king is a lesser king beside this name. Revelation writes it where no one can pretend not to have seen it.
πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός · Faithful and True
The rider whose name is his character.
“And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”
Revelation 19:11 · The Messiah
Heaven opens, and the one on the white horse is not called lucky. He is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges.
ὁ Ἀμήν · the Ah-men
The yes of God. The faithful and true witness.
“These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.”
Revelation 3:14 · The Messiah
Amen is the word the church says back to a promise. Revelation makes it a name of Christ: the witness who does not lie.
ὁ ἀστὴρ ὁ λαμπρός · the bright morning star
The root of David and the son of David, the star that ends the night.
“I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”
Revelation 22:16 · The Messiah
In the last chapter, Jesus names himself. He is the source of David and the offspring of David, and he is the morning star.
ὁ ῥυόμενος · the Deliverer
The rescuer who turns ungodliness away.
“There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”
Romans 11:26 · The Messiah
Paul gathers the prophets and says the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Out of Zion comes the Deliverer.