In general there are 7 main names for God, and some of the main names have derivatives. Part 1of these devotions is a listing of the names, parts 2 to 9 will go deeper into our understanding of each name(s). Because Part 1 is long, I will divide it into the remaining 4 days of the work week. (I do not, in general, write devotions on the weekend).
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Exodus 3:14 NKJV
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
Matthew 6:9
“…Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
John 12:28
The names which God chose for Himself and which are ascribed to Him in the Word of God are additional revelations of who God is and how we should relate to Him. The Old Testament’s original form was written mainly in Hebrew, but a few chapters in the prophecies of Ezra and Daniel and one verse in Jeremiah were written in a language called Aramaic. This language became very popular in the ancient world and actually displaced many other languages. Aramaic even became the common language spoken in Israel in Jesus’ time, and it was likely the language He spoke day by day. Some Aramaic words were even used by the Gospel writers in the New Testament. The New Testament was written in Greek. Greek was the language of scholarship during the years of the composition of the New Testament from 50 to 100 AD.
Names of God in Scripture:
(1) Elohim: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong”, the plural form of Eloah, which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence.
In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
I am the Lord, and there is no other Isaiah 45:18
Compounds of El:
• El Shaddai: “God Almighty.” Is a name that speaks of God as the Covenant God. El-Shaddai is the active God fulfilling His covenant.
• El Elyon: “The Most High God.” Stresses God’s strength, sovereignty, and supremacy
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. Psalms 9:2
• El Olam: “The Everlasting God.” Emphasizes God’s unchangeableness
(2) Yahweh: a form of the Hebrew name of God used in the Bible and is built on the word for "I am." The name came to be regarded by Jews as too sacred to be spoken. Comes from a verb which means “to exist, be.” God’s name is almost always translated LORD (all caps) in the English Bible. In the middle ages, in English, Yahweh became Jehovah. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance, forgiveness and guidance.
So every time we hear the word Yahweh, or every time you see LORD in the English Bible, you should think: this is a proper name built out of the word for “I am” and reminding us each time that God absolutely is.
Compounds of Yahweh (or Jehovah in English): Strictly speaking, these compounds are designations or titles which reveal additional facts about God’s character.
• Jehovah Jireh (Yireh): “The Lord will provide.” Stresses God’s provision for His people. The name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac.
And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:14
• Jehovah Nissi: “The Lord is my Banner.” Stresses that God is our rallying point and our means of victory; the one who fights for His people. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17.
And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner
• Jehovah Shalom: “The Lord is Peace.” Points to the Lord as the means of our peace and rest. The name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him.
So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. Judges 6:24
• Jehovah Rapha: "The Lord Who Heals" both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities.
…For I am the Lord who heals you. Exodus 15:26
• Jehovah Maccaddeshcem: “The Lord your Sanctifier.” Portrays the Lord as our means of sanctification or as the one who sets believers apart for His purposes. God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy.
‘…that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.’ Exodus 31:13
• Jehovah Rohi: “The Lord my Shepherd.” Portrays the Lord as the Shepherd who cares for His people as a shepherd cares for the sheep of his pasture. After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him, and so he declares:
The (Jehovah Rohi) Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalms 23:1
• Jehovah Tsidkenu: “The Lord our Righteousness.” It is God alone who provides righteousness to man, in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him”.
Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS Jeremiah 23:6
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
• Jehovah Shammah: “The Lord is there.” The name ascribed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the once-departed glory of the Lord had returned.
“..and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.” Ezekiel 48:35
• Jehovah Sabaoth: "The Lord of Hosts" Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do.
The Lord of hosts is with us. Psalm 46:7
• Jehovah Elroi: "God of Seeing" The name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah. When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all. (Theophany means a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period often, but not always, in human form).
Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” Genesis 16:13
• Jehovah Elgibhor: “Mighty God” The name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, 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.
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Revelation 19:15
I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:
Abba Father thank You for Your inseparable, unfailing, deep and everlasting love for me. Jehovah Jireh thank You for providing Your abundant blessings in my life. God I put my life in Your hands Elohim. I pray that Your covenant will be fulfilled in my life El-Shaddai. You are my everlasting God El Olam. I submit to your supremacy El Elyon. Thank You for healing my body and soul Jehovah Rapha. Thank You Jehovah Maccaddeshcem for sanctifying me. Thank You Jehovah Rohi for guiding me and directing me. Thank You Jehovah Tsidkenu for Your grace of making me righteous through the redemptive work of Jesus. In the mighty name of Jehovah Elgibhor I pray. Amen.
Jesus loves you,
In Him,
Wagdi Henein
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