The Names of God

Elohim, the usual designation for God, is the Creator, the God of all gods, the transcendent One (Genesis 1:1–2:3). 

El was known to the Canaanites as the chief of their many gods. The Hebrews freely spoke of their God by the name El. 

El is generally used in compound names. Examples are El Elyon (God Most High, Genesis 14:18–22) and El Shaddai (God Almighty, Genesis 17:1). El is frequently compounded with a noun or verb to form personal or place names such as Elimelech (My God is king), Eliezer (God of help), and Elijah (My God is Yahweh). 

Adonai (Lord) is a special form of the common word adon, meaning lord. Adonai is used only in reference to the one true God, never to refer to humans or other gods. It signifies the exalted being of God, who alone is Lord of lords (Deuteronomy 10:17). He is “the Sovereign” of Israel (Exodus 34:23). Adonai also occurs in compounds such as Adonijah (Yahweh is my Lord, 1 Kings 1:8). 

Yahweh, meaning I Am, is a shortened form of God’s response to Moses’ request for the name of the patri-archs’ God (Exodus 3:13–14). The full name identifies God as the Living God (I Am Who I Am) or as the God who acts in creation and redemptive history (I Cause to Be What Is). 

Out of extreme reverence for Yahweh’s name (Exodus 20:7), the Jews read Adonai (or Elohim) wherever the Hebrew text had YHWH. English Bibles likewise represent the four consonants YHWH by “Lord” or “God” in large and small caps. 

Yahweh revealed His name in the context of redemption of Israel from Egyptian slavery. With the name came the assurance that Yahweh would fulfill all His promises (Exodus 3:15; 6:2–8). The Lord’s name is the concrete confirma-tion that God who “is” will “make things happen” and fulfill His promises. 

Yahweh’s name is thus associated with God’s faithfulness, by which He binds Himself to His covenant promises. In the familiar words of Psalm 23:1, the He-brew reads, “Yahweh is my shepherd.” A reader of the English Bible can enter more deeply into the spirit of closeness and personal fellowship that existed between Yahweh and His ancient covenant people by substituting the name Yahweh for “the Lord.” In Jesus’ use of “I am” (ego eimi), He claimed to be Yahweh in the flesh (John 8:58). 

Shortened forms of Yahweh occur in phrases (Hallelujah, praise Yahweh) and in names (Jonathan, Yahweh gives, and Adonijah, Yahweh is Lord). 

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Adapted from David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), 141.