Names Of God

Generally when we speak of God, we use one of two names: God or the Lord. For the most part, these two names are interchangeable in our mind.

The Israelites, on the other hand, had several different names or titles for God, each emphasizing some aspect of his character. Here are a few of these names found in the Psalms:

• Yahweh: More than seven hundred times in Psalms God is referred to as Yah or Yahweh. This name speaks of his character and his covenant relationship with his people. It is usually translated as LORD in capital letters.

  Example: “The LORD (Yahweh) is my shepherd; I have everything I need.” (Psalm 23:1)

• El or Elohim: More than four hundred times in the Psalms God is referred to by a name starting with El. This name reveals the power and majesty of God and is simply translated “God.”

  Example: “You alone are the Most High (Elyon), supreme over all the earth.” (Psalm 83:18)

• Adonai: More than sixty times in the Psalms God is called Adon or Adonai. This name speaks of God as our Master. It is usually translated as “Lord” in lowercase letters. It is often used in the context of personal communication between the believer and God, and it expresses faith and thanksgiving as well as submission.

Example: “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord (Adonai) is thinking about me right now.” (Psalm 40:17)

Often the psalm writers used the names of God in various combinations:

“The mighty God, the LORD (El Elohim Yahweh), has spoken;

he had summoned all humanity from east to west.” (Psalm 50:1)

“I look to you for help, O Sovereign LORD (Yahweh Adonai).

You are my refuge; don’t let them kill me.” (Psalm 141:8)

“I come to you for protection, O LORD my God (Yahweh Elyon).

Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!” (Psalm 7:1)

“Don’t let those who trust in you stumble because of me,

O Sovereign LORD Almighty (Adonai Yahweh Sabaoth).” (Psalm 69:6)

“I cry out to God Most High (Elohim Elyon),

to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2)

“O LORD God Almighty (Yahweh Elohim Sabaoth), the God of Israel,

rise up to punish hostile nations.” (Psalm 59:5)

What’s in a name? It depends. If your name is DiMaggio, you will probably be expected to excel in baseball. If your name is Rockefeller, people will probably ask you for money.

Apparently the psalmists put a lot of stock in names as well—especially regarding God—because they spoke of praising the name of the Lord or trusting his name over one hundred times in the Psalms. But what does all this business about God’s name mean? Why is his name so important?

We use the word God to refer to the one and only Deity we worship. But we use the same word for the mythological powers of Rome or Greece, only we don’t capitalize it.

The Israelites had a similar situation in Old Testament times. They were surrounded by Canaanite tribes who referred to El as the supreme deity, under whom was Baal, a fertility god who also was lord of wind and storm. But the El that the Canaanites worshiped was certainly not the El that the Israelites worshiped, for Scripture records that the Canaanites sometimes sacrificed their own children to their gods (Jeremiah 19:4-6). So the Israelites differentiated the name of their God from the name of the Canaanite god. They called upon God as El Elyon (the Most High God) or Elohim (the God possessing intense power and great glory) or El Shaddai (the all-sufficient God).

While El and Elohim speak of God’s power, the name Yahweh (the LORD) speaks of God’s character. It is the name for God that is used most in the Psalms. When the psalmists referred to Yahweh, they were speaking of a God who loved his people and kept his promises to them. He was the God who would be their Shepherd.

But eventually the name Yahweh became so sacred among the Israelites that they hesitated to say it out loud; instead they came to speak of God as Adonai, their approachable Master, to whom they could come with their burdens and problems.

As Christians today, we serve the same God that the Israelites worshiped. And he still embodies all the characteristics that his many names describe. Let us rejoice that we can call upon the LORD, the Most High God, the sovereign Creator who cares for our smallest concerns.

With sacred awe pronounce his name,

Whom words nor thoughts can reach;

A broken heart shall please him more

Than the best forms of speech.

NEEDHAM