The names of God
PART 3
In Biblical times a name represented the very character or destiny of a person. God’s names are a symbol of his very nature, character and person.
We saw that
there are 3
primary names
for God in
Hebrew:
Elohim
Yahweh
Adonai
PRIMARY NAMES OF GOD
‘El’ is a singular form of the term translated ‘God’. Like our English word ‘god’, it is a generic word that could be used for any heathen god, but also of the true God. Linguists believe that the name ‘El’ has a root meaning of “mighty, strong, prominent”.
‘Elohim’ is probably the plural form of ‘eloah’ and it occurs 2,570 times in the OT. It is the most common name used for God.
It can refer to the true god, pagan gods or even angels. But when the word is used of the true god although it is a plural, it is used with a singular verb, in contravention of Hebrew grammar. This was obviously intentional as it is used with a plural verb when referring to heathen ‘gods’.
EL, ELOAH & ELOHIM
Here are some of the ‘El’ titles of God:
El Elyon: God Most High
El Gibbor: The Mighty God
El Gadol: The Great God
El De’ah: The God of Knowledge
El Chay: The Living God
El Ha-kavod: The God of Glory
El Hashamayim: The God of the Heavens
El Shaddai: The all-sufficient God
‘EL’ TITLES OF GOD
El Olam: The Everlasting God
El Qedem: The Eternal God
El Qanna: The Jealous God
El Ha-qadosh: The Holy God
El Saddiq: The Righteous God
El Mishpat: The Just God
El Emeth: God of Truth
El Ro-iy: The God who Sees
‘EL’ TITLES OF GOD
El Hane'eman: The Faithful God
El Mauzi: God of My Strength
El Sali: God of My Strength or God my Rock
El Tzur: God Our Rock
El Selichot: God of Forgiveness
El Tehilati: God of My Praise
El Rachum: The Merciful God
El Yeshuati: The God of My Salvation...
Immanuel: God with us
‘EL’ TITLES OF GOD
El HaNe’eman is “The Faithful God”. Faithfulness implies loyalty, someone steadfast that you can rely on.
The root word behind this name is ’aman. “At the heart of the meaning of the root is the idea of certainty.” 1
Because he is faithful, God keeps his covenants:
Deut 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God (El Hane'eman), keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
Ps 145:13b The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
J. B. Scott, in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament Ed. R. Laird Harris (Moody Press, 1980), p.51
17) EL HANE’EMAN
But the Lord is also faithful in bringing just judgement:
2 Sam 22:26-28 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. (also Ps 18:25)
Jer 42:5-6 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favourable or unfavourable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God.”
17) EL HANE’EMAN
He is faithful to forgive us when we confess:
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
He is faithful to sanctify us:
1 Thess 5:23-24 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
17) EL HANE’EMAN
He is faithful to provide a way out of temptation:
1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Faithful to protect us:
2 Thess 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one
17) EL HANE’EMAN
Because Jesus shares God’s attributes, he too is faithful:
Heb 3:5-6 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house.
And so
his titles
include
“faithful
witness”
(Rev 1:5)
and
“Faithful
and True”
(Rev 19:11).
17) EL HANE’EMAN
In Rev 3:14 Jesus is called “the Amen, the faithful and true witness”.
‘Amen’ is a declaration of affirmation meaning “So be it” or “truly”. It is used in English to express strong agreement.
The word ‘amen’ is of Hebrew origin and was borrowed by Greek, passing into late Latin and hence finding it’s way into English.
The Hebrew word amen derives from the same ancient triliteral Hebrew root as does the verb ʾāmán. 1 So it is related to God’s Hebrew title of Hane’eman.
1 “King James Bible Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary
17) EL HANE’EMAN
In the Old Covenant when the blessings and curses were pronounced from Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, the people of Israel would say ‘Amen’ in agreement with the Covenant promises.
Deut 27:14-26 The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice: …“Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
17) EL HANE’EMAN
Amen!
It is through Jesus that we can say the ‘Amen’ to our New Covenant promises.
2 Cor 1:20-22 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
And El HaNe’eman, “The Faithful God”, will deliver on his covenant promises. He has given us a guarantee of this by means of a deposit (the Holy Spirit).
17) EL HANE’EMAN
Our faithful God expects us to be faithful too. One of the fruits of the Spirit in our lives is faithfulness. (Gal 5:22)
We too need to be faithful
in fellowship and in
encouraging others:
Heb 10:23-25 Let us
hold unswervingly to
the hope we profess,
for he who promised is
faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
17) EL HANE’EMAN
Faithful in using our gifts:
1 Pet 4:10 Each one
should use whatever gift
he has received to serve
others, faithfully
administering God’s grace
in its various forms…
Rom 12:6-8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
17) EL HANE’EMAN
Faithful in the midst of persecution:
Rev 2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
17) EL HANE’EMAN
Rev 13:10 If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.
The name Uzi comes
from the Hebrew
verb עזז (azaz),
generally meaning
to be strong. 1
Many have heard
of the notorious Israeli
submachine gun called the UZI.
But uzi is a fairly normal Hebrew word which occurs all over the Bible, for instance in Exodus 15:2. The name of the Uzi, however, comes from the name of its inventor, an Israeli army officer Uziel Gal. 1
El Ma-uzi means “God of my strength”
1 abarim-publications.com/ Meaning/ Uzi.html#.VPcS1fnQqSo
18) EL MA-UZI
A stronghold is a fortress, a place of survival, a place where we can retreat to take refuge from our enemies.
18) EL MA-UZI
Ps 43:2a says:
For You are the God of my strength [el ma-uzi]. (NASB)
For you are God, my only safe haven. (NLT)
You are God my
stronghold. (NIV)
The German reformer Martin Luther wrote many hymns, but perhaps his best known one is “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” (A Mighty Fortress is our God):
A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing…
And though this world,
with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us…
18) EL MA-UZI
2 Sam 22:33a says:
God is my strong fortress [ha-el ma-uzi] (NASB)
This God is my strong refuge (ESV)
It is God who arms me with strength (NIV)
Do you need relief from trouble and from enemies?
Ps 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
18) EL MA-UZI
We often get tired and worn out, but our God doesn’t:
Isa 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The
Lord
is the
everlasting
God, the
Creator of
the ends of
the earth.
He will not
grow tired or
weary, and his
understanding
no one can
fathom.
18) EL MA-UZI
He is a source of strength to us when we are tired:
Isa 40:29-31 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble
18) EL MA-UZI
and fall; but
those who hope in
the Lord will renew their
strength. They will soar on
wings like eagles; they will run and
not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
El Sali means “God my Rock”. ‘Sali’ or ‘sela’ means a crag or cliff (Strongs 5553).
Ps 42:9a I say to God my Rock [El Sali], “Why have you forgotten
me?”
19) EL SALI
Why is God called a rock?
He is solid as a rock and
unmovable. He is
immutable, which means
he doesn’t change.
Mal 3:6 “I the LORD
do not change…”
Heb 13:8 Jesus
Christ is the same
yesterday and today
and forever.
He is strong. God is our strength
in times of weakness and when we need protection.
19) EL SALI
El Tzur (or ‘Sur’) also means “God our rock”.
2 Sam 22:3 my God is my rock (eloah suri) , in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my saviour-- from violent people you save me. (NIV)
2 Sam 22:47 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock [suri] ; And exalted be God, the rock [eloah sur], of my salvation (NASB)
Ps 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock (eli suri), in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
20) EL TZUR
In Exodus 33 God hid Moses in the “cleft of the rock” and covered him with his hand for protection.
English preacher Augustus Toplady was travelling along the
gorge of Burrington
Combe in England
when he was caught
in a storm. Finding
shelter in a gap in the
gorge, he received
inspiration for the
famous hymn he
penned in 1763:
“Rock of Ages, cleft
for me, Let me hide
myself in Thee”.
The Rock of Ages, Burrington Combe
20) EL TZUR
El Selichot means “God of Forgiveness”.
Nehemiah 9:17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God [Eloah Selichot], gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them (NIV)
The World English Bible renders the last part of the verse as:
Neh 9:17b But you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and didn’t forsake them. (WEB)
21) EL SELICHOT
We serve a God who readily forgives the penitent.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Acts 13:38 “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”
21) EL SELICHAH
And God expects us to forgive others in the same way that he forgives us:
Col 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Eph 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
21) EL SELICHAH
El Tehilati means “God of My Praise”.
Ps 109:1 O God of my praise [Eloah Tehilati], Do not be silent! (NASB)
And God is worthy of our praise:
2 Sam 22:4 I call to the LORD,
who is worthy of praise, and
I am saved from my enemies.
1 Chron 16:25 For great is
the LORD and most worthy
of praise; he is to be feared
above all gods.
22) EL TEHILATI
Ps 145:3-7 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great
deeds. They
will celebrate
your abundant
goodness
and joyfully
sing of your
righteousness.
22) EL TEHILATI
El Rachum is “the merciful God” or “compassionate God”.
Ex 34:6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God [el rachum wə-hannun], slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (NIV)
Deut 4:31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God [el rachum]; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath. (NIV)
Neh 9:31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God [el hannun wə-rachum]. (NIV)
23) EL RACHUM
It was his firm belief in the compassion of God that made Jonah reluctant to preach to the sworn enemies of Israel. He knew God would show mercy if they repented. (Jon 4:2)
Isn't this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God [El hannun wə-rachum], slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.
God’s compassion extends to all he has made:
Ps 145:8-9 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
And David knew first-
hand the compassion of God:
Ps 86:15 But you,
Lord, are a
compassionate and
gracious God [el
rachum wə-hannun],
slow to anger,
abounding in love
and faithfulness.
23) EL RACHUM
El Yeshuati is “The God of My Salvation”.
Ps 88:1 O LORD, the God of my salvation [Eloah Yeshuati], I have cried out by day and in the night before You. (NASB)
Isa 12:2 Surely God is my salvation [El Yeshuati]; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. (NIV)
‘Yeshuati’ is related to ‘yeshua’, which means ‘salvation’, ‘deliverance’ and ‘victory’. Hence Jesus’ Hebrew name was Yeshua.
24) EL YESHUATI
And so the angel of the Lord tells Joseph in his dream:
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus (Heb: Yeshua), because he will save his people from their sins. (Matt 1:21)
And Simeon prays as he holds the baby Jesus (Yeshua):
Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation (Heb: Yeshua)… (Luke 2:29-30)
Immanuel means “God with us”.
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Matt 1:22-25 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” —which means, “God with us.” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
25) IMMANUEL
The reason Jesus came was to die as a sacrifice for sin. But as it is impossible for God to die, he had to take on human form.
Phil 2:5-8 … Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human
likeness. And being
found in appearance
as a man, he humbled
himself and became
obedient to death—
even death on a
cross!
25) IMMANUEL
But the sacrifice for sin had to
be offered by someone who
was sinless - and only God
is sinless.
1 Pet 1:18-19 For you
know that it was not
with perishable
things such as silver
or gold that you were
redeemed from the
empty way of life
handed down to you from
your forefathers, but with the
precious blood of Christ, a lamb
without blemish or defect.
25) IMMANUEL
Only the life of God was worth the “ransom for all men”:
1 Tim 2: 5-6 … Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men…
Luke 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
25) IMMANUEL
=
Now in Isaiah 43:11 Yahweh (Jehovah) says of himself:
I myself am Yahweh; and besides me there is no saviour. (WEB)
So as the most high God Yahweh is the ONLY saviour, calling Jesus ‘Saviour’ is logically identifying him as Yahweh.
2 Tim 1:10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
25) IMMANUEL
A perfect mediator between two groups should ideally be a member of both, so that they can fully identify with both parties. As such Jesus is a perfect mediator, because he is the only one who is a member of both groups – He is both God and man.
1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus
25) IMMANUEL
Jesus
God
Man
And so God became a man.
John 1:1,14 In the
beginning was the
Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…
Col 1:19 For God
was pleased to have
all his fullness
dwell in him
25) IMMANUEL
Thus our salvation could only be brought about by God in human form – Immanuel – God with us!
The Son of God became a man that men might become sons of God.
(C.S. Lewis)
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