The Names of God in the Bible

The Names of God in the Bible This indicates Unity of one God, allowing a plurality of persons. “His unique Names” No single name of God reveals all that may be known about Him. But the name Elohim identifies God as the Creator, and I What has God Revealed about Himself? its uniqueness sets the stage for future revelations of His nature and character. Through General revelation: We know who He is. YAHWEH 5,311 times in the OT His eternal power and wisdom This name is unique among all the names of God. It is the one We know certain limited truths about God through nature. To personal name of God found in OT. It is so significant that know more about God would require a truly special revelation many English versions identify every occurrence: LORD – a revelation by God in unmistakable word and deed. Why YAHWEH and not JEHOVAH? There are no vowels in Hebrew. The Hebrew word for God is YHWH. Because the Jews Through Special revelation: considered the name of God to be sacred, no observant Jew would We know the heart and mind of God, showing pronounce it. Instead they substituted the vowels from ADONAI us His deepest motives and purposes (Lord), and would say that name whenever they came to YHWH. The translators of the King James continued to use the vowels. Thus Hebrews 1:1-2 Spoken to us by the prophets – many ways it became YEHOWAH. Because the “Y” is pronounced as a “J” and In these last days by His Son the “W” as a “V”, it became the name that we are familiar with in the OT: JEHOVAH II By what two unique names has He revealed Himself? This name was known to the patriarchs, but its meaning was The OT focuses on two names, each of which is unique in revealed To Moses: Scripture and each of which appears as the core of other Exodus 3:12 “I will certainly be with you.” compound names. To Israel: ELOHIM 2,570 times in the OT Exodus 3:15-22 “The LORD (YHWH), God (ELOHIM) of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has sent me to you” Genesis introduces Him as the Creator, and eternal person To Future Generations: who existed before the universe and who is Himself its origin. Exodus 3:15b “This is My name forever by which I am to be It is repeated 28 times in chapter one. remembered from generation to generation.” Genesis 1:1 “in the beginning God (Elohim) created It was the experience of a slave people saved by the exercise What God’s mind conceived, God simply spoke into existence. of YWHW’s great power that filled the name with meaning for Genesis 1:2,3,6,9,11,14,20 “Then God (Elohim) said” all time to come. “The One who is always present” is the powerful God of miracles. We are reminded that we are to It is a plural noun that always takes a singular verb. know and experience Our Lord as God of our present as well Genesis 1:26 “Let US make man in OUR image, according to as our past and future. When we understand and honor Him OUR likeness.” as YWHW, we will never be alone. “Every Name of God in the Bible” Larry Richards pp.15-27