Issue 1244 – What’s in a Name? – Names of God Part 1 – September 9, 2023
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” (Act 2, Scene 2)
Juliet is bemoaning that she is a Capulet and Romeo is a Montague, which prevents them from marrying because of a family feud. There is truth to the fact that naming a rose something else doesn’t change what it is, but the truth is that names do matter.
There are many names out there today that I consider strange, but the parents likely put a great deal of thought into them. It might be a family tradition, a desired characteristic, or an effort to make a person stand out, but the name was chosen carefully.
There are, by some counts, more than 1,000 names, titles or descriptors of God in the Bible. That number seems high, but I confess I have never taken the time to count them all.
The count varies by translation and the parameters used by the counter. Still, it is unquestionable that there are hundreds of names.
For a deeper study of the topic, I can recommend Dr. Charles Rolls 5 volume set “Names and Titles of Jesus Christ,” Spear’s “Names and Titles of the Lord Jesus Christ,” Webb-Peploe’s “Titles of Jehovah,” Hurlburt and Horton’s “The Wonderful Names of Our Wonderful God” and Dr. David Jeremiah’s “The God You May Not know.”
I have done a few short studies on some of the names of God in past issues, and people have asked for more, so over the next while, I will be interspersing some short studies on the subject. The list won’t be exhaustive, but I hope you find it helpful.
The written revelation of God that we call the Bible is a gift from God, designed to help us know Him. Every Word is inspired by the Holt Spirit. Every name, title or descriptor used of God is designed to cause us to think about some aspect of his character, His being.
Even the choice of the word “God” or “Lord” in English traces itself back into the ancient languages. We often skip over the word when we read it, not even noticing that sometimes it is capitalized and other times not.
Here is how one translation handles it.
English Hebrew
God Elohim
LORD YHWH
Lord Adonai
Lord God Adonai YHWH
Lord of Armies YHWH Sabaoth
God Almighty El Shaddai
If you aren’t familiar with those Hebrew phrases, don’t worry; we will cover them eventually. For now, it is sufficient to know that our common English words for God have deep roots.
The Scriptures open with an introduction to God.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
Elohim is a fascinating name used 2750 times in the Old Testament. God is not surprisingly one of the most common names for Him in the Bible.
It is a Hebrew word with a plurality in its singularity (think trinity here, although it doesn’t “prove” the trinity.) It means the Supreme one, the Almighty one. Nothing is more powerful than Elohim. He is the one worthy of all honour, glory and praise.
Next time, we will begin digging deeper into the subject. In the meantime, spend some time meditating on what it means that God is the almighty, supreme plurality in a singularity God.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2023 KF “Kevin” Corbin Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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