Names of God

  • ADONAI [ˌædɒˈnaɪ; ah-daw-nahy]: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in God’s dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles.
  • Advocate - 1 John 2:1
  • Almighty - Revelation 1:8
  • Alpha - Revelation 1:8
  • Amen - Revelation 3:14
  • Angel of the Lord - Genesis 16:7
  • Anointed One - Psalm 2:2
  • Apostle - Hebrews 3:1
  • Author and Perfecter of our Faith - Hebrews 12:2
  • Beginning - Revelation 21:6
  • Bishop of Souls - 1 Peter 2:25
  • Branch - Zechariah 3:8
  • Bread of Life - John 6:35,48
  • Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15
  • Carpenter - Mark 6:3
  • Chief Shepherd - 1 Peter 5:4
  • Comforter - Jeremiah 8:18
  • Consolation of Israel - Luke 2:25
  • Cornerstone - Ephesians 2:20
  • Day Star - 2 Peter 1:19
  • Dayspring - Luke 1:78
  • Deliverer - Romans 11:26
  • Desire of Nations - Haggai 2:7
  • EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19) – derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship.
  • EL ROI [el-roh-ee]: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – the name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all.
  • EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all.
  • EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 139:19) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power” and “might” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of “might” remains.
  • EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) – the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic portion of Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).
  • EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]: "Everlasting God" (Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time, and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”
  • ELOHIM [el-oh-heem]: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah, which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1).
  • Emmanuel - Matthew 1:23
  • End - Revelation 21:6
  • Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:6
  • Faithful and True Witness - Revelation 3:14
  • First Fruits - 1 Corinthians 15:23
  • Foundation - Isaiah 28:16
  • Fountain - Zechariah 13:1
  • Friend of Sinners - Matthew 11:19
  • Gate for the Sheep - John 10:7
  • Gift of God - 2 Corinthians 9:15
  • Glory of God - Isaiah 60:1
  • God - John 1:1
  • Good Shepherd - John 10:11
  • Governor - Matthew 2:6
  • Great Shepherd - Hebrews 13:20
  • Guide - Psalm 48:14
  • Head of the Church - Colossians 1:18
  • High Priest - Hebrews 3:1
  • Holy One of Israel - Isaiah 41:14
  • Horn of Salvation - Luke 1:69
  • I Am - Exodus 3:14
  • Jehovah - Psalm 83:18
  • Jesus - Matthew 1:21
  • King of Israel - Matthew 27:42
  • King of Kings - 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16
  • Lamb of God - John 1:29
  • Last Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:45
  • Life - John 11:25
  • Light of the World - John 8:12; John 9:5
  • Lion of the Tribe of Judah - Revelation 5:5
  • Lord of Lords - 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16
  • Love - 1 John 4:8
  • Master - Matthew 23:8
  • Mediator - 1 Timothy 2:5
  • Messiah - John 1:41
  • Mighty God - Isaiah 9:6
  • Morning Star - Revelation 22:16
  • Nazarene - Matthew 2:23
  • Omega - Revelation 1:8
  • Passover Lamb - 1 Corinthians 5:7
  • Physician - Matthew 9:12
  • Potentate - 1 Timothy 6:15
  • Priest - Hebrews 4:15
  • Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6
  • Prophet - Acts 3:22
  • Purifier - Malachi 3:3
  • Rabbi - John 1:49
  • Ransom - 1 Timothy 2:6
  • RecomEL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 139:19) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power” and “might” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of “might” remains.
  • Redeemer - Isaiah 41:14
  • Refiner - Malachi 3:2
  • Refuge - Isaiah 25:4
  • Resurrection - John 11:25
  • Righteousness - Jeremiah 23:6
  • Rock - Deuteronomy 32:4
  • Root of David - Revelation 22:16
  • Rose of Sharon - Song of Solomon 2:1
  • Ruler of God's Creation - Revelation 3:14
  • Sacrifice - Ephesians 5:2
  • Savior - 2 Samuel 22:47; Luke 1:47
  • Second Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:47
  • Seed of Abraham - Galatians 3:16
  • Seed of David - 2 Timothy 2:8
  • Seed of the Woman - Genesis 3:15
  • Servant - Isaiah 42:1
  • Shepherd - 1 Peter 2:25
  • Shiloh - Genesis 49:10
  • Son of David - Matthew 15:22
  • Son of God - Luke 1:35
  • Son of Man - Matthew 18:11
  • Son of Mary - Mark 6:3
  • Son of the Most High - Luke 1:32
  • Stone - Isaiah 28:16
  • Sun of Righteousness - Malachi 4:2
  • Teacher - Matthew 26:18
  • The Christ - Matthew 1:16
  • Truth - John 14:6
  • Vine - John 15:1
  • Way - John 14:6
  • Wonderful Counselor - Isaiah 9:6
  • Word - John 1:1
  • YAHWEH-ELOHIM [yah-way-el-oh-him]: "LORD God" (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic “Lord,” signifying that He is the Lord of Lords.
  • YAHWEH-JIREH [yah-way-ji-reh]: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac.
  • YAHWEH-M'KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy.
  • YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17.
  • YAHWEH-RAPHA [yah-way-raw-faw]: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities.
  • YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) – After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him, and so he declares, “Yahweh-Rohi is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).
  • YAHWEH-SABAOTH [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do.
  • YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him.
  • YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mahw]: "The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) – the name ascribed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the once-departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1-4).
  • YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) – As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides righteousness (from the Hebrew word tsidkenu) to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
  • YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH [yah-way / ji-hoh-veh]: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is given to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3).