I think names are so interesting. I love learning about the origins of people’s names — partly because my own name has a history. And I especially love it when a name has a meaning which fits the person’s character. We see such names all through the Bible.
In the Old Testament and in the Jewish Torah, the Hebrew word for God is translated as “YHWH.” You’ve probably seen it further written out as “Yahweh.” For the Hebrews, this word was holy. It encapsulated the essence of God and therefore was not to be spoken.
When the Torah was read aloud and the reader came to this name (YHWH), he automatically substituted the word “Adonai” for it. And if a Hebrew wanted to speak about God with someone else, he used yet a different term like “HaShem.”
I don’t know how many names there are in the Bible for God. But they all have something to do with His character.
Adonai = LORD
HaShem = The Name
El Shaddai = God Almighty
Elohim = plural word meaning power and strength and referring to the Trinity
El Roi = God is Shepherd
Jehovah Jira = the Lord will provide
We can call on Him using any of these names. He hears us. We should give our Creator ultimate respect when we call on Him. He alone is worthy of that kind of awe.
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