names of God

names of God

names of God
1. In the OT. Yahweh: but when being read aloud the title Adonai (‘My great Lord’) was substituted out of reverence. When vowels were added to the Hebrew text, the vowels of Adonai were combined with YHWH to jog the reader's memory to use Adonai. (Hence the incorrect English hybrid ‘Jehovah’). Some modern Jewish writers observe the traditional reverence by writing ‘G—d’.

El: God, in Canaanite vocabulary, but found also in the OT, sometimes in conjunction with another word, e.g. Beth el = House of God.

Elohim: the more common form in the OT; it is plural in form, emphasizing majesty.

El Shaddai: God Almighty (perhaps originally, God of the mountains).

Adonai: My great Lord—used for kings, but after the Exile to replace ‘Yahweh’ in worship.

Baal: the Canaanite deity to whom the Israelites sometimes turned; for this they were denounced by Hosea, and other prophets.

2. In the NT. Theos: the standard Greek word for God translating in LXX the Hebrew Elohim. Used of Jesus once (John 20: 28).

Kurios: the Greek used for Yahweh in the LXX, and printed as THE LORD in some English versions. Often used of Jesus (e.g. John 20: 28), but can also be applied to a person in a high position, ‘sir’ (Matt. 27: 63; John 12: 21). Another Greek noun, despotes, meaning Lord in the LXX is found for God, translated ‘Master’ (NRSV, Luke 2: 29), and for Jesus at 2 Pet. 2: 1.

Alpha and Omega: the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet represent God as the Beginning and the End (Rev. 1: 8) and applied to Jesus (Rev. 22: 13).

The Holy One: Used of God by Isa. in OT and in NT (Rev. 16: 5) but also of Jesus (Mark 1: 24; Luke 4: 34; John 6: 69).

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

W. R. F. BROWNING. "names of God." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "names of God." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-namesofGod.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "names of God." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-namesofGod.html

Learn more about citation styles

Names of God

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JOHN BOWKER. "Names of God." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Names of God." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-NamesofGod.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Names of God." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-NamesofGod.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Are the names God and Allah interchangeable?(COLUMNIST)
Magazine article from: Catholic Insight; 11/1/2007
Weekend: Galaxy of names from the gods; We all learn the names parrot fashion...
Newspaper article from: The Birmingham Post (England); 1/31/2004
Strange Names of God: The Missionary Translation of the Divine Name and the...
Magazine article from: International Bulletin of Missionary Research; 1/1/2007

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of names of God