The Names of God

In English translations of the Bible, Christians refer to God as God, Lord, and Father, sometimes with modifiers like Heavenly Father or Almighty God. By the Holy Trinity, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also God, but I will stick with the names of God the Father in this article. I have another article about the name of Jesus. The Bible was not written in English. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and a small amount in Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Greek. This article explains the names used for God in the Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible.

Old Testament

In the Hebrew Old Testament, God is referred to using the following names:

Yahweh or Jehovah

In the Old Testament, the most commonly used name for God is the Hebrew word יְהֹוָה, which corresponds to the letters YHWH and is transliterated as Yᵊhōvâ. It is translated into Latin as Iehouah. There is disagreement about how to pronounce the name. The two main versions in use today are Yahweh and Jehovah. Both names refer to the original Hebrew word יְהֹוָה. The name Yahweh is thought to be closer to how it was pronounced in Hebrew. Jehovah is a pronunciation related to the Latin translation of the name. In either case, this name is translated to English as “Lord” 6,510 times in the King James Version (KJV) of the bible (also as “God” four times and left as “Jehovah” four times, see Strong’s H3068.) It was first used in Genesis 2:4.

Elohim

Elohim is also widely used in the Old Testament to refer to God. In Hebrew, it is אֱלֹהִים and is transliterated as 'ĕlōhîm. This name is translated to English as “God” 2,346 times in the KJV Bible (also “god” 244 times, “judge” five times, and a few other variants, see Strong’s H430.) It was first used in Genesis 1:1.

Adonai

While not used as often as the names above, this name is used hundreds of times to refer to God. In Hebrew, it is אֲדֹנָי and is transliterated as 'ăḏōnāy) translated to English as “Lord” 431 times in the KJV bible (also “lord” twice and “God” once, see Strong’s H136.) It was first used in Genesis 15:2.

I AM

When Moses asked God his name, God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Exo 3:14 (ESV) In Hebrew, the word is הָיָה and is transliterated as hāyâ. It is translated to English as “I Am.” This term is used in several places in the bible to refer to God and by Jesus to refer to himself as God. Jewish and early Christian readers would have understood the double meaning and the reference back to Exodus 3:14 in many instances. For example:

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. John 6:35 (ESV)

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (ESV)

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. John 11:25-26 (ESV)

Phrases refering to God

Other phrases used to refer to God are El Elyon (God most high, 6 times), El Roi (God who sees, once), El Shaddai (God Almighty, three times), and EL Olam (The Everlasting God). In all four cases, the El is a shortened version of Elohim, mentioned above, meaning God with a modifier added.

Similarly, several names (ten or more) use Jehovah with a modifier, like Jehovah Jireh (Lord Who Provides), Jehovah Rapha (Lord Who Heals), and Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is Peace), but in each case, Jehovah means Lord and the other part is a descriptor of an attribute of God.

New Testament

In the New Testament, which was written in Greek, God is referred to as:

Theos (Greek θεός) was translated to English as “God” 1,320 times in the KJV bible (also “god” thirteen times and “godly” three times see Strong’s G2316.)

Kyrios (Greek κύριος) is translated to English as “Lord” 667 times in the KJV bible (also “lord” 54 times, master 11 times, and others not referring to God; see Strong’s 2962).

Patēr (Greek πατήρ) was translated to English as “Father” 268 times in the KJV bible (also “father” 150 times not referring to God see Strong’s 3962)

Abba (Aramaic Ἀββᾶ) Used three times as Father referring to God in the KJV bible (Strong’s G5)

Other Languages

In other languages, God, in the Christian sense, is referred to by other names; here are just a few:

Spanish: Dios
French: Dieu
German: Gott
Italian: Dio
Portuguese: Deus
Russian: Bog
Japanese: Kami
Chinese: Shàngdì
Arabic: Allah
Danish, Norwegian, Swedish: Gud
Latin: Deus

Douglas A. Leas, December 2024

Sources:

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (KJV) Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved 3 Dec 2024.