21 Names of God Found in the Bible

Abba

Father

Have you ever thought about God as a daddy?

Galatians 4:6 says, "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!'"

"Abba" is the Aramaic word meaning "Daddy" or "Father." It's a term of warm affection, intimacy, and respect for one's father. For some of you, that may sound like an irreverent way to address God, but Jesus called God, "Our Father," in Matthew 6:9 and He gave us that same right.

In America, children call their fathers, daddy. But in the Middle East, they say Abba. Jesus says that we can call the great God of the Universe, Abba Father. Daddy Father.

Related Scripture: Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15

Alpha and Omega

Beginning and End

The noted historian, H. G. Wells, made a list of the ten greatest men of history and number one on that list was Jesus Christ. But, Jesus doesn't belong on that list. He doesn't belong on anybody's list. He is Jesus the First and the Last.

Jesus said in Revelation, "I am Alpha and Omega." Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Omega is the last. If Jesus was speaking to an English audience, He would say, "I am A and Z."

Did you know that the Bible is made up of just twenty-six letters? What Jesus is saying about the written word is true about the living Word. John 1 tells us that "In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." Jesus was in the beginning as the Word of God. And He is God's final word for all eternity.

Related Scripture: John 1:1; Revelation 1:8, 11; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:13

Attiyq Youm

The Ancient of Days

What do you think about when you hear this name for God - "Ancient of Days"?

Isaiah 46:9-10 says,

Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’

Only God can tell in ancient times the things that are not yet done. Thomas Watson, who was the chairman of IBM, said in 1943, that there's a world market for maybe five computers. In 1977 Ken Olsen, the founder of Digital Equipment, said, "There's no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." It's comments like these that help us see how foolish we are to think we can know the future. Only God is the Ancient of Days.

Related Scripture: Daniel 7:9, 13-14; Revelation 1:8

Christos

The Anointed One

1 John 4:2 says, "By this, you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God."

John uses two names, Jesus, which refers to His human name, and Christ, which refers to His divine title. Jesus Christ is fully man and fully Messiah at the same time. Christ, which means Messiah, the Anointed One is His divine title. Jesus is God in human flesh. This is the fundamental doctrine of our faith - that God stepped out of heaven and took upon human flesh. We call that the incarnation. Carnis means flesh.

When Jesus Christ took upon Himself humanity, He did not take it while He was here on earth and then laid it aside when He went back to heaven. He took His humanity back to heaven with Him. For all eternity Jesus Christ will be a man.

Related Scripture: Luke 2:11; Luke 9:20; John 4:42; John 6:69; John 11:27; John 20:31; Acts 5:42; Romans 8:39; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corintians 5:17-20; Galatians 6:14; Philippians 2:5-11; Philippians 3:7-9; Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Timothy 1:15-16; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 13:8; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 5:20

El Chuwl

The God Who Gave You Birth

Isaiah 43:1-3b says,

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

God is saying, "I made you, I saved you, I'm going to take care of you." God has made you for a purpose And He's going to take care of you. Even when sin marred God's original creation, God didn't say, "I'm finished with it." No. God made it and God stays with it. Isn't that a wonderful arrangement?

Related Scripture: Psalm 139:13-18; Ephesians 2:10

El Deah

The God of Knowledge

You think about His omniscience, He knows everything. God is the God of all knowledge. God inhabits eternity. God sees the beginning. God sees the middle. God sees the end. God sees it all at one time. God is all-knowing - He can't learn anything. God knows everything that's going to happen. Not a blade of grass moves but what He knows it. If you're saved, God knew that you would receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing takes God by surprise. God never says, "Ooops. I never thought of that." God is omniscient. I don't understand how He swung the stars in the night sky. Or scooped the oceans and heaped up the mountains and runs this mighty universe. Romans 11:34 says, “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” We don't have to know all that our Father does for Him to be our Father.

Related Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:3; Romans 11:33-36; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

El Elyon

The God Most High

El Elyon speaks of the supremacy of God. He is above all. Now, what does El Elyon mean? The word means the strongest of the strong and the highest of the high. Hinduism and Pantheism speak of God as a part of the universe. But God is not a part of the universe. He is the transcendent God. He is above all. He is the Most High God. Jesus is our El Elyon. Colossians 1:16-17 says, "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him, all things consist." God is above all things. Jesus is our El Elyon.

Related Scripture: Genesis 14:20; Psalm 47:2; Psalm 61:2; Psalm 92:1

El Olam

The Everlasting God

God never changes. Psalm 90:1-2 says, "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God." What a wonderful thing to know that in a changing world God does not change! Time does not alter God. Psalm 90:4 says, "For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night." Well, what do all these verses mean? There are no surprises to God. As Corrie Ten Boom says, "There's no panic in heaven." God knows the past and the future at the same time. Jesus is our El Olam. He is the King of the Ages. Hebrews 1:8 says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom."

Related Scripture: Psalm 93:2; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 26:4; Isaiah 40:28-31

El Roi

The God Who Sees

El Roi was first revealed in the Bible by Hagar. She was Sarah's handmaiden, who became pregnant with Abraham's child so, in their minds, they could fulfill the promise of God. Soon after the child was conceived, things became very difficult between Sarah and her. So much so, that Hagar fled out into the wilderness. Friendless, homeless, pregnant, not knowing what would become of her, she laid down by a fountain in the wilderness. There, an angel appeared to her to give her comfort and to speak of God's grace and mercy. Genesis 16:13 says: "Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, 'Have I also here seen Him who sees me?'" Did you know that God sees you right now? God knows your very thoughts. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

Related Scripture: Genesis 16:1-16; Psalm 33:18-19

El Shaddai

God Almighty

The name El Shaddai appears seven times in the Word of God. As I read the newspapers, I can go back to the Book of Genesis and see that immutable, unbreakable promise that God made to father Abraham. Genesis 17:1-2 says, "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.'" This promise has changed the world. Every Jew upon the face of the earth is a living testimony of the faithfulness of Almighty God. And this God who keeps His promise to Abraham is the same God that keeps His promises to you and me through Jesus Christ.

Related Scripture: Genesis 17:1-19, 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; Exodus 6:2-3; Ruth 1:20; Job 5:17; Ezekiel 10:5; Psalm 91:1

Elohim

The Creator

Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." It literally says, "In the beginning, Elohim created the heaven and the earth." That's the Hebrew word from two root words: 'El,' which means strength and unlimited power. And the last part is 'allah,' which means to keep a promise. Elohim is also a plural noun. I believe that right here on the threshold of the Bible we see an indication of the nature of God, as shown in the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three were present in creation (see John 1:3). Aren't you glad we find the Savior in chapter 1, verse 1? Aren't you glad we find the Holy Spirit in chapter 1, verse 1? Aren't you glad we find the Father in chapter 1, verse 1 of the Word of God?

Related Scripture: Genesis 1:1-3, 27-28; Isaiah 40:28; Isaiah 54:5; Psalm 19:1-6; Psalm 95:6; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 11:3

Jehovah (Yahweh)

The Self-Existent One

The name Jehovah is used some 6,800 times in the Bible. It is the personal covenant name of Israel's God. In the King James Version of the Bible, it's translated as "Lord God." Not only does it speak of God's strength, but also it speaks of the sovereignty of God and the goodness of God. The root of this name means "self-existing," one who never came into being, and one who always will be. When Moses asked God, "Who shall I tell Pharaoh has sent me?" God said, "I AM THAT I AM." Jehovah or Yahweh is the most intensely sacred name to Jewish scribes and many will not even pronounce the name. When possible, they use another name.

Related Scripture: Exodus 3:1-22; Exodus 6:1-4; Isaiah 40:3, 10; John 6:35; John 8:12; John 10:7, 9, 11, 14; John 11:25

Jehovah-Bore

The LORD Creator

Can you imagine what a modern writer would do if he tried to describe the creation of the heavens and the earth? Even if he believed in God, what an avalanche of adjectives he would pour out! What double-jointed and obtuse terms he would have to use to describe the creation of the earth! Aren't you glad that God said it, surely, sweetly, sublimely, and simply: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." How beautiful that is. It always tickles me when I read about how scientists are trying to discover the mystery of the creation of the universe. They just scratch their heads and say, "We've got to go back to the laboratory now, a lot of things we thought we knew we didn't know." God just spoke and it was so.

Related Scripture: Genesis 1:1; Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 40:28-31; Job 38:1-41; Job 39:1-30; Job 40:1

Jehovah-Nissi

The LORD My Banner

The Lord is a reigning banner over us all the time. The Hebrew for "banner" comes from the root word "to be high" or "raised." This was the name given to the altar that Moses erected to commemorate the defeat of the Amalekites at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-15). He goes before us and behind us to give us victory in all circumstances of life. Even in the midst of the battle, the banner of the Lord is raised over us. Psalm 23:5 says, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over." Who is the God who prepares a table of celebration in the presence of the enemy? When the enemy shall come in like a flood, then shall the Lord hold up a banner before him. The victory in all of life is the Lord's.

Related Scripture: Exodus 14:14; Romans 8:31

Jehovah-Rajah

The LORD My Shepherd

Psalm 23 and John 10 are the most beautiful descriptions of God as our Shepherd, Jehovah Rajah. When we say "Lord," we think of God's deity. When we say "my Shepherd," we think of God's humanity. God in human form - Jesus Christ - prophesied in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament. The Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Jesus of the New Testament. As the Good Shepherd, He dealt with the penalty of sin. As the Great Shepherd, He deals with the power of sin. As the Chief Shepherd, He's coming to take us from the very presence of sin.

Related Scripture: Psalm 80:1; 95:7; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:12; John 10:11-27; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Peter 2:25

Jehovah-Rapha

The LORD That Heals

Does Jesus heal? Yes! He is the Almighty Lord, our healer. He can heal instantaneously by a miracle. He can heal over time through medicine. But let me add, that not every saint will be healed in this lifetime either by miracle or by medicine, or instantaneously or in time. Right now, God is more interested in having you holy rather than healthy. Our bodies are not yet redeemed. The redemption of the body is going to come at the rapture of the church and the resurrection of the Christian dead. It is at that time that we will be made like unto Him. There is no sickness in the Lord's body and there will be no sickness in our resurrection body. If you are not healed in this life, child of God, you will be healed in eternity.

Related Scripture: Exodus 15:26; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 6:2; Psalm 41:4; Psalm 103:2-3; Psalm 147:3; Isaiah 57:18-19; Jeremiah 3:22; 30:17; Matthew 8:7; Matthew 10:1; Luke 4:18

Jehovah-Shalom

The LORD Is Peace

The Lord greeted Gideon in peace, so he built an altar and named it "The LORD is Peace" (see Judges 6:23-24). You have probably heard the blessing "Shalom" from Jewish friends and acquaintances. It means peace. More importantly, it means the Lord, our peace. Where does the Shepherd lead His sheep? Beside the peaceful, still waters. "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters" (Psalm 23:2). When your heart is content, you are at peace. And where does that contentment come from? The grace of God. There's no man more discontent than one who is not experiencing the amazing grace of God. Only in Jesus, will you find security, sufficiency, and serenity.

Related Scripture: Psalm 4:8; Psalm 29:11; Proverbs 16:7; 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Jehovah-Shammah

The LORD is There

Psalm 139:7 asks, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?" And what is the answer? God is omnipresent. He's everywhere. Somebody said that God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. There is not a murmur, but that He hears it. There's not a movement, but that He sees it. There's not a motive, but that He knows it. Neither Death, darkness, nor distance can hide us. When I am discouraged, His presence sees me through. When I am lonely, His presence cheers me up. When I am worried, His presence calms me down. When I am tempted, His presence helps me out.

Related Scripture: Genesis 28:15; Ezekiel 48:35; Psalm 23:4; Psalm 46:1; Psalm 139:7-12; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Matthew 18:20; John 14:16-17: Acts 17:24-28

Jehovah-Sabbaoth

The LORD Of Hosts

Jehovah-Sabbaoth literally means the Lord Almighty. It speaks of the sovereignty of God over all the powers of the universe. The second stanza from Martin Luther's hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" says, "Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing, Were not the right man on our side, The man of God's own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He, Lord Sabbaoth His name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle." David understood the greatness of God when he went against Goliath with five smooth stones and a sling. David said to Goliath, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." (1 Samuel 17:45). Oh, that each of us would have this same conception of God in our battles.

Related Scripture: Isaiah 6:3; 2 Samuel 7:26-27; 1 Chronicles 11:9; Romans 9:29; James 5:4; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8; 4:8

Jehovah-Tsidkenu

The LORD Our Righteousness

We are not righteous in and of ourselves. Our righteousness comes from God and God alone. Jesus imputes His righteousness into us so that we can see God. For you see, Hebrews 12:14 says that without holiness, no man will see God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Isn't that terrific? You see, if you are a child of God, you are holy. Are you feeling that you can't live the Christian life? That's right where you need to be. You see, God never asked you to live the Christian life apart from Him. He wants to be your strength, He wants to live the Christian life through you and do for you what you could never do for yourself.

Related Scripture: Genesis 15:6; Deuteronomy 6:25; 2 Samuel 22:21; Psalm 4:1; 7:17; 9:4; 11:7; 24:5; 31:1; 36:10; 71:15; 89:16; Jeremiah 23:6; Matthew 6:33; Romans 8:10 1 Corinthians 1:30

Jehovah-Jireh

The LORD Will Provide

Yireh (Jireh) is from the same Hebrew word as Moriah, which is the name of the region where God sent Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). In Genesis 22:11-13, we read, "But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!'

So he said, 'Here I am.' And He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.' Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son." God provided the lamb. And Abraham called the place Jehovah Jireh (Yahweh-Yireh) - God is our substitutionary sacrifice.

Related Scripture: Genesis 22:1-18; Romans 8:32; Philippians 4:19