When the two words are combined - El Elyon - it can be translated as "the most exalted God."( Psa 57:2)įurther references of the name El Elyon in the Old Testament: Gen 14:18 Gen 14:19 Gen 14:20 Gen 14:22 Psa 57:2 Psa 78:35 It expresses the extreme sovereignty and majesty of God and His highest preeminence. Elyon literally means "Most High" and is used both adjectivally and substantivally throughout the Old Testament. Meaning and Derivation: El is another name that is translated as "God" and can be used in conjunction with other words to designate various aspects of God's character. El Elyon is first used in Gen 14:18.Įl Elyon in the Septuagint: ho theos ho hupsistos - the God most high Use in the Bible: In the Old Testament El Elyon occurs 28 times. Connected with the word for God, El, this denotes a God who freely gives nourishment and blessing, He is our sustainer.įurther references of the name El Shaddai in the Old Testament: Gen 17:1 Gen 28:3 Gen 35:11 Gen 43:14 Gen 48:3 This refers to God completely nourishing, satisfying, and supplying His people with all their needs as a mother would her child. Another word much like Shaddai, and from which many believe it derived, is shad meaning "breast" in Hebrew (some other scholars believe that the name is derived from an Akkadian word Šadu, meaning "mountain," suggesting strength and power). El Shaddai is first used in Gen 17:1.Įl Shaddai in the Septuagint: theou saddai - God Shaddai pantokratôr (for Shaddai) - the Almighty Use in the Bible: In the Old Testament El Shaddai occurs 7 times. We should never take His name lightly ( Exd 20:7 Lev 22:32), but always rejoice in it and think deeply upon its true meaning. God's name is of the utmost importance ( Neh 9:5) therefore we ought reserve it a position of grave significance in our minds and hearts. To hallow the name of God is to regard Him with complete devotion and loving admiration. To hallow a thing is to make it holy or to set it apart to be exalted as being worthy of absolute devotion. God knows us by our name, shouldn't we know Him by His? He is our Jehovah Raah, the Lord our Shepherd. Is He your Most High God, All sufficient One, Master, Lord of Peace, the Lord Who Will Provide? Is He your Father? We must be careful not to make God into an "it" or a "thing" to which we pray. The meanings behind God's names reveal the central personality and nature of the One who bears them. When we study these names that He reveals to us in the Bible, we will better understand who God really is. Throughout Scripture God reveals Himself to us through His names. Names had, among other purposes, an explanatory purpose (e.g., Nabal, whose name means "fool," is the target of Abigail's explanation to David: "For as his name is, so is he Nabal is his name, and folly is with him:" - 1Sa 25:25). Many times a special meaning was attached to the name.
In the Old Testament times, a name was not only identification, but an identity as well. "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent his glory above the earth and heaven." Psa 148:13
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