What Is God's Name In The Old Testament?

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There are many names of God in the Old Testament, but I will be focusing on the primary names in Genesis. The meanings of people’s name in the bible are significant, many names God would change because their name was not sufficient to who they are in God’s eyes. It is difficult to have a name that claims all of who a person is, that is why there are many names of God. There is no single human word that can identify God, so God identifies himself with many names, so his followers better understand him. To begin, I will mention the primary names of God in Hebrew and what they mean. Next, I will contrast and analyze the diverse ways that God is depicted through the El names and other names that God is spoken of in the text.
The first primary Hebrew name of God is Elohim, …show more content…

This is the first and only name in the opening sentence of the Bible to emphasize his importance. Elohim means God, but this also refers to God’s power and in this context of Genesis it means “creator” (Hodge, Bodie. “Contradictions: What Is God's Name in the Old Testament?” Answers in Genesis, 17 Apr. 2012, answersingenesis.org/who-is-god/what-is-gods-name-in-the-old-testament/. ). This Hebrew name was used thirty times throughout Genesis chapter one because “Elohim” is the only all-powerful God who created the world. The use of just one word “Elohim” reveals himself as the powerful creator that no one can restrain. Another Hebrew name of God is “Adonai”, which means Lord or Master ( Hodge, Bodie. “Contradictions: What Is God's Name in the Old Testament?” Answers in Genesis, 17 Apr. 2012, answersingenesis.org/who-is-god/what-is-gods-name-in-the-old-testament/. ).

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