When people search for names of God and meaning, they usually want more than a dictionary. They want to know what the names say about God Himself. That is a good instinct, because in the Bible a name is never just a label. The Hebrew word for name, shem, often stands for a person's whole reputation and character. So when Moses asked to see God's glory, God answered by announcing His name and then describing what He is like:
And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exodus 34:5-6
Longsuffering is an old word for patient. Notice that God's own explanation of His name is a list of qualities. That is the idea behind this page. Instead of going name by name, it sorts the names into families and asks what each family teaches. The names do not compete with each other. Put together, they work like a portrait painted from many angles.
Names of power: nothing is too big for Him
Some names were made for days when the problem looks larger than any person could handle. They answer the question, "Can God really do this?"
- El Shaddai, Almighty God, spoken to a man of 99 who had been promised a son.
- El Elyon, the Most High, a reminder that every king and every power sits lower than He does.
- The LORD of Hosts, the commander of armies in heaven and on earth. Hosts is an old word for armies or great crowds.
- The King of Glory and Lord of Lords, titles of a ruler who answers to no one.
The meaning these names share is simple: God is able. They do not promise that life will be easy. They promise that nothing you face is bigger than the One you pray to.
Names of nearness: He is close
A God that powerful could seem far away. A second family of names says the opposite. Isaiah held both ideas in one sentence:
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Isaiah 57:15
Contrite means sorry and broken over what you have done. The God who lives in the high place also lives with people like that. You can see the same truth in these names:
- El Roi, the God who sees me, named by a woman who thought nobody noticed her.
- The LORD Is There, the name of the city in the last verse of Ezekiel.
- Thy Keeper, the One who watches you while you sleep.
- The Living God, who acts in real time, unlike idols that cannot move.
Picture names: God described with things you can touch
A large share of God's names are word pictures. The people who used them lived outdoors, among cliffs, flocks, wells and city walls, so they described God with the things that kept them alive. When David says The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer
(Psalm 18:2), he is not being poetic for fun. He had hidden from King Saul in rocky wilderness strongholds, and he knew what a rock could do for a hunted man.
| Picture | What it meant to them | What it tells you about God |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | Solid ground and a place to hide in the cliffs | He does not shift when life does |
| Shepherd | The one who finds grass, water and safe paths for sheep | He leads, feeds and protects |
| Buckler | A small shield held close in battle | He takes the blow aimed at you |
| High tower | A lookout too high for enemies to reach | He lifts you above the danger |
| Fountain | Fresh running water in a dry land | He satisfies what nothing else can |
| Sun and shield | Light for the day and cover for the fight | He gives both warmth and protection |
| Wall of fire | A city with no walls, guarded anyway | He is the protection you cannot see |
| Potter | A craftsman shaping a pot on a wheel | He is still forming your life |
Picture names are easy to remember, and that is the point. On a hard day you may not recall a long verse, but you can remember the word "rock."
Family names: God as Father and more
The most tender names are family words. The prophets dared to call God Our Father when the nation felt like an orphan. A psalm calls Him a Father of the fatherless. Isaiah told a people who felt abandoned: For thy Maker is thine husband
(Isaiah 54:5).
Even My Redeemer is a family word. In Hebrew, a go'el was the close relative who paid to buy back land a family had lost or to free a relative who had been sold. To call God your Redeemer is to say He treats you as His own family and pays what you could not.
Names of character: what He is like inside
Some names are not about what God does for us but about who He is. They can sound stern at first. Read slowly, they are some of the most reassuring names of all.
- The Holy One of Israel: holy means set apart, completely pure and unlike anything else.
- A God of Truth: He never lies, so every promise He makes will hold.
- Jealous: not petty envy, but the fierce love of someone who will not share you with things that would destroy you.
- The Judge of All the Earth: the wrongs done to you will not be ignored for ever.
Names of time: before, after and always
A last group of names is about time. El Olam means the everlasting God. The Ancient of Days pictures God as older than history itself. The First and the Last says He was there before anything began and will be there after everything ends. The psalm writer put it like this: even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God
(Psalm 90:2). The meaning for you is steadiness. People change, jobs end and seasons pass, but He does not.
A quick chart: what do you need today?
Because each name carries a meaning, you can match a name to a need. This chart is a starting place, not a formula.
| If you feel | Read this name | Its meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Overlooked | El Roi | The God who sees me |
| Worried about what you need | Jehovah-jireh | The LORD will see to it |
| Sick or hurting | Jehovah Rapha | The LORD who heals |
| Anxious | Jehovah-shalom | The LORD is peace |
| Unsafe | Refuge and Strength | A shelter close at hand |
| Ashamed | Lifter of My Head | He lifts your face again |
| Empty | My Portion | God is the share that remains |
| Far from God | A God That Hidest Thyself | He is there even when hidden |
Seeing the names work together
One short psalm shows how the meanings stack. In two verses, Psalm 91 uses four different names:
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psalm 91:1-2
Most High (Elyon), Almighty (Shaddai), LORD (YHWH) and God (Elohim), plus two picture names, refuge and fortress. The writer did not pick one. He needed every side of God at once, and so do we.
The Bible sets no official number of names. Seventy is the count Maurice Johnson chose for his book, and the full list of names of God in the Bible shows all of them in the order of the book. For the Hebrew words themselves, see the Hebrew names of God. The book, 70 Names of God, gives every name its own chapter with the meaning in Hebrew and Greek, hard questions and a prayer. The shirt carries Proverbs 18:10, a verse about running to the name of the LORD.