- Name 17 of 70Lord of Lords
- HebrewAdonei ha-adonim
- In plain wordsThe Master over every master
- Where to find itDeuteronomy 10:17 and Psalm 136:3
Lord of lords is a title that puts God above every person who has ever given an order. It means "the Master over all masters." Moses first spoke it in Deuteronomy 10:17, near the end of his life, and the people of Israel later sang it in Psalm 136. The King James Version uses the exact phrase five times, and each time it answers the same question: who has the final say?
Moses and the second set of stone tablets
The book of Deuteronomy is a set of farewell talks. Moses was old, and Israel was camped east of the Jordan River, about to enter the land God had promised. Most of the people listening had been children when their parents left Egypt. Moses wanted them to remember what had happened in the desert, the good and the shameful.
In chapter 10 he reminded them of a low point. At Mount Sinai the people had made a golden calf and worshiped it, and Moses had broken the first stone tablets of the law. God did not walk away. He told Moses to cut two new tablets and bring them back up the mountain, and He wrote the commandments again (Deuteronomy 10:1 to 2). It was a second chance, written in stone.
Right after that story, Moses asked a plain question: what doth the LORD thy God require of thee
? His answer was to fear God, walk in His ways, love Him and serve Him with the whole heart. Then he explained why God deserves that kind of loyalty, and that is where the title comes in.
For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
Deuteronomy 10:17
The word "terrible" in old English meant awe inspiring, a God so great that people tremble before Him. To "regard persons" meant to treat important people better than ordinary ones. To "take reward" meant to accept a bribe. Moses was saying that every human lord can be flattered or paid off, but this Lord cannot.
The Hebrew behind the title
In Hebrew the phrase is Adonei ha-adonim. The root word is adon, which Strong's dictionary, a standard word list for the King James Bible, defines as a lord, master or owner. It was an everyday word. A servant called the head of the house adon. Sarah used it of her husband Abraham when she laughed about having a baby in old age and said my lord being old also
(Genesis 18:12). Kings, governors and landowners were all called by this word.
Hebrew often shows that something is the very greatest by saying it twice in this pattern. "Lord of lords" works like saying "the master of all the masters." The second word is plural on purpose. It does not pretend that human authority is fake. Parents, bosses, police officers and presidents really do have power. The title simply says there is Someone above them all.
There is also a small detail in the way the King James prints it. When you see LORD in capital letters, the translators were showing God's personal name in Hebrew. When you see Lord with small letters, they were translating adon. Deuteronomy 10:17 has both in a single sentence, the personal name first and then the title of authority.
Sung by a crowd, then written in Revelation
Psalm 136 seems to be a song built for a crowd. Many readers picture one voice singing a line and everyone answering with the same words, again and again (compare Ezra 3:11). All 26 verses end with the line for his mercy endureth for ever
. The third verse is where the title shows up.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 136:3
The Hebrew word behind "mercy" here is chesed, a rich word for faithful, loyal love that keeps its promises. Put that next to Deuteronomy and you get a full picture. This Master is fair, and He is also kind. Many earthly masters are neither.
Long after Moses, the title came back in the New Testament. Paul used it for God as the only true ruler, and John saw it written on the rider who comes out of heaven to win the last battle.
Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
1 Timothy 6:15
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:16
A potentate is a ruler with real power. Vesture is an old word for a robe. John says he received this vision on the island of Patmos, where he was for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ
(Revelation 1:9). Early Christian writers say he had been sent there as punishment. The believers who first read his book were a small group living under the power of Rome. To them the title meant that the One they followed outranked every emperor.
Fair to the people others forget
Moses did not leave the title floating in the air. The very next verse shows what this Lord pays attention to.
He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.
Deuteronomy 10:18
The fatherless, the widow and the stranger (an outsider from another land) were the people with the least power in that world. They had nobody to speak up for them. Raiment means clothing. The greatest Master of all spends His strength on the people at the bottom, and Moses told Israel to do the same: Love ye therefore the stranger
(Deuteronomy 10:19).
Living under the Lord of lords now
Everyone answers to someone. A student answers to teachers and coaches. A worker answers to a manager. A manager answers to an owner, and the owner answers to customers, banks and the law. This title says the chain does not end with any human being. At the top is a Lord who sees every level and treats each person the same.
That can be a real comfort when someone over you is harsh or unfair. They are not the last word on your life. It is also a warning for anyone who holds power, even a little. Paul told masters to remember that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him
(Ephesians 6:9). Team captains, older siblings, shift leads and parents all fit in that sentence.
- Name the people and things that have the most say over your days. Ask honestly whether any of them have taken God's place.
- If you lead anyone, choose one way this week to treat the person with the least power the way you would treat the most important one.
- Read Psalm 136 out loud and answer every line with its refrain. Notice how many reasons for thanks it gives.
Lord of lords is name 17 of the 70 in the book. Moses also described a God who speaks and acts, which leads straight into the next name, the Living God. You can see how these titles fit with the others on the names of God in the Bible page.
