Some Names of God in the Old Testament

God Has More Than One Name

According to the Bible, there is more than one name for God. Indeed, the Old Testament uses many names for God. A few of the many names that the Bible assigns to God include LORD, LORD of hosts, JAH, God, God of hosts, Jealous, Holy, and God Almighty .

(YHWH/JEHOVAH, YHWH Tsaba, YH, Elohim, Elohim Tsaba, Qanna, Qadosh, and El Shadday)

The fact that the Bible gives more than one name for God is contrary to the belief of Jehovah Witnesses, who say that there is only one name for God. While misusing Exodus 15:3, they claim that Jehovah/YHWH is the only name that the Bible states is the name of God.

Further, Jehovah Witnesses state that terms other than Jehovah that are applied to God are titles, not names. This involves a misconception about names and titles; it overlooks the concept that a person's name can also be the person's title and a person's title can also be a person's name. In earlier times and even now in other cultures, people are given names that have a meaning (such as Sitting Bull, Running Bear, Carpenter, Plumber, Baker, Smith, Red, Shorty)

In contrast to the claim of Jehovah Witnesses that any term besides Jehovah is a title and not a name, each verse that is listed below specifically affirms that the term(s) that the verse uses is a name of God.

"The LORD of hosts is his name,"
"extol him . . . by his name JAH,"
"whose name is The God of hosts,"
"The LORD, The God of hosts is his name,"
"The God of the whole earth shall He be called."
". . . whose name is Jealous,"
"whose name is Holy,"
"And I appeared . . . by the name of God Almighty . . ."

Thus, the Bible shows that the claim made by Jehovah Witnesses concerning the name of God is false.

Some Bible Verses that Reveal Names of God

". . . the LORD [YHWH]* is his name." Exodus 15:3

"For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts [YHWH Tsaba] is His name." Isaiah 48:2

"Sing unto God, sing praises to His name: extol Him that rides upon the heavens by His name JAH [YH], and rejoice before him." Psalm 68:4

"Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, says the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts [Elohim Tsaba]." Amos 5:27

"For, lo, He that forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and declares unto man what is His thought, that makes the morning darkness, and treads upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts [YHWH, Elohim Tsaba], is his name." Amos 4:13

"For your Maker is your husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God [Elohim] of the whole earth shall He be called." Isaiah 54:5

"For you shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous [Qanna], is a jealous God" Exodus 34:14

"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy [Qadosh]; 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

"And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty [El Shadday], but by My name JEHOVAH [YHWH] was I not known to them." Exodus 6:3

*The italized words in brackets [ ] are the transliterated Hebrew names.

Salvation is Received only through Faith in the Person and Work of the True God

Though Abraham did not know God by the name of YHWH (Exodus 6:3), he believed in the one true God. And he was saved by God, through faith in God, not through works - the same way in which anyone else is saved (Romans 4:1-3; Galatians 3:6-16).

In Romans 10:9-13, Jesus Christ is identified as Jehovah [YHWH], of Joel 2:32. To escape God's punishment for your sin and receive His forgiveness, you must repent and believe in Jesus as Lord [YHWH].

You must turn from following a false jesus and a false gospel; you must reject the false jesus of the Watchtower, who is a mere angel that temporarily took possession of the body of a man.

You must worship Jesus Christ as true and eternal God (John 1:1-2); you must submit to Jesus as Creator (John 1:3). You must trust in the Jesus Christ of the Bible. You must verbally and willfully acknowledge Jesus as LORD.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? . . ." Romans 10:9-14

You must depend only in the righteousness of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins and in His resurrection for your salvation. You must not have any faith in your works, yourself, or your religious activities.

"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us . . ." Titus 3:5

"Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus." Romans 3:22-26

Trust in Jesus.

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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

L.D. Hammons © 2005 © 2009 This article may be freely copied and distributed without charge, if it is copied in its entirety (without editing, without deletions, and without additions) along with this copyright notice - including the author's name and the internet address of this web site.

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