Study Guide for

Body of Divinity

Chapter 3

Names of God

Gill begins the unveiling of God from special revelation on the most basic level. What can be learned of God from the names by which He is referred to in Scripture? Since God is incomprehensible in the perfection of His Being, the names that He is referred to give “some knowledge of his nature and perfections.”

Names of God categorized:

• Refer to Him as the subject(Lord, God, Jehovah)
• Predicates – spoken of Him(Holy, Just, Good)
• Relation of the Godhead to each other(Father, Son, Holy Spirit)
• Relation to creation(Creator, Preserver, Governor)
• Common Names to the Three divine persons(Jehovah, God)
• Some Peculiar to each(Unbegotten, Begotten)
• Proper Names

Elohim

-Genesis 1:1

-most frequent name of God used in OT

-Jewish writers – expressive of God as judge

-Arabic – to worship

-plural usage most frequent paired with a singular verb – Genesis 1:1

-plurality of persons in unity of divine essence

El

-Genesis 12:7,8 Bethel – House of God

-Matthew 27:46 My God, My God

-strong and mighty God – Job 9:4,19, Ps. 89:8, 13, Is. 9:6

-part of Eloah? – singular of Elohim – first in essence, first and last, beginning and end – expressive of the power of God

Elion

-Genesis 14:18-20,22

-most high

-from his habitation, the highest heavens – Is. 57:15, 56:1

-superiority, power, and dominion over all creatures – Ps. 83:18, 97:9

-sublimity of His nature and essence, out of the reach of finite minds – Job. 11:7,8

-expressive of the supremacy of God

Shaddai

-Genesis 17:1 appearance to Abraham

-Almighty – Ex. 6:3

-infinite power and uncontrollable

-sufficient and all-sufficient

-sufficiency to make Himself completely and infinitely happy(read this portion from Gill)

-Nourisher – Genesis 49:25

-pour out, shed

Sabaoth

-God of hosts – I Samuel 1:3,11, James 5:4

-hosts or armies

-hosts of angels at His command – Luke 2:13, I Kings 22:19

-God’s dominion over all His creatures

Adonai

-rendered Lord

-basis, prop, or support of any thing

-the support of all his creatures – Is. 41:10, 42:1

-the cause – Romans 11:36, Heb. 2:10, Rev. 4:11

-from which and for which all things are

-Adonai used of the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit

Jehovah

-Ex. 6:3

-peculiar to Him, His name alone

-necessary and self-existent being

-Jewish superstition – Deut 28:58

-JHWH

-every name of God is reverend

-God exists in and of Himself

-Independent Being

Jah

-Ps. 68:4

-may come from Jehovah

-signifies decency

Ejeh

-Ex. 3:13,14

-I am that I am

-I shall be what I shall be

-eternity, immutability, faithfulness in performing His promises

New Testament Names

Kuriov – Lord, to be – signifies the same as Jehovah, essence or being of God,

-also power and authority

-generally used of Christ, Lord of all – Acts 10:36, Eph. 4:6

Yeov

-God

-to run, to heat, to see

-runs to the assistance of His people – II Chron. 16:9, Ps. 46:1

-Father of lights, consuming fire – I John 1:5, James 1:17, Heb. 12:29

-Sees all - Job 34:21,22, Ps. 139

-To dispose

-Fear – object of fear and reverence – Ps. 87:7, Heb. 12:28