El in the Bible: Name, Background, and the God of Israel
1. Meaning and Language of “El” in the Bible
“El” (Hebrew ʾēl; cognate with Ugaritic il) is a common Semitic term meaning “god,” often emphasizing strength, power, or primacy. In the Old Testament, El can function:
as an appellative (“god,” “mighty one”),
as part of theophoric titles (e.g., El Shaddai, El Elyon),
and in compound names (e.g., Israel, Immanuel).
The Greek Septuagint usually renders El as Theos (“God”), though it sometimes translates the nuance (e.g., “mighty”). The Bible preserves this linguistic flexibility: sometimes El points to the living God of Israel (e.g., Gen 17:1), and sometimes the same word is applied generically to false gods or heavenly beings (e.g., Ps 82:1). This elasticity invites readers to pay close attention to context—who is being named, and with which attributes.
Key takeaways
El often conveys power/strength.
The Bible uses El both generically and personally for the God of Israel.
Titles with El reveal character and covenant (mercy, holiness, faithfulness).
2. El in the Ancient Near East and the Bible’s Reframing
Across the ancient Near East, El/il appears in texts and names. At Ugarit, El is portrayed as a senior deity—wise, venerable, a “bull” signifying strength, and sometimes healer. The Bible knows this cultural horizon yet reframes it: Israel’s Scriptures do not adopt a pantheon but confess the LORD’s absolute uniqueness. Where surrounding cultures spoke of a high god among gods, the Bible proclaims the one God who made heaven and earth (Deut 10:17; Isa 45).
Three important contrasts emerge:
Monotheistic confession: The Bible does not merely put Yahweh at the top of a pantheon; it levels the pantheon (Ps 82) and exalts the LORD alone.
Covenant identity: Titles like El Shaddai are not mythic badges but covenant names tied to promises (Gen 17:1–8).
Ethical character: The God called El is “merciful and gracious” (Exod 34:6), not capricious; His might is tethered to steadfast love and justice.
3. El within Israel’s Story: From Patriarchs to Prophets
The name El appears in the Bible’s earliest family stories:
Patriarchal encounters: Hagar names the LORD El-roi (“God of seeing,” Gen 16:13). Abraham knows God as El Elyon (“God Most High,” Gen 14:18–22) and El Shaddai (“God Almighty,” Gen 17:1). Jacob builds an altar to El, the God of Israel (Gen 33:20).
Sanctuary memory: Phrases like mōʿădê ʾēl (“meeting places of God,” Ps 74:8) and ʿădat ʾēl (“assembly of God,” Ps 82:1) map sacred space onto God’s rule.
Prophetic polemic: The prophets confront rulers who claim divine prerogatives. Against proud kings (e.g., Isa 14), the Bible upholds God’s heavenly council and His unshared throne.
In short, El in Israel’s Scripture is not a leftover from Canaanite religion but a purified title that the Bible fills with covenant content—the LORD alone is the living God (El), known in His acts and His promises.
4. Titles of El that Reveal God’s Character (with Uses)
A helpful way to see how the Bible redeploys El is to group the titles:
Identity and Sovereignty
El Elyon (“God Most High”): exalts God above every authority (Gen 14:18–22).
El (appellative “God/Mighty One”): used in worship and testimony (Josh 22:22; Ps 18:31).
Power and Provision
El Shaddai (“God Almighty”): signals power channeled through covenant promise, especially fruitfulness and preservation (Gen 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 49:25).
Presence and Perception
El-roi (“God of seeing”): the God who notices the afflicted (Gen 16:13).
Moral Glory
El as merciful and gracious: the creedal cadence of Exod 34:6 courses through prayers and psalms (e.g., Ps 86:15; Joel 2:13).
Practical uses in Scripture reading
When you see El in a title, ask: What attribute of God’s character is being highlighted?
When you see El in a name, ask: How does this name anchor the scene in God’s covenant faithfulness?
5. Creation, Mercy, Wisdom: Theological Lines that Converge
Questions about El often lead to three theological lines in the Bible:
Creation: The Bible’s witness moves decisively toward the LORD as Creator of all (Gen 1; Isa 40–48). Some West Semitic epigraphy associates El with creation language; Israel’s Scripture concentrates creation in YHWH, while still employing El titles that underscore might and kingship.
Mercy: The creedal refrain—“a God merciful and gracious”—ties the name El to God’s covenant mercy (Exod 34:6). Mercy is not marginal to divine might; it is its face toward sinners who repent.
Wisdom: The living God is not just powerful but wise (Job, Psalms). His wisdom founds order, judges justly, and shepherds His people through history.
In practice
Read titles of El alongside the creed (Exod 34:6).
Let El language deepen assurance that the God who is mighty is also merciful and near.
6. From El to the Name: Identification with YHWH
The Old Testament progressively identifies the God known by patriarchal El-titles with the covenant Name, YHWH. Several patterns show this:
Appositional formulas: “The LORD, the LORD, a God (El) merciful and gracious…” (Exod 34:6) stitches the appellative to the Name.
Liturgical witness: “The Mighty One, God, the LORD!” (Josh 22:22) piles divine terms to magnify one Lord.
Royal praise: “Who is a God like you…?” (Mic 7:18) collapses comparison into worship.
The effect is theological concentration: Israel confesses one God—YHWH—who is also rightly called El, the Mighty One. The Bible thus sanctifies a shared ancient term and fills it with covenant truth.
7. Gospel Fulfillment: El Revealed in the Son
According to the Bible, the God called El—the Mighty One, the Most High—makes Himself known finally in Jesus Christ. Isaiah promises a child who will be called “Mighty God” (El Gibbor, Isa 9:6), and the New Testament proclaims Jesus as the one in whom the fullness of deity dwells (Col 2:9). In Him:
Creation is re-affirmed and renewed (John 1:1–3; Col 1:16–20).
Mercy becomes flesh, as the creedal God forgives by the blood of the covenant (Mark 14:24).
Wisdom appears as a person, leading many sons to glory (1 Cor 1:24, 30).
Practically, the names of El prepare readers of the Bible to hear the Gospel: the Almighty is not distant; He is with us (Immanuel), for us at the cross, and reigning for our good. This also shapes Christian hope for the last days: the same El who made heaven and earth will raise and renew all things in Christ, and no rival “god” can stand.
8. Conclusion: The Strength of El and the Nearness of the LORD
The Bible’s use of El gathers the ancient language of might and dignity into the worship of the one true God. Scripture does not adopt a pantheon; it converts vocabulary. El becomes the clear window through which we see the LORD’s power, mercy, and faithfulness. The Gospel completes the portrait: the “Mighty God” is the crucified and risen Lord Jesus, who brings the blessing promised to Abraham to the nations and secures the future for God’s people. To confess El biblically is to trust the Name, rejoice in the covenant, and walk in the hope of resurrection.
Bible Verses About El
Genesis 14:19–20 – “And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’”
Genesis 16:13 – “So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.’”
Genesis 17:1 – “When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.’”
Exodus 34:6 – “The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.’”
Joshua 22:22 – “The Mighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows; and let Israel itself know! If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today…”
Psalm 29:1 – “Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.”
Psalm 82:1 – “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.”
Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Hosea 11:9 – “I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.”
Micah 7:18 – “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.”
