What Are the Different Names of God, and What Do They Mean?

The Bible often describes God through His many names. These names of God are more than titles; they reveal aspects of His nature, His covenant with His people, and His mission in the world. Knowing the names of God helps believers understand His character and deepens worship. From Genesis to Revelation, God discloses Himself by different names, each highlighting His power, authority, and relationship with humanity.

1. The Covenant Name: Yahweh

One of the most important names of God in the Bible is Yahweh (often translated “LORD” in English Bibles). This is the personal covenant name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush: “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14).

• Meaning: Yahweh points to God’s eternal, self-existent nature. He depends on no one else for His being.

• Covenantal significance: It is the name God uses to bind Himself to His people Israel, promising faithfulness and salvation.

• Theological depth: In the New Testament, Jesus applies the “I AM” statements to Himself (John 8:58), connecting His identity directly with Yahweh.

2. Titles of God’s Majesty: Elohim and El Elyon

Another common biblical name for God is Elohim.

• Elohim: Found from Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.” It emphasizes God’s power as Creator and Judge. The plural form conveys majesty, not polytheism.

• El Elyon: Meaning “God Most High,” this name declares God’s supreme rule above all earthly and spiritual powers. Melchizedek calls God by this name in Genesis 14:18–20 when blessing Abraham.

These names underline the greatness and authority of God in creation and history.

3. Names of Provision and Care

God’s names also reveal His care for His people.

• El Shaddai: Translated “God Almighty,” this name emphasizes God’s sufficiency and power to provide. It appears in Genesis 17:1 when God confirms His covenant with Abraham.

• Yahweh Jireh: Meaning “The LORD will provide,” this name comes from Genesis 22:14, when God provides a ram in place of Isaac. It foreshadows Christ as the greater provision for sin.

• Yahweh Rohi: “The LORD is my Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). This name shows God’s personal care, guidance, and protection of His people.

Each of these names reassures believers that God meets their needs according to His power and grace.

4. Names Connected to Holiness and Peace

God’s names also reveal His holiness and His work of peace.

• Yahweh Sabaoth: “The LORD of hosts,” a name that portrays God as commander of heavenly armies (1 Samuel 1:3). He fights for His people and rules over the unseen spiritual realm.

• Yahweh M’Kaddesh: “The LORD who sanctifies” (Leviticus 20:8). God is the one who makes His people holy.

• Yahweh Shalom: “The LORD is peace” (Judges 6:24). This name shows God as the source of true wholeness, not merely the absence of conflict.

These names stress that God’s holiness sets Him apart, yet He draws near to sanctify His people and grant them peace.

5. Jesus and the Name of Yahweh

Before turning to the New Testament fulfillment, it is important to consider the name Jesus itself.

• Yeshua (Hebrew form): Jesus’ Hebrew name is Yehoshua (Joshua) or its shortened form Yeshua (Josh), meaning “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.” This connects directly to the covenant name of God, Yahweh.

• Connection to Joshua: The Old Testament figure Joshua (same Hebrew name) led Israel into the Promised Land. Jesus, the new and greater Joshua, leads His people into the promised inheritance of eternal life.

• Family context: The name was given in obedience to God’s command through the angel: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Joseph’s act of naming fulfilled God’s instruction and tied Jesus’ identity to the saving work of Yahweh.

• Theological implication: The very name “Jesus” identifies Him as the embodiment of Yahweh’s saving mission. To confess the name of Jesus is to confess the God of Israel as Savior.

Thus, the name of Jesus brings together the covenantal name Yahweh and the mission of salvation, showing how God’s promises find their fulfillment in Christ.

6. The Name Above Every Name: Jesus as Yahweh

The New Testament reveals that the names of God find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

• Jesus (Yeshua): Means “Yahweh saves.” This name captures the essence of God’s plan of redemption, announced by the angel in Matthew 1:21.

• Lord (Kyrios): The Greek title applied to Jesus throughout the New Testament corresponds to Yahweh in the Old Testament. Confessing “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9) is confessing Him as the covenant God.

• Immanuel: “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). This name shows that in Christ, God’s presence dwells fully among His people.

Thus, all the divine names converge in Christ, who embodies the fullness of God’s character and mission.

Conclusion

The different names of God in the Bible are not random titles but revelations of His nature, His covenant promises, and His mission to redeem creation. Yahweh, Elohim, El Elyon, El Shaddai, and the many compound names in Scripture each teach believers something essential about God’s character. Ultimately, all these names culminate in Jesus, whose very name means that God saves.

To know the names of God is to know Him more deeply, trust His promises more fully, and worship Him with greater reverence.

Bible verses about the names of God

• Exodus 3:14 – “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’”

• Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

• Genesis 14:19 – “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth.”

• Genesis 17:1 – “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.”

• Genesis 22:14 – “So Abraham called the name of that place, ‘The LORD will provide.’”

• Psalm 23:1 – “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

• Judges 6:24 – “Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, ‘The LORD Is Peace.’”

• Leviticus 20:8 – “Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.”

• Matthew 1:21 – “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

• Philippians 2:9 – “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.”