In addition to the proper name Yahveh and the titles "God," "Deity," and "Lord," the Bible contains many other important names by which Yahweh's people know him.
Holy One (Qadosh); Holy One of Israel (Q'dosh Yisra'el)
Yahweh is called "the Holy One" (Isa. 40:25; Hos. 11:9) or sometimes "the Holy One of Israel" (2 Kings 19:22; Ps. 89:18; Isa. 37:23) or 'Elohai Q'doshi, "my God, my Holy One" (Hab. 1:12). The root meaning of holiness is separation or being set apart; therefore the phrase "the Holy One of Israel" means "the God who is distinctively Israel's." By the same token, Israel is a people "holy to the Lord their God" (Deut. 7:6; 14:2, 21; 26:19; 28:9), set apart for him. The basic meaning of holiness, therefore, is not goodness, purity, or moral virtue, but the transcendent quality of being above and separated from the common or ordinary. The English words sacred and sacrosanct better convey the meaning. In worship, the concept of God as the Holy One is evident in such instances as the cry of the seraphim in Isaiah's temple vision: qadosh qadosh qadosh 'Adonai Yahveh tz?va'ot, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 6:3 NASB).
Mighty One of Israel ('Avir Yisra'el)
An example of this usage is Isaiah 1:24. A variant is "Mighty One of Jacob" ('Avir Ya''qov, Isa. 49:26; 60:16; Ps. 132:2, 5). This is similar to 'Elohei Ya''qov, with added stress on the superior power of Yahweh, who belonged to Jacob, or the nation of Israel.
King (Melekh)
As the giver of the covenant, Yahweh stands in the position of King over his vassal subjects, the Creator of his people (Isa. 43:15). Although Israel and Judah had earthly kings, they could not rule with the same absolute authority enjoyed by kings of the surrounding peoples, because the ultimate kingship of the Israelite tribes was vested in the Lord. Kings in the ancient world were military leaders, and the ark of the covenant was the symbol of Yahweh's role as king in battle, the Lord of the hosts or armies of Israel (Isa. 6:5; Jer. 46:18; Mal. 1:14), the King in the midst of his people to defend them (Zeph. 3:15). As Lord of hosts, Yahweh is the "King of glory," who enters his sanctuary (Ps. 24:7–10) "enthroned upon the praises of Israel" (Ps. 22:3 nasb). The Psalms summon the people of God to rejoice with abandon before their King (Ps. 149:1–4), who is the great King or Lord of the covenant (Pss. 47:2; 95:3; Mal. 1:14; Matt. 5:35). The worship of the Lord in Zion is a celebration of his kingship, not only over Israel, but over the whole earth or land (Pss. 29; 47; 93; 95–99). Thus, even when Judah faced defeat and exile, God's true worshipers could praise him as King over all nations (Jer. 10:10), and even Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of Babylon, is said to have honored him as King of heaven (Dan. 4:37).
In the New Testament, God is rarely called King (Basileus, 1 Tim. 1:17; Rev. 15:3), perhaps because the many Caesars and client kings of the Roman world rendered the title ambiguous for Christian usage. However, the concept of God's kingship underlies all that is involved in the other titles by which the church knew and worshiped him and is synonymous with the idea of the kingdom of God. The festive celebration of God's kingship is being increasingly recovered in many parts of today's church.
Judge (Shofet)
The function of a "judge" in ancient Israel was not that of administering justice in the modern legal sense. Justice (mishpat) actually means the entire way of life that maintains the integrity of the covenant and binds the community together; another translation is "custom," referring to the conventional pattern of behavior that allows a society to function. The Lord is the maintainer and guardian of the covenant he has granted: "God himself is judge" (Ps. 50:6). As King, Yahweh is the Judge, or special guardian, of the weakest members of the covenant community, the orphaned and the oppressed (Pss. 10:18; 82:1–4). Thus, the worshiper who believes his position within the covenant has been compromised by the actions of others often cries out for the Lord to "judge" or vindicate him (Pss. 26:1; 43:1; 54:1). As Creator, Yahweh is also "the Judge of all the earth" (Gen. 18:25), the "judge of all men" (Heb. 12:23), deciding between peoples and nations (Judg. 11:27; Ps. 96:13). The Davidic king judges his people as God's vice-regent (Ps. 72:1–2), and thus the apostles proclaim Christ as the Judge of all people (Acts 10:42; 17:31) and the vindicator of his own (2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 6:9–10).
Savior (Moshi')
This title occurs in Psalm 106:21 and often in Isaiah (Isa. 43:3, 11; 45:15; 49:26). In biblical usage, a savior was a national leader who delivered his people from their enemies by victory on the battlefield. In covenant terminology, "savior" is another title for the great king who fights the battles of his vassal. Yahweh was the King who protected Israel and won its military victories. His basic and most important act of deliverance, however, was the great emancipation of Israel from slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt. Because the death and resurrection of Christ effected a new exodus, calling forth a renewed covenant community, the title "Savior" is ascribed also to Jesus in the New Testament.
Redeemer (Go'el)
This title is derived from the Hebrew root ga'al, literally "act as kinsman, do the part of the next of kin." Examples of its use are Isaiah 49:26 and Psalm 103:4. The go'el was the kinsman designated to protect the integrity of the family. It was he who took in a relative's widow, pursued the slayer of a family member to avenge his death, and bought back land or property that had been alienated from the family. In the Old Testament Yahweh is the Redeemer of Israel from Egyptian bondage (Exod. 15:3), from exile (Isa. 43:1, 14; 44:22–23), from enemies (Isa. 41:14), and from the pit (Ps. 103:4). In the New Testament the title "Redeemer" is not used. However, Paul says that Christ has redeemed, or bought back (exagoraz', Gal. 3:13; 4:5) his people, and speaks of the redemption (apolutr'sis, Rom. 3:24) that is in Christ, a concept that applies to the purchase of freedom for a slave.
Father ('Av, Pat'r, Abba)
God is called "Father" in the Old Testament ('Av, Jer. 31:9; 1 Chron. 29:10; Mal. 1:6), but far more often in the New Testament, in which the title is frequently on the lips of Jesus (Pat?r, Matt. 6:9; John 4:23; 5:17–18; 17:1) and in the preaching and writings of the apostles (Acts 2:33; Eph. 1:2; Phil. 2:11). Jesus often spoke of "my Father," introducing a note of intimacy and intensity in the relationship between the Father and the Son. This intimacy was so characteristic of the kingdom of God, which Jesus proclaimed, that the Greek Gospels preserve the familiar Aramaic word Abba, which Jesus used (Mark 14:36), and Paul took it up even in a Greek-speaking church (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). Abba is always paired with its Greek equivalent, Pat?r; the double usage does not simply translate the term, but intensifies it. Abba, Pat?r probably became a liturgical expression quite early, since it has covenant connotations. Ancient treaties sometimes refer to the great king who grants the covenant as "Father." When Jesus and the New Testament writers use the phrase "Abba, Father" they recognize not only a familial relationship between God and the church, but a covenant relationship as well.
Husband (Ba'al, 'Ish, An'r)
The Hebrew word ba'al means "lord, owner, husband"; 'ish means "man, husband." As a title for Yahweh, ba'al is found in Israelite names from the period of the judges and the early kingdom (Jerubbaal, Judg. 7:1; Eshbaal, 1 Chron. 8:33; Meribaal, 1 Chron. 8:34). Because the title Ba'al was also associated with the prominent Canaanite fertility god, whose cult attracted many Israelites away from the undivided worship of Yahweh, Israelite worshipers abandoned its use for Yahweh in favor of 'ish (Hos. 2:16). Biblical scribes sometimes substituted the word bosheth, "shame, shameful thing," in proper names that used ba'al (as in Mephibosheth for Meribaal). However, the Israelite prophets often compare the covenant between Yahweh and Israel to a marriage, especially in the portrayal of Israel and Judah as unfaithful wives (Hos. 2:1–13; Ezek. 23); in this sense Jeremiah applies the verbal form ba'al, "be a husband," to Yahweh (Jer. 31:32). In the New Testament, Paul uses the term husband (an'r) figuratively of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2), and the image of the church as the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:22–30; Rev. 21:2, 9) presupposes the concept.
Rock (Tzur)
This word is sometimes translated "strength," "might," or "mighty," and refers to the power of the Lord to protect his people; examples are 2 Samuel 22:47; Psalm 18:46; and Habakkuk 1:12. Tzur also indicates faithfulness (Deut. 32:4) and can be used as a synonym for God, as in Deuteronomy 32:18: "You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth." The Lord calls himself a rock over which Israel will stumble (Isa. 8:14), and the New Testament sees Jesus as the embodiment of that rock of offense, who becomes the cornerstone of the new temple of God, the church (Luke 20:17–18; Rom. 9:33; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:8). Paul also identifies Jesus as the Rock (h' petra) from which water gushed to quench the thirst of God's people during their wilderness wanderings (1 Cor. 10:4).
Shepherd (Ro'eh) or Shepherd of Israel (Ro'eh Yisra'el)
The latter phrase occurs in Psalm 80:1. Ancient kings were often called shepherds of their people. As shepherd, a king's primary duty was to "feed the flock," which was the nation over which he reigned. God takes the shepherds of Israel to task for leading them into idolatry and sin and causing them to abandon the worship of Yahweh, a violation of their responsibility to feed their people the law of the Lord (Jer. 23:1–2; Ezek. 34:2–10). As King of Israel, Yahweh is its Shepherd. Speaking to Israel, God declares, "You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God" (Ezek. 34:31). David calls the Lord his Shepherd (Ps. 23:1) and describes God's care and provision for him in terms of food (green pastures) and drink (quiet pools of water). Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd, poim?n, who gives his life for the sheep (John 10:11). The writer of Hebrews calls him the "great Shepherd of the sheep" (13:20), and John pictures Jesus as the Lamb, who is the Shepherd in the midst of the worshiping church, feeding his flock and guiding them to living water (Rev. 7:16–17).
Ancient of Days ('Attiq yomin)
This term is an idiomatic Aramaic expression that literally means "aged one." As it is used in Daniel 7:9, 13, and 22, it conveys the thought of the antiquity of God. Daniel's description of the Ancient of Days with hair like white wool is echoed in Revelation 1:14, in which John sees "one like a son of man" standing in the midst of the golden lampstands, his head and hair "white like wool." In using this language, John is identifying Jesus with Daniel's Ancient of Days, or Yahweh, as he also does when he writes that Jesus was "in the beginning … with God" (John 1:1) and "before Abraham" (John 8:58).
God of Gods ('Elohei ha'lohim)
This phrase (Deut. 10:17) is an example of a Hebrew idiom that indicates a superlative. It does not mean there are other gods of whom Yahweh is the head but that he is the great and powerful God.
Lord of Lords ('Adonai ha' donim, Kurios kuri'n)
This is another example of a Hebrew idiom (Deut. 10:17) that indicates a superlative. The phrase means "great and lordly Lord." The idiom is carried over into the Greek (Rev. 19:16), although it is not idiomatic Greek, because the writers of the New Testament spoke and thought in a Semitic language. As a matter of fact, however, the covenant Lord is a Lord over other lords, since he is the great King in covenant with the priest-kings who make up the church (Rev. 1:6). As applied to Christ, the title is paired with "King of kings."
Glory (Kavod)
The Hebrew word kavod denotes glory in the sense of "mass, weight." It refers to the radiant envelope or numinous aura of the manifest presence of the Lord. The Scriptures refer often to the glory of God, and occasionally the word glory stands for the Lord himself (Pss. 3:3; 89:17). This concept was more fully developed in the later Jewish Rabbinic writings, in which the word sh'khinah (from the root shakhan, "dwell") became synonymous with God himself in the sense of his abiding glory. (Sh'khinah is not used in the Bible).
Power (Dunamis)
The power of God is made known in his Creation, his acts of deliverance, his miracles and wonders, and especially in the resurrection of Christ and the administration of his kingdom. Jesus uses the term Power as a synonym for God in responding to the Jewish high priest at his trial: "You shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:62 nasb; cf. Luke 22:69).
Majesty (Megal'sun')
The august and majestic presence of the living God is expressed by this word, which literally means "greatness." The author of Hebrews uses it twice as a substitute for "God" (Heb. 1:3; 8:1).
Almighty (Pantokrat'r)
The title means "ruler of all things" and is used mainly in the Revelation to John (though also by Paul, 2 Cor. 6:18). The Greek Old Testament often employed this term to translate the phrase "Yahweh of hosts," and sometimes it appears in quotations from the Old Testament (Rev. 1:8; 4:8). As a title, "Almighty" is usually found in a context of judgment and wrath (Rev. 16:14; 19:15) and occurs several times in the majestic hymns of the Revelation (Rev. 11:17; 15:3; 16:7). In the renewed covenant of the new Jerusalem, "the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb" are the temple (Rev. 21:22).
