The names of God in the Bible can be divided into two categories:
- Creatorship (Elohistic) Names of God
- Redemptive (Jehovahistic) Names of God
In this blog post the Creatorship Names of God are discussed and the Redemptive Names of God will be discussed in the next blog post.
EL – To be strong, ngamandla, inamandla
The Father is EL:
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, watsho, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth (IGenesis 14:18-22)
The Son is EL:
Ke ngoko iNkosi ngokwayo iya kukunika umqondiso; Khangela, intombi iya kumitha, kwaye unyamezele unyana, kwaye uza kuyibiza ngegama lakhe i-Imanuel (uIsaya 7:14)
The Holy Spirit is EL:
UMoya kaThixo undenzile, Nokuphefumla kukaSomandla kundidlise ubomi(Umsebenzi 33:4)
By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened (Umsebenzi 37:10)
Elohim – Plurality of divine Persons (The Trinity)
Ekuqaleni uThixo wadala izulu nomhlaba (IGenesis 1:1)
Ke kaloku uMoses wayesalusa impahla emfutshane kaYitro, uyise womkakhe, umbingeleli wakwaMidiyan: waqhubela umhlambi emva kwentlango, weza entabeni kaThixo, kwesa eHorebhe. Kwabonakala isithunywa sikaYehova kuye, siselangatyeni lomlilo, etyholweni phakathi: and he looked, kwaye, khangela, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, watsho, UMoses, UMoses. Watsho, Here am I. Watsho, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, UThixo ka-Abraham, NguThixo kaIsake, Kwaye uThixo kaYakobi. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God (iEksodus 3:1-6)
Waphendula ke uThixo kuMoses, Uthi koonyana bakaSirayeli, Nkosi yam, uThixo kaoyihlo,, UThixo ka-Abraham, NguThixo kaIsake, Kwaye uThixo kaYakobi, undithumele kuwe:this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations (iEksodus 3:15)
Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever (INdumiso 45:2)
Itrone yakho, Owu Thixo, Ngonaphakade kanaphakade: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre (INdumiso 45:6)
Eloah – The one God
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation (iDuteronomi 32:15)
El-Beth-El – God of the House of God
I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred (IGenesis 31:13)
So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, yiyo i, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother (IGenesis 35:6-7)
El-Elohe-Israel – uThixo, the God of the Prince of God
And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe (IGenesis 33:20)
El-Elyon – The Most High God
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the Most High God (IGenesis 14:18)
Elohim-Elyon – uThixo, The Most High
Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not His testimonies (INdumiso 78:56)
Ohleli entsithelweni yOsenyangweni, Uhleli emthunzini woSomandla. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: Thixo wam; in Him will I trust (INdumiso 91:1-2)
El-Gibbor – The Mighty or Great God
ngokuba sizalelwe umntwana, sinikwe unyana: kwaye urhulumente uya kuba phezu kwegxalaba lakhe: negama lakhe kuthiwa nguMmangaliso, Umcebisi, UThixo onamandla, UBawo ongunaphakade, INkosana yoXolo (uIsaya 9:6)
Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them:the Great, uThixo onamandla, uYehova wemikhosi, is his name, Mkhulu kwingcebiso, kwaye unamandla ngomsebenzi:for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men:ukunika elowo ngokweendlela zakhe, ngokwesiqhamo sezenzo zakhe (UYeremiya 32:18-19)
El-Olam – uThixo, the everlasting
And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God (IGenesis 21:33)
El-Roi – The God that sees
And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; khangela, it is between Kadesh and Bered (IGenesis 16:13-14)
Elohim-Sabaoth – God of Hosts
Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved (INdumiso 80:7)
Buyela, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine (INdumiso 80:14)
El-Shaddai – God Almighty, God all-sufficient
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, Yathi kuye, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect (IGenesis 17:1)
Adonai – Mater(s), Owner(s), Ruler of all
ndiya kubulela kuwe, Owu Nkosi Thixo wam, Ngentliziyo yam yonke: and I will glorify thy name for evermore (INdumiso 86:12)
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (INdumiso 147:5)
Immanue-EL – God with us, God made flesh
Ke ngoko iNkosi ngokwayo iya kukunika umqondiso; Khangela, intombi iya kumitha, kwaye unyamezele unyana, kwaye uza kuyibiza ngegama lakhe i-Imanuel (uIsaya 7:14)
Uya kuzisa unyana, Wothiya igama elinguYesu:for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, esithi, Khangela, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (UMateyu 1:21-23)
Summary of the Creatorship Names of God
In the table below, you find a summary of the Creatorship Names of God:
‘Yibani yityuwa yehlabathi’
