God

The English word God is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word. As such, since the Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew, and the New Testament was written mostly in Greek, God is not actually found in The Bible, but was used in English-language Bibles to translate a variety of original words of the Scriptures, the primary ones being Elohim, YHVH, El, Shaddai in Hebrew, and Theos in Greek.

The Tetragram Elohim

Elohim, from the Hebrew pronounced el-oh-heem, is the most frequently-recorded Name for God, more than 2,500 times in the Old Testament. Elohim is actually the plural form of its root word, but singular in usage - after all, there is only one God (see The Logos).

Examples where Elohim was translated as God:

"In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1:1 KJV)
"And God [Elohim] said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness" (Genesis 1:26 KJV)

The Tetragram

The second-most common Name for God is the YHVH, or "Tetragram" as it has been called. It is shown in the illustration along with the names of the Hebrew letters and their approximate sounds (note that Hebrew is written right to left).

The ancient pronunciation of the YHVH is uncertain, and there have been a number of interpretations. The most common is "Jehovah," which some Bibles use in their translation, while others render the YHVH as "Lord." For example, for Exodus 20:2-3, the American Standard Version has, "I Am Jehovah thy God, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me," while the King James Version has, "I Am The Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me."

There are also a number of Names which use the YHVH in combination. Examples, using the "Jehovah" interpretation: Jehovah-ropheka, "Jehovah that heals" (Exodus 15:26), Jehovah-meqaddeshkem, "Jehovah Who sanctifies you" (Exodus 31:13), Jehovah-tsabaoth, "Jehovah of hosts" (1 Samuel 1:3), "Jehovah-elyon, "Jehovah Most High (Psalm 7:17), Jehovah-roi, "Jehovah my shepherd (Psalm 23:1)

El is used over 200 times as a Name for God, often in combination as El, Eloah and Elyon. Many of the faithful people of God had it in their name e.g. Elijah ("The Lord is God"), Daniel ("The Lord is my Judge"). Another name for Jesus Christ was Immamuel (Matthew 1:23) which means "The Lord is with us."

Shaddai

Shaddai is found almost 50 times in the Old Testament, and is usually translated as Almighty. It was first recorded when God spoke to Abraham: "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, The Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I Am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect. And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly." (Genesis 17:1-2 KJV)

Theos

In the New Testament "God" is used for the original Greek word Theos

Fact Finder: What is the Third Commandment?
Exodus 20:7

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