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This particular 2013 study has been completely rewritten and expanded, Go to the Table of Contents to view all teachings and downloads. |
Other "El" Compound Names
Throughout Scripture, "El", "Eloah" and "Elohe" are combined with other words to describe or reveal certain characteristics of YHWH. We've already looked at a few of these compound names or designations in previous studies: Elohim, El Shaddai, and El Elyon.
In addition to those we've already studied, there are at least 35 other "El" compound names/designations. However, several of those names could not be verified by two or more Bible scholars. Therefore, I am only presenting the 25 compound names for which I found two or more scholarly sources. (Note: Names are listed in alphabetical order, not in order of importance or usage.)
- El Chaiyim (El Chaiyai): Living God or God of My Life
- Jeremiah 10:10 — "But Yahweh is the true God; he is the living God [El Chaiyim], and an everlasting King: at His wrath the earth trembles, and the nations are not able to abide His indignation." (WEB)
- Psalm 42:2 — "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God [El Chaiyim]. When shall I come and appear before God?" (WEB)
- See also Deuteronomy 5:26; Joshua 3:10; 1 Samuel 17:26, 36; 2 Kings 19:4, 16; Psalm 42:8, 84:2; Isaiah 37:4, 17; Jeremiah 23:36; Daniel 6:20,26; Hosea 1:10.
- El De'ot: The God of Knowledge
- 1 Samuel 2:3 — "Talk no more so exceeding proudly; don't let arrogance come out of your mouth; for Yahweh is a God of knowledge [El De'ot], by Him actions are weighed." (WEB)
- El Echad: The One God
- Malachi 2:10a — "Don't we all have one Father? Hasn't one God [El Echad] created us?" (WEB)
- El Emet: The God of Truth
- Psalm 31:5 — "Into Your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, Yahweh, God of truth [El Emet]." (WEB)
- Isaiah 65:16 — "...so that he who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth [El Emet]; and he who swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth [El Emet]; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from my eyes." (WEB)
- El Gibhor (Gibbor): The Strong and Mighty God
- Jeremiah 32:17-18 — "Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for You, who show loving kindness to thousands, and recompense the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the great, the mighty God [El Gibhor], YHWH of Hosts [YHWH-Tzva'ot] is His name".
- Isaiah 10:21 — "A remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God [El Gibhor]." (WEB)
- El HaGadol (El Haggadol): The Great God
- Deuteronomy 10:17 — "For Yahweh your God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God [El HaGadol], the mighty, and the awesome, who doesn't regard persons, nor takes reward." (WEB)
- Nehemiah 8:6 — "and Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great God [El HaGadol]. All the people answered, 'Amen, Amen,' with the lifting up of their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshiped Yahweh with their faces to the ground." (WEB)
- See also Ezra 5:8; Daniel 2:45b.
- El HaKadosh (Hakkadosh, Elohim Kedoshim, El Kadosh): The Holy God or The Holy One
- 1 Samuel 6:20 — "The men of Beth-shemesh said, 'Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God [El HaKadosh]? And to whom shall he go up from us?'" (WEB)
- Joshua 24:19 — "Joshua said to the people, 'You can't serve Yahweh; for He is a holy God [El HaKadosh]; He is a jealous God [El Kanno]; He will not forgive your disobedience nor your sins.'" (WEB)
- See also 2 Kings 19:22; Job 6:10; Psalm 10:20, 16:10, 71:22, 78:41, 89:18; Proverbs 9:10, 30:3; Jeremiah 50:29, 51:5; Ezekiel 39:7; Daniel 4:13,23, 8:13; Hosea 11:9,12; Habakkuk 1:12, 3:3.
- El HaKavod: The God of Glory
- Psalm 29:3 — "Yahweh's voice is on the waters. The God of glory [El HaKavod] thunders, even Yahweh on many waters." (WEB)
- El HaNe'eman (El Hanne'eman): The Faithful God
- Deuteronomy 7:9 — "Know therefore that Yahweh your God, He is God, the faithful God [El HaNe'eman], who keeps covenant and loving kindness with them who love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations." (WEB)
- El HaShamayim (Elah Sh'maya): The God of the Heavens
- Nehemiah 1:4-5 — "It happened, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven [El HaShamayim], and said, 'I beg you, Yahweh, the God of heaven [El HaShamayim], the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love Him and keep His commandments.'" (WEB)
- Psalm 136:26 — "Oh give thanks to the God of heaven [El HaShamayim]; For His loving kindness endures forever." (WEB)
- See also Genesis 24:3,7; 2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:2, 5:11-12, 6:9-10, 7:12,21,23; Nehemiah 2:4,20; Daniel 2:18-19,37,44; Jonah 1:9.
- El Kanno (Qanna): The Jealous God
- Exodus 20:5 — "'...you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God [El Kanno]...'" (WEB)
- Zechariah 1:14 — "So the angel who talked with me said to me, 'Proclaim, saying, "Thus says Yahweh of Hosts [YHWH-Tzva'ot]: 'I am jealous [El Kanno] for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.'"'" (WEB)
- See also Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24, 5:9, 6:15; Joshua 24:19; Zechariah 8:2; Nahum 1:2.
- El Kedem: God of the Beginning or Eternal God, as seen in...
- Deuteronomy 33:27 — "The eternal God [El Kedem] is your dwelling place, underneath are the everlasting arms. He thrust out the enemy from before you..." (WEB)
- El Mauzi: God of My Strength , as seen in...
- Psalm 43:2 — "For You are the God of my strength [El Mauzi]. Why have You rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" (WEB)
- El Mishpat: God Of Justice , as seen in...
- Isaiah 30:18 — "Therefore will Yahweh wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy on you: for Yahweh is a God of justice [El Mishpat]; blessed are all those who wait for Him." (WEB)
- Malachi 2:17 — "You have wearied Yahweh with your words. Yet you say, 'How have we wearied Him?' In that you say, 'Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Yahweh, and He delights in them;' or 'Where is the God of justice [El Mishpat]?'" (WEB)
"Chayim" means "life", as seen in...
"De'ot" means "all-knowing" in Hebrew. God is omniscient; that is, He has perfect knowledge of all things, as seen in...
"Echad" means "one" in Hebrew, as seen in...
"Emet" means "firmness", "faithfulness", and "reliability", as seen in...
"Gibhor" means "strong" or "mighty". Combined with "El", it exclaims to us that YHWH is The Strong and Mighty God, as declared in...
"Gadol" means "great", "grand", "awesome", as revealed to us in...
"Kadosh" means "holy" and appears in the Old Testament 51 times. The most frequent use of El HaKadosh is found in Isaiah where the prophet uses the expression "the Holy One of Israel" 30 times (Isaiah 1:4, 5:16,19,24, 10:17,20, 12:6, 17:7, 29:19,23, 30:11,12,15, 31:1, 37:23, 40:25, 41:14,16,20, 43:3,14,15, 45:11, 47:4, 48:17, 49:7, 54:5, 55:5, 60:9,14). Other Scripture verses in which inspired writers use the name El HaKadosh are...
"Kavod" means "glory", "weight", and "honor". Combined with "El", it points to YHWH as the Most Glorious God and appears only once in Scripture...
This name is derived from "aman", which means "to support and nourish", as seen in...
"Shamayim" ("Sh'maya") refers to the abode or dwelling place of God, as seen in...
Kanno (Qanna) suggests a marriage relationship between YHWH and ourselves. God is a jealous God, wanting all our praise for Himself and no one else, as stated in...
"Olam" derives from the root word "'lm and literally means "forever", "eternity", or "everlasting". When combined with "El", the name denotes the Everlasting God Who Never Changes, as seen in...
- Psalm 90:1-2 — "Lord, You have been our dwelling place for all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God [El Olam]." (WEB)
- Isaiah 26:4 — "Trust in Yahweh forever [El Olam]; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock." (WEB)
- See also Genesis 21:33; Psalm 93:2; Isaiah 40:28;Jeremiah 10:10
The root word, "rechem", means "womb", which suggests the compassion a mother has for her child, as seen in...
- Deuteronomy 4:31 — "...Yahweh your God is a merciful God [El Rachum]; He will not fail you, neither destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them." (WEB)
- Nehemiah 9:31 — "Nevertheless in Your manifold mercies You did not make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for You are a gracious and merciful God [El Rachum]." (WEB)
- Genesis 16:13 — "She called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, 'You are a God who sees [El Ro'i],' for she said, 'Have I even stayed alive after seeing Him?'" (WEB)
"Sali" means "cliff" or "rugged rockface", as seen in...
- 2 Samuel 22:47 — "Yahweh lives; Blessed be my rock [El Sali]; Exalted be God, the rock [El Tzur] of my salvation.
- Psalm 42:9 — "I will ask God, my rock [El Sali], 'Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?'" (WEB)
- Psalm 43:2 — "For You are the God of my strength [El Sali]. Why have You rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" (WEB)
- Habakkuk 1:12 — "Aren't You from everlasting, Yahweh my God, my Holy One [El Kadosh]? We will not die. Yahweh, You have appointed him for judgment. You, Rock [El Sali], have established him to punish." (WEB)
- Nehemiah 9:17 — "...neither were mindful of Your wonders that You did among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But You are a God ready to pardon [El Selichot], gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and didn't forsake them." (WEB)
- Psalm 109:1 — "God of my praise [El Tehilati], don't remain silent..." (WEB)
"Tsadik" ("t'sadik"), very similar to the Hebrew word "tsedek", means "just" or "righteous". When combined with "El", it stresses that there is no more righteous authority to compare with Him, as seen in...
- Isaiah 45:21 — "'Declare you, and bring it forth; yes, let them take counsel together: Who has shown this from ancient time? Who has declared it of old? Haven't I, Yahweh? And there is no God else besides Me, a just God [El Tsadik] and a Savior; there is no one besides Me.'" (WEB)
- See also Isaiah's other righteous proclamations against Israel that correspond with the one above.
- Deuteronomy 32:4 — "The Rock [El Tzur], His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice: A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He." (WEB)
- 2 Samuel 22:47 — "Yahweh lives; Blessed be my rock [El Sali]; Exalted be God, the rock [El Tzur] of my salvation.
- Isaiah 26:4 — Trust in Yahweh forever [El Olam]; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock [El Tzur]." (WEB)
- See also Deuteronomy 32:15,18,30-31; 2 Samuel 23:3; Isaiah 30:29.
- 2 Chronicles 32:19 — "They spoke of the God of Jerusalem [El Yerush'lem], as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men's hands." (WEB)
- Ezra 7:19 — "The vessels that are given you for the service of the house of your God, deliver you before the God of Jerusalem [El Yerush'lem]." (WEB)
"Yeshuati" is derived from "yeshuah", which means "salvation", "deliverance", and "victory", as used in...
- Isaiah 12:2 — "Behold, God is my salvation [El Yeshuati]. I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yah, Yahweh, is my strength and song; and He has become my salvation [El Yeshuati]." (WEB)
- Psalm 25:5 — "Guide me in Your truth, and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation {El Yeshuati], I wait for You all day long." (WEB)
- See also Psalm 18:46, 27:9, 51:14, 62:7, 88:1; Micah 7:7; Habakkuk 3:18.
The name "El Yisrael" appears 199 times in the Old Testament, the most frequent use being in Jeremiah where the prophet uses the expression "El Yisra'el" 48 times. Other Scripture verses in which inspired writers use the name El Yisra'el include...
- Genesis 33:20 — "He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel." (WEB)
- Ezra 1:3 — "Whoever there is among you of all His people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel [El Yisra'el] (He is God), which is in Jerusalem." (WEB)
- Psalm 68:35 — "You are awesome, God, in Your sanctuaries. The God of Israel [El Yisrael] gives strength and power to His people. Praise be to God!" (WEB)
- See also Exodus 24:10; Numbers 16:9; Joshua 7:19-20; Judges 4:6; Ruth 2:12; 1 Samuel 5:7-8,10-11; 2 Samuel 7:27; 1 Kings 8:15,17,20,23,25-26; 2 Kings 22:15,18; 1 Chronicles 15:12,14; 2 Chronicles 6:4,7,10,14,16-17; Ezra 4:1,3; Psalm 68:8,35; Isaiah 21:10,17; Jeremiah 29:4,8,21,25, 32:14-15,36, 35:13,17-19; Ezekiel 10:19-20; Zephaniah 2:9; Malachi 2:16.
Of course, this study would not be complete without including other proper nouns that incorporate the name "El". For instance....
The name "Bethel" occurs 61 times in the Old Testament. For example....
The name "Daniel" occurs 81 times in the Old Testament, most frequently, of course, in the book of Daniel where it appears 75 times. Three of the other six instances refer to Daniel's genealogy, two of the remaining three verses are almost identical as YHWH informs the Prophet Ezekiel of His disgust and judgment against Israel, and the last one is in the context of YHWH's pronouncement through Ezekiel against the King of Tyre....
- Ezekiel 14:14 — "'though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it (Israel), they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness,' says the Lord [Elohim] Yahweh." (WEB)
- Ezekiel 28:3 — "'behold, you are wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that is hidden from you;'" (WEB)
- See also 1 Chronicles 3:1; Ezra 8:2; Nehemiah 10:6; Ezekiel 14:20.
The name "Ezekiel" occurs only twice in the Old Testament, both times in the book of Ezekiel....
- Ezekiel 1:3 — "the word of Yahweh came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of Yahweh was there on him." (WEB)
- Ezekiel 24:24 — "'Thus shall Ezekiel be to you a sign; according to all that he has done shall you do: when this comes, then shall you know that I am the Lord [Elohim] Yahweh.'" (WEB)
From the Hebrew name "Gavri'el", Gabriel is one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition. The name appears four times in both the Old and New Testaments....
- Luke 1:19 — "The angel answered him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.'" (WEB)
- See also Daniel 8:16, 9:21; Luke 1:26
From Hebrew "Emmanu" meaning "with us" and "El" meaning "God", the name "Immanuel" occurs only twice in the Old Testament....
- Isaiah 7:14 —"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (WEB)
- Isaiah 8:8 — (YHWH speaking prophetically to Isaiah about the Messiah, in whom the faithful will be comforted and who will not suffer His Church to be utterly destroyed) "'It will sweep through Y'hudah (Judah), flooding everything and passing on. It will reach even up to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the whole expanse of the land.' God is with us! [Immanu'El]" (CJB)
The name "Israel" occurs more than 2000 times in the Old Testament. For example....
- Genesis 33:20 — "He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel [God, the God of Israel]." (WEB)
- Exodus 40:38 — "For the cloud of Yahweh was on the tent by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys." (WEB)
- Numbers 8:17 — "'For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and animal. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for Myself.'" (WEB)
- Deuteronomy 10:12 — "Now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God require of you, but to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul," (WEB)
The name "Joel" occurs 20 times in the Old Testament....
- Joel 1:1 — "The Word of Yahweh that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel." (WEB)
- See also 1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Chronicles 4:35, 5:4,8,12, 6:28,33,36, 7:3, 11:38, 15:7,11,17, 23:8, 26:22, 27:20; 2 Chronicles 29:12; Ezra 10:43; Nehemiah 11:9.
From the Hebrew name Mika'el, this is the name of one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. The name "Michael", referring to the archangel of Heaven, appears only once in the Bible....
- Jude 1:9 — "But Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, 'May the Lord rebuke you!'" (WEB)
- He is referenced four other times, not by name but as "the archangel" in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, an angel having special charge of the nation of Israel in Daniel 10:13 and 21, and as a leader of the angelic armies in Revelation 12:7. So exalted are the position and offices ascribed to Michael, that many incorrectly believe they refer to the Messiah, not as God, but as the highest angel of God.
The name "Samuel" occurs 109 times in 1 Samuel alone and 9 times in other books of the Old Testament, as in....
- Psalm 99:6 — "Moses and Aaron were among His priests, Samuel among those who call on His name; They called on Yahweh, and He answered them." (WEB)
- Jeremiah 15:1 — "Then said Yahweh to me, 'Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My mind would not be toward this people: cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth.'"
- See also 1 Chronicles 6:28,33, 9:22, 11:3, 26:28, 29:29; 2 Chronicles 35:18.
