God of the Old Testament in the Bible
The God of the Old Testament is consistently presented as the eternal, sovereign, and unique God of Israel, who reveals himself through various names and actions. This divine being is often identified as "Jehovah" or "the Lord," a name signifying his everlasting nature [2, 3]. For instance, Psalm 41:13 declares, "Blessed is Jehovah, God of Israel, From the age--and unto the age. Amen and Amen" [2]. Similarly, Isaiah 40:28 refers to "The God of the age--Jehovah, Preparer of the ends of the earth," emphasizing his timelessness and creative power [3].
The Old Testament frequently uses titles that highlight God's relationship with Israel. He is called "El-elohe-Israel," meaning "God, the God of Israel" [5]. This emphasizes a special covenantal bond. The prophet Ezekiel's name, for example, means "the strength of God" [7], and Elijah's name means "God the Lord, the strong Lord" [8], reflecting attributes of divine power. Other names, such as Kadmiel, meaning "God of antiquity" or "God of rising" [1], and Jeheiel, meaning "God liveth" [9], further underscore his eternal and active nature.
The Old Testament portrays God as capable of the impossible and the miraculous, a theme reiterated throughout the biblical narrative. Nothing is too difficult for the God who created the heavens and the earth, as seen in passages like Genesis 18:14 and Jeremiah 32:17, 27 [10]. This omnipotence is a foundational aspect of his character.
The New Testament affirms the continuity of God's identity, recognizing the God of the Old Testament as the same God revealed in Christ. The author of Hebrews states that "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets," is the same God who has now spoken through his Son [4]. John Gill notes that the apostle Peter, in Acts 3:13, deliberately uses the titles "The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob" to distinguish him from Gentile deities and to affirm that the apostles worship the same God as their forefathers [14].
The Old Testament also contains anticipations of the New Testament's understanding of God. For instance, the "Angel of the Covenant" mentioned in Malachi 3:1 is interpreted by some as an appearance of God the Son in the Old Testament [15]. The Holy Spirit is also understood to have been active in the Old Testament, inspiring the prophets and authoring the covenant of grace [13]. The phrase "I am," a name for God in the Old Testament (Exodus 3:13-14), is applied by Jesus to himself, signifying his divine nature and continuity with the God of Israel [12]. Furthermore, the Old Testament associates fire with the "day of the Lord" (Isaiah 30:30; 66:15-16), a concept that carries into New Testament eschatology [11].
The God of the Old Testament is thus presented as the covenant God of Israel, whose identity ensures the fulfillment of his promises [16]. He is the "God of Peace" who raised Jesus from the dead, establishing an "everlasting covenant" [6].
Sources
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Kadmiel — God of antiquity; God of rising”
- Psalms “Psalms 41:13 (YLT) — Blessed <FI>is<Fi> Jehovah, God of Israel, From the age--and unto the age. Amen and Amen.”
- Isaiah “Isaiah 40:28 (YLT) — Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The God of the age--Jehovah, Preparer of the ends of the earth, Is not wearied nor fatigued, There is no searching of His understanding.”
- King James Version “[KJV] Hebrews 1:1 — God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: El-elohe-Israel — God, the God of Israel”
- Hebrews “Hebrews 13:20 (LITV) — Now the God of Peace, He leading up out of the dead, the great Shepherd of the sheep, in the blood of the everlasting covenant, our Lord Jesus,”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Ezekiel — the strength of God”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Elijah — God the Lord, the strong Lord”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jeheiel — God liveth”
- Zechariah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Zechariah 8:6: 8:6 The Old Testament portrays God as able to do the impossible and the miraculous—nothing is too hard for the God who made the heavens and the earth (Gen 18:14; Jer 32:17, 27; see also Matt 19:26).”
- 2 Peter (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Peter 3:7: 3:7 The Old Testament associates fire with the day of the Lord (see Isa 30:30; 66:15-16).”
- Revelation (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Revelation 1:8: 1:8 I am is the name of God in the Old Testament (Exod 3:13-14; 6:2; Deut 6:4). Jesus applied this name to himself (cp. John 4:26). Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; they signify that God’s actions are all-encompassing. God is fully in control.”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 10:15: Wherefore the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us,.... In Jer 31:33. This preface to the following citation shows that the books of the Old Testament are of divine original and authority; that the penmen of them were inspired by the Holy Ghost; that he existed in the times of the Old Testament; that he is truly and properly God, the Lord, or Jehovah, that speaks in the following verses; and that he is a distinct divine Person, and the author of the covenant of grace; and in what he says in that covenant, he bears testimony to the truths before delivered, concerning t”
- Acts (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 3:13: The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob,.... These titles and epithets of God, which are used in the Old Testament, Exo 3:6 the apostle chooses to retain, partly to distinguish him from the gods of the Gentiles, and partly to show his regard to the God of Israel, the one, only true, and living God; and that, though he and his fellow apostles were preachers of Christ, yet they were not setters forth of another, or a strange God, but believed in the same God their forefathers did, and to whom they ascribe the glory of this miracle: the God hath glorified his Son ”
- Hosea (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hosea 12:4: the angel--the uncreated Angel of the Covenant, as God the Son appears in the Old Testament (Mal 3:1). made supplication-- Gen 32:26; I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." he found him--The angel found Jacob, when he was fleeing from Esau into Syria: the Lord appearing to him "in Beth-el" (Gen 28:11-19; Gen 35:1). What a sad contrast, that in this same Beth-el now Israel worships the golden calves! there he spake with us--"with us," as being in the loins of our progenitor Jacob (compare Psa 66:6, "They . . . we;" Heb 7:9-10). What God the”
- Isaiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Isaiah 60:22: 60:22 I, the Lord: The Lord identifies himself as the covenant God of Israel. His identity ensures that he will make it happen (see 27:3-4).”