Les Noms De Dieu Dans La Bible Et Leur Signification

The Hebrew Scriptures employ two principal names for the one true God: Elohim and Jehovah (YHWH). Elohim, commonly translated "God," is the plural form of Eloah—related to the Arabic Allah—and often appears in the shortened form El, signifying strength or power ^[6]. This name appears in compound forms such as El-Shaddai (God Almighty), the designation by which God was specially known to the patriarchs ^[6]. The primary idea conveyed by Elohim is that of strength, power, and effect ^[6]. Jehovah, rendered "Lord" in most English translations, derives from the tetragrammaton YHWH and expresses God's self-existence, eternity, and immutability—the name by which God made himself known to Israel ^[12].

Compound Names and Their Meanings

The biblical text preserves numerous compound divine names that reveal specific aspects of God's character and actions. Jehovah-jireh, meaning "the Lord will provide," commemorates God's provision of a ram in place of Isaac ^[2]. Personal names incorporating divine elements further illustrate this pattern: Jesimiel means "naming, or astonishment, of God" ^[1]; Jemuel signifies "God's day; son of God" ^[4]; and Magdiel translates as "declaring God; chosen fruit of God" ^[3]. The element "El" or "Lael" in names points "to God; to the mighty" ^[5], demonstrating how Hebrew nomenclature embedded theological confession within personal identity.

The Significance of the Divine Name

In biblical thought, a name represented far more than mere identification—it embodied a person's character, reputation, and origin ^[10]. God's name was to be treated with reverence, as commanded in the Decalogue, because using it in a curse reflected a sinful attitude toward God himself and merited capital punishment ^[10]. The term "the name" (Hebrew ha-shem) became so significant that it was sometimes used in oral Scripture reading to avoid uttering the personal name YHWH ^[7]. This practice reflects the profound reverence accorded to the divine name in Jewish tradition.

The New Testament extends this theology of the name to Jesus. The declaration "I am" in Revelation 1:8 echoes the divine name revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:13-14, and Jesus applied this name to himself ^[9]. The apostolic community understood Jesus as bearing the name of God, with "the name" becoming a technical term for Christ himself ^{[7, 13]}. When Christ promised to "declare thy name unto my brethren," he referred not merely to a designation but to revealing God's nature and perfections through the Gospel ^[13].

The Name as Revelation

The concept of God's name encompasses his self-revealed character. John Gill interprets "thy name" in the Psalms as referring either to God's nature and perfections or, more specifically, to the Gospel by which he is made known ^[11]. Those who "know thy name" are not merely acquainted with a title but understand God as gracious and merciful, forgiving sin—particularly as revealed in Christ, in whom God's name resides ^[14]. This knowledge extends beyond notional awareness to experiential trust in Christ as able, willing, and all-sufficient Savior ^[14].

The declaration "I am the Lord, that is my name" in Isaiah 42:8 emphasizes Jehovah as a name peculiar to the true God, distinguishing him from all false deities ^[12]. This exclusivity underscores the theological weight carried by divine nomenclature throughout Scripture. The name Jehovah itself, as Calvin and others have explored, contains profound truths about God's being, though interpretive debates about the precise usage of divine names in the Pentateuch continue among scholars ^[8].

The biblical names of God thus function as compressed theological statements, each revealing particular facets of the divine character while collectively pointing to the one God who is "Alpha and Omega," whose actions are all-encompassing and who remains fully in control ^[9].

Sources

Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jesimiel — naming, or astonishment, of God”
Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jehovah-jireh — the Lord will provide”
Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Magdiel — declaring God; chosen fruit of God”
Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jemuel — God's day; son of God”
Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Lael — to God; to the mighty”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: God — (good). Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures two chief names are used for the one true divine Being--ELOHIM, commonly translated God in our version, and [566]Jehovah, translated Lord . Elohim is the plural of Eloah (in Arabic Allah); it is often used in the short form EL (a word signifying strength, as in EL-SHADDAI, God Almighty, the name by which God was specially known to the patriarchs. (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; Exodus 6:3) The etymology is uncertain, but it is generally agreed that the primary idea is that of strength, power of effect, and that it properly describes”
1 Kings (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Kings 5:4: 5:4-5 Unlike David, Solomon enjoyed peace [literally rest] on every side. Solomon’s name (Hebrew shlomoh) may be a variation of the word for “peace” (Hebrew shalom). • The name of the Lord signifies God’s self-revealed character and reputation. The Hebrew term translated the name was sometimes used in oral reading of Scripture so the reader could avoid uttering the personal name of God (the tetragrammaton—YHWH). The New Testament applies the term “the name” to Jesus (Acts 5:41; 3 Jn 1:7).”
CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 6.10: be found to Vitringa and others. Against this view, however, Hengstenberg argues with considerable force, in his Dissertation “on the Names of God in the Pentateuch;” and if some of his reasonings in the use of these names seem too refined for the simplicity of the Holy Scriptures, and for the comprehension of those to whom the Scriptures are chiefly addressed, yet we may discover the germ of very important truths, thought they may be, in some degree, hidden beneath a variety of fanciful developments. By a very careful examination”
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.”
Leviticus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Leviticus 24:11: 24:11 blasphemed . . . with a curse In biblical times, a name was more than a means of identification; it represented a person’s character, reputation, and origin. God is holy, and he was to be regarded as holy in all of Israel’s life (see 10:3). The Israelites had been instructed to treat God’s name with reverence (Exod 20:7). Using his name in a curse reflected a sinful attitude toward God himself (Lev 24:15), and it deserved death (24:13-16). The wording in the Hebrew text is very strong: Two verbs meaning “curse” are used, one that indicated a more formal ”
Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 8:1: O Lord our God,.... Jehovah, the one God, who is Lord of all angels and men, and in an especial manner Lord and King of saints; how excellent is thy name in all the earth! by the "name" of God is not meant any particular name of his, by which he is called; but either himself, his nature and perfections; or rather that by which he is made known, and particularly his Gospel; see Joh 17:6; this is excellent in its nature, it being good news, and glad tidings of good things, which display the love, grace, mercy, and kindness of God to men, as well as his wisdom, power, t”
Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 42:8: I am the Lord, that is my name,.... Jehovah, a name expressive of his self-existence, eternity, and immutability; a name by which be made himself known to Israel of old, and which is peculiar to him, and does not belong to another, and so distinguishes him from all false gods; see Exo 3:14 or, "Hu is my name" (p); to which "he himself the same", answers; see Psa 102:27, compared with Heb 13:8 and this is one of the names of God with the Jews (q); as Hou is with the Turks to this day; which, in Arabic, signifies "him": that is, God, as Monsieur Thevenot (r) observes; s”
Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 22:22: I will declare thy name unto my brethren,.... Not those who were more nearly related to him according to the flesh; for though there were some who believed in him, and to whom he declared the name of God, as James and Joses, and Judas and Simon, Mat 13:55; yet there were others that did not believe on him, Joh 7:3; nor those more remotely related to him, as all the Jews, who were his brethren and kinsmen also according to the flesh; to these indeed he came and preached, but they received him not; but rather his apostles, whom he called his brethren, even after his re”
Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 9:9: And they that know thy name,.... As proclaimed in the Gospel, a God gracious and merciful, and forgiving sin; and as in Christ, in whom his name is, and in whom he is the God of love, grace, and mercy, though out of him a consuming fire; or the name of Christ himself, the Word of the Lord, who is the refuge of saints and sinners; his name Jesus, a Saviour: such who know him to be the able, willing, complete, all sufficient, and everlasting Saviour; who know his power and faithfulness to keep what is committed to him; and who know him not merely notionally and speculati”

Ask Your Own Question