Historical Posts

God, the Father – The Name of the Lord

Most of the time, He is simply called, “God” (Romans 15:30; 2 Corinthians 13:14). This is one reason why some people see Him as the “Chairman” of the Godhead. But, this view is mistaken, since all the members of the Godhead are co-equal with each other (John 17:20-21).

Also, He is known as, “the Father” (Ephesians 4:6; John 14:8-9). This term is indicative of the parental relationship that God has with us (Hebrews 12:5-13). The concept of God, as our Heavenly Father is meant to reinforce the fact that He loves us supremely (1 John 4:8; John 3:16).

In the King James Version of the Bible, He is frequently called, “the Lord.” The vast majority of the examples of this are found in the Old Testament. This can be a bit confusing, since Jesus is frequently called, “the Lord” in the New Testament.

In the American Standard Version, and in most modern versions of the Bible, He is called, “Jehovah.” Some versions use the word, “Yahweh,” instead of “Jehovah.” This is an attempt to transliterate the Hebrew word, “Yehovah,” which is the Jewish name for God. As it says in the rendering of Psalm 83:18 ASV, “That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the Most High over all the earth.” Originally, the word was simply, “Yhwh,” before vowels were added to the written Hebrew language.

No matter how it is translated, “Yehovah” usually refers to God, the Father. In Deuteronomy 6:4, it is used to describe the concept of the Godhead. There, the text says, “Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.” In this passage, we see the two most commonly used Hebrew words for God: “Yehovah” and “Elohiym.” “Elohiym” is the most commonly used Hebrew word for God, and the interesting thing about it is that it is a plural word. It appears in Genesis 1:26, where the text says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Clearly, the ancient Hebrews understood the concept of a plurality of beings, which share “the state, or office, or quality of being God!”

Throughout the Bible, we are presented with a clear picture of divinity as three beings who are, in fact, ONE GOD (Deuteronomy 6:4). A study of name of God helps us to understand this important principle.