3 GILL on the Names of God
Being about to treat of God, and of the things of God, it may be proper to begin with his names: the names of persons and things are usually the first that are known of them; and if these are not known, it cannot be thought that much, if any thing, is known of them; and where the name of God is not known, he himself cannot be known; and the rather the consideration of his name, or names, is worthy of regard, because they serve to lead into some knowledge of his nature and perfections; and therefore a proper introduction to such a subject. Indeed, properly speaking, since God is incomprehensible, he is not nominable; and being but one, he has no need of a name to distinguish him; and therefore Plato says, he has no name; and hence he commonly calls him το ον [to on], Ens, The Being.
So when Moses asked the Lord, what he should say to the children of Israel, should they ask the name of him that sent him to them, he bid him say, I am that I am; that is, The eternal Being, the Being of beings; which his name Jehovah is expressive of: nevertheless, there are names of God in the Scriptures taken from one or other of his attributes, which are worthy of consideration.
The names of God, as Zanchy observes, some of them respect him as the subject, as Jehovah, Lord, God: others are predicates, what are spoken of him, or attributed to him, as holy, just, good, etc. Some respect the relation the divine Persons in the Godhead stand in to each other, as Father, Son, and Spirit: others the relation of God to the creatures; and which are properly said of him, and not them, as Creator, Preserver, Governor, etc. some are common to the Three divine persons, as Jehovah, God, Father, Spirit; and some peculiar to each, as the epithets of unbegotten, begotten, proceeding from the Father and the Son: some are figurative and metaphorical, taken from creatures, to whom God is compared; and others are proper names, by which he either calls himself, or is called by the prophets and apostles, in the books of the Old and New Testament; which are what will be particularly considered.
1. Elohim is the first name of God we meet with in Scripture, and is translated God, Gen. 1:1
Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
and is most frequently used throughout the whole Old Testament; sometimes, indeed, improperly of creatures, angels, and men, and of false deities, Psa. 8:5; 82:1,6; Jer. 10:11, but properly only of God.
Psa. 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Psa. 82:1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
Psa. 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
Jer. 10:11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.
Some derive this word from a root, which signifies to curse and swear; but as to the reasons why this name is given to the divine Being on that account, it is not agreed; some of late, have given this as a reason, because the three divine Persons, as they in a shocking manner express it, bound themselves with an oath, under a curse, to redeem mankind; which, to say no worse of, is indecent and unworthy of the dignity and majesty of God, who is blessed for evermore; for to bind himself with an oath, and that under a conditional curse; which is no other than to imprecate a curse upon himself, if his oath and covenant are not fulfilled; is so harsh, if not something worse, as is not to be endured: and though Christ agreed to redeem men, and to be made a curse for them, that they might receive the blessing; yet he was not accursed through any failure of his oath and covenant; but on another account, being the Surety of his people; nor is he ever called Eloah on that account, and still less the other two persons.
Besides there are other and better reasons to be given for this name of the divine Being, supposing it to be taken from the word signifying as above; as, because he adjures and causes others to swear, and binds them with an oath to himself; in which sense the word is used of men, 1 Sam. 14:24; 1 Kings 8:31.
1 Sam. 14:24 And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.
1 Kings 8:31 If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house.
Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.
and is the business of judges; by which oath men are bound to God, and not he to them; and so, according to the Jewish writers, the word is expressive of God as a judge; in which they are followed by some learned men: or, because he pronounces a man accursed who breaks his law, and neglects and despises the sacrifice and righteousness of Christ; so Cocceius: or, because he is the object men must swear by, whenever they swear at all; see Deut. 6:13; Isa. 65:16.
Deut. 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
Isa. 65:16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
Though this word Elohim cannot be derived from the word so signifying, because it has the immoveable and immutable ה, as appears from the point mappick, in its singular Eloah, and from the construction of it, which that word has not; and besides, that is never used of God when he is said to swear, but always another.
The word Elohim may be better derived from a word in the Arabic language, which signifies to worship, as is thought by many learned men and so is a fit name for God, who is the sole object of religious worship and adoration; not idols of gold, silver, etc. nor living men, nor persons deified after death, nor angels; but the Lord God only, Matt. 4:10.
Matt. 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
It is a word of the plural number; and though it has a singular, which is sometimes used, yet it is most frequently in this form; and being joined with a singular verb, as in Gen. 1:1
Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heaven and the earth.
It is thought to denote a plurality of persons in the unity of the divine essence; and certain it is, that three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, appeared, and were concerned in the creation of all things, Gen. 1:1; Psa. 33:6.
Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Psa. 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
2. Another name of God is El; and which may be observed in the word Beth-el, which signifies, The house of God, Gen. 12:7,8.
Gen. 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
Both the singular and plural, El Elim, the God of gods, are used in Dan. 11:36 and the word is left untranslated in Matt. 27:46, Eli, Eli; my God, my God.
Dan. 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
Matt. 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
It is commonly rendered, by Junius and Tremellius, the strong or mighty God; an epithet that well agrees with the divine Being, Job 9:4,19; Psa. 89:8,13.
Job 9:4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?
Job 9:19 If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?
Psa. 89:8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
Psa. 89:13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
and is one of the names of the Messiah, Isa. 9:6.
Isa. 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Hillerus takes this to be a part of the word Eloah, the singular of Elohim; which, according to him, signifies the first in essence; being the first and the last, the beginning and the end, Isa. 44:6; Rev. 1:8.
Isa. 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Rev. 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
It is expressive of the power of God.
3. The next name of God we meet with is Elion, the most high, Gen. 14:18-20,22.
Gen. 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
So Christ is called The son of the Highest, and the Spirit, the power of the Highest, Luke 1:32,35.
Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
and which name God has either from his habitation, the highest heavens; which is his palace, where he keeps his court, and which is his throne; in which high and holy place he, the high and lofty One, dwells, Isa. 57:15; 66:1, or from his superiority, power, and dominion over all creatures, over the highest personages on earth, and the highest angels in heaven, Psa. 83:18; 97:9. see also Eccl. 5:8.
Isa. 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Isa. 66:1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
Psa. 83:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
Psa. 97:9 For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.
Eccl. 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
or from the sublimity of his nature and essence, which is out of the reach of finite minds, and is incomprehensible, Job 11:7,8.
Job 11:7 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
This name was known among the Phoenicians, and is given to one of their deities, called Elioun, the most high; it is expressive of the supremacy of God.
4. Another name of God is Shaddai: under this name God appeared to Abraham, Gen. 17:1 and to which reference is had, Exo. 6:3.
Gen. 17:1 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.
Exo. 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
We translate it Almighty in both places, and in all others, particularly in the book of Job, where it is often mentioned; and it well agrees with him whose power is infinite and uncontrollable, and appears in the works of his hands, creation and providence. Some choose to render it sufficient, or all-sufficient. God; having a sufficiency in and of himself, and for himself, to make himself completely and infinitely happy; nor does he need, nor can he receive any thing from his creatures to add to his happiness; and he has a sufficiency for them; he can, and does, supply all the wants of his people, temporal and spiritual; his grace is sufficient for them.
Others render it Nourisher; deriving it from a word which signifies a breast; that being what creatures nourish their young with; and is made mention of when this name of God is spoken of, Gen. 49:25.
Gen. 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb.
God not only fills mens’ hearts with food and gladness, but he opens his hand, and satisfies the desire of all creatures, and gives them their meat in due season, Acts 14:17; Psa. 145:15,16.
Acts 14:17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
Psa. 145:15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
Hillerus derives it from a word which signifies to pour out, or shed; and it well agrees with God, who pours forth, or sheds his blessings, in great plenty, on his creatures; and which flow from him as from a fountain; to which he is often compared: though others give a very different etymology of it; deriving it from a word which signifies to destroy; to which there seems to be a beautiful allusion in Isa. 13:6. Destruction from Shaddai, the destroyer, who destroyed the old world, Sodom and Gomorrah, the firstborn of the Egyptians, and Pharaoh and his host: though God is so called, previous to most of these instances; indeed he is the lawgiver, that is able to save and to destroy; even to destroy body and soul in hell, with an everlasting destruction.
Isa. 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
And some render the word the Darter, or Thunderer; whose darts are his thunderbolts, Job 6:4; Psa. 18:13,14.
Job 6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.
Psa. 18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
The heathens called their chief god, Jupiter, Tonans, The Thunderer: and, perhaps, from another etymology of this word before given, from ד a breast. Some of their deities are represented as full of breasts; so Ceres, Isis, and Diana. This name seems to be expressive of the all-sufficiency of God, and of the supply of his creatures from it.
5. Another of the names of God is, the Lord, or God of hosts; it is first mentioned in 1 Sam. 1:3,11, but frequently afterwards; and is left untranslated in James 5:4,
1 Sam. 1:3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
James 5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
where the Lord is called, the Lord of Sabaoth, not Sabbath, as it is sometimes wrongly understood; and as if it was the same with Lord of Sabbath, Matt. 12:8,
Matt. 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
for though the words are somewhat alike in sound, they are very different in sense; for Sabbath signifies rest, and Sabaoth means hosts or armies. The Lord is the God of armies on earth, a man of war, expert in it; that teacheth mens’ hands to war, and their fingers to fight, and is the generalissimo of them, as he was particularly of the armies of Israel, as they are called, Exo. 7:4,
Exo. 7:4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
which he brought out of Egypt, and went at the head of them, and fought their battles for them; see Exo. 14:14; 15:3,
Exo. 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Exo. 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
and who gives success and victory on what side soever he takes: and he is the Lord of the hosts of the starry heavens; the sun, moon, and stars, called the host of heaven, Gen. 2:1; 2 Kings 21:3; 23:5,
Gen. 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 Kings 21:3 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them.
2 Kings 23:5 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them.
and by this military term, because under the Lord they sometimes fight as the stars did against Sisera, Judges 5:20, and also of the airy heavens; and the locusts that fly there are his army, Joel 2:7,11
Judges 5:20 They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
Joel 2:7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.
Joel 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
and the meteors, thunder and lightning, snow and hail, which are laid up by him against the day of battle and war, are the artillery he sometimes brings forth against the enemies of his people; as he did against the Egyptians and Canaanites, Job 38:22,23; Exo. 9:24,25; Jos 10:11
Job 38:22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail.
23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
Exo. 9:24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.
Jos 10:11 And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms.
The angels also are the militia of heaven, and are called the heavenly host, Luke 2:13; see 1 Kings 22:19,
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying.
1 Kings 22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
Gen. 32:1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
two hosts or armies, one going before him, and the other behind him; or the one on one side him and the other on the other, to guard him; hence they are said to encamp about them that fear the Lord, Psa. 34:7.
Psa. 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
These are the creatures of God by whom he is adored and served; they are at his command, and sometimes employed in a military way, to destroy his and his peoples’ enemies; see 2 Kings 19:35.
2 Kings 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
This name is expressive of God’s dominion over all his creatures, and the several armies of them.
6. Another name of God is Adonai, or Adon, Gen. 15:2, and is commonly rendered Lord. Hence the Spanish word don for lord. God is so called, because he is the Lord of the whole earth, Zech. 4:14.
Gen. 15:2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
Zech. 4:14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
Some derive it from a word which signifies the basis, prop, or support of any thing. So a king in the Greek language is called βασιλευς [basileus],because he is the basis and support of his people: and so God is the support of all his creatures; he upholds all things by the word of his power; he bears up the pillars of the earth; all men move and have their being in him; and he upholds his saints with the right hand of his righteousness; and even his Son as man and mediator, Isa. 41:10; 42:1.
Isa. 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isa. 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Some think it has the signification of a judge; God is the judge of all the earth; and is a righteous one, protects and defends good men, and takes vengeance on the wicked; and will judge the world in righteousness at the last day. Though, perhaps, Hillerus is most correct in rendering it the Cause, from which, and for which, all things are; as all things are made by the Lord, and for his will, pleasure, and glory, see Rom. 11:36
Rom. 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Heb. 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Rev. 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Adon is used in the plural number of God, Mal. 1:6, and so Adonai is used of the Son, as well as of the Father, Psalm 110:1, and of the Holy Spirit, Isa. 6:8, compared with Acts 28:25.
Mal. 1:6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
Psalm 110:1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Isa. 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Acts 28:25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
Hence Adonis, with the heathens, the same with the sun, their chief deity, according to Macrobius, by whom Bacchus is called Ebon, or rather Edon; who, he says, is also the same with the sun.
7. The famous name of God is Jehovah; this is a name he takes to himself and claims it, Exo. 6:3; Isa. 42:8, and is peculiar to him; his name alone is Jehovah, and incommunicable to another, Psa. 83:18, because this name is predicated of God, as a necessary and self-existent being, as a learned Jew observes, which no other is; for though it is sometimes spoken of another, yet not singly and properly, but with relation to him. So the church is called Jehovah-shammah, because of his presence with her, Ezek. 48:35.
Exo. 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
Isa. 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Psa. 83:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
Ezek. 48:35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.
The Jews, from a superstitious abuse of it, assert it to be ineffable, and not to be pronounced, and even not to be read and written, and therefore they substitute other names instead of it, as Adonai, and Elohim. This might arise, originally, from their very great awe and reverence of this name, according to Deut. 28:58, but every name of God is reverend, and not to be taken in vain, nor used in common, nor with any degree of levity, Psa. 111:9.
Deut. 28:58 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD.
Psa. 111:9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
It is written with four letters only; hence the Jews call it tetragrammaton, and is very probably the τετρακτυς [tetraktus] of the Pythagoreans, by which they swore; and it is remarkable, that the word for God is so written in almost all languages; denoting, it may be, that he is the God of the whole world; and ought to be served and worshiped, and his name to be great and had in reverence in the four quarters of it; it takes in all tenses, past, present, and to come: the words of the evangelist John are a proper periphrasis of it; which is, and which was, and which is to come, Rev. 1:4, or, shall be, as in Rev. 16:5,
Rev. 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne.
Rev. 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
it comes from the root היה or הוה which signify, to be, and is expressive of the essence of God; of his necessary and self-existence, for God naturally and necessarily exists; which cannot be said of any other: creatures owe their being to the arbitrary will of God; and so might be, and might not be, as he pleased; but God exists in and of himself, he is a self-existent and independent Being, as he must needs be, since he is before all creatures, and therefore cannot have his being from them; and he is the cause of theirs, and therefore must be independent of them; and yet, when we say he is self-existent, it must not be understood as if he made himself; for though he exists, he is not made.
He is the Being of beings; all creatures have their beings from him and in him, the heavens, earth, and sea, and all that is in them; he is the former and maker of all things; he is eminently the Being, and all in comparison of him are mere non-entities; all nations, and the inhabitants of them, are as nothing before him; yea, less than nothing, and vanity, Isa. 40:17.
Isa. 40:17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
8. Jah is another name of God, which is mentioned in Psa. 68:4; 150:6; Isa 26:4, though it may be only an abbreviation or contraction of the word Jehovah, and may signify the same; according to Cocceius, it comes from יאה Jer. 10:7, and signifies decency, or what is meet and becoming.
Psa. 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
Isa 26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
Jer. 10:7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
9. Ejeh is a name God gave as a name of his to Moses, when he sent him to the children of Israel; and is translated I AM that I AM, Exo. 3:13,14, and may be rendered, I shall be what I shall be, and what I have been; so the Jews interpret it; I am he that was, I am he that is now, and I am he that is to come, or shall be. It seems to be of the same signification with Jehovah, and to be derived from the same word, and is expressive of the same things; of the being and existence of God, of his eternity and immutability, and of his faithfulness in performing his promises: our Lord has a manifest respect unto it, when he says, Before Abraham was I AM, John 8:58. Hillerus renders it I remain, that is, always the same.
Exo. 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
10. The names of God in the New Testament are these two κυριος [kurios] and θεος [theos], the one is usually rendered Lord and the other God. The first is derived either from κυρω [kuro], to be, and signifies the same as Jehovah, to which it commonly answers, and denotes the essence or being of God; or from κυρος [kuros], power and authority; and agrees with God, who has a sovereign power and authority over all creatures, having a property in them, by virtue of his creation of them; it is generally used of Christ, who is Lord of all, Acts 10:36; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:6.
Acts 10:36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
1 Cor. 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
Eph. 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
The etymology of θεος [theos], God, is very different; as either from a word which signifies to run, or from one that signifies to heat, or from one that signifies to see; which seem to be calculated by the heathens for the sun, the object of their worship, applicable to it, for its constant course, being the fountain of light and heat, and seeing all things, as they affirm: though each of them may be applied to the true God, who runs to the assistance of his people in distress, 2 Chron. 16:9; Psa. 46:1, is light itself, the Father of lights, and a consuming fire, 1 John 1:5; James 1:17; Heb. 12:29, and sees all men, their ways and works, and even their hearts, and the thoughts of them, Job 34:21,22; 1 Sam. 16:7.
1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Heb. 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
2 Chron. 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
Psa. 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Some derive it from a word which signifies to dispose; and which agrees with God, who disposes of, and orders all things in the armies of the heavens, and among the inhabitants of the earth, according to the council of his will, and to answer the purposes of his own glory, and the good of his creatures.
Though, perhaps, it may be best of all to derive it from a word which signifies fear, and so describes God as the object of fear and reverence; who is not only to be stood in awe of by all the inhabitants of the earth, Psa. 33:8, but more especially is to be feared with a godly fear by his saints, Psa. 87:7; Heb 12:28, and fear sometimes takes in the whole worship of God, both internal and external; and so the true God, in distinction from others, is called, the fear, that is, the God of Isaac, Gen. 31:53, and דחלא [dahol] fear, is sometimes used in the Targum for the true God, as it sometimes is of idols.
Psa. 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
Psa. 87:7 As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee.
Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
Gen. 31:53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac.
From all these names of God we learn that God is the eternal, immutable, and almighty Being, the Being of beings, self-existent, and self-sufficient, and the object of religious worship and adoration.
THE END