Many names of God are common in the Bible. However, a short look at them make us realize the clear contradiction Jews and Christians got in regarding their God.
When asked about the name of God in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, Christian thinkers answer that “the God of the Jews or the Old Testament is such and such”, and the image in our minds reveals that the God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament. Upon such contradiction about were the two from Two gods or one God!
On the Jewish side, we find the same thing. They monopolize the name of God. The name of God – according to the Jews – is sacred, and it is not proper for the common people to utter it and it should be pronounced by a certain sect of them only!
“God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations.” (Exodus 3:15)
By asking about the many names of God in the Old Testament, they show that they are only titles, and do not denote multiple deities. Among these names mentioned in the Bible and in the Old Testament in particular:
Elohim (אלוהים)
Many Bible commentators claim that it is a word which denotes the name of God in the plural. Among the texts that mention such a Hebrew name of God are:
“In the beginning God (Elohim according to Hebrew version) created the heaven and the earth..” (Genesis 1: 1)
Adonai
This name denotes “master” or the owner of heaven and earth.
“My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”.” (Psalm 16:2).
Eil Shadai (שַׁדַּ֔י (šad·day)
Meaning “al-the most Powerful/ The Almighty Lord”:
(Genesis 1:17):
“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God Almighty (אֲנִי־ (’ă·nî-) אֵ֣ל (’êl) שַׁדַּ֔י (šad·day)); walk before me, and be thou perfect”
Jehovah/Yahweh
It is one of the most important names of God in the Bible that a sect called Jehovah’s Witnesses, a mixture of Judaism and Christianity calling for God as having only this name has emerged,! Among those texts contained it are:
“ “You are my witnesses,” says Yahweh/ Jehovah, “With my servant whom I have chosen; that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed, neither will there be after me.” (Isaiah 43: 10-13)
“God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations.” (Exodus 3:15)
There are also many other names which include:
-Jehovah/YAHWEH-JIREH,” God will manage” (Genesis 22:14)
– Jehovah/YAHWEH-RAPHA “The Healing Lord” (Exodus 15:26)
– Yahweh/YAHWEH-NISSI “The Lord is our memorial” (Exodus 17:15)
-Jehovah/YAHWEH-M’KADDESH “The Lord who sanctifies” (Leviticus 20: 8; Ezekiel 28:37)
-Jehovah/YAHWEH-SHALOM “The Lord, our peace” (Judges 6:24 (Genesis 2: 4; Psalm 59: 5), meaning the Lord of lords.
-Jehovah/YAHWEH-TSIDKENU “Jehovah/Yahweh (The Lord) (is) our righteousness” (Jeremiah 16:33)
-Jehovah/YAHWEH-ROHI/My Spirit “The Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23: 1)
-Jehovah/YAHWEH-SHAMMAH “The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) – (Ezekiel 8-11) – (Ezekiel 44: 1-4).
-Jehovah/YAHWEH-SABAOTH “Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46: 7)
-EL ELYON “Higher” (Deuteronomy 19:26), ,Meaning “the Most High God”.
– EL ROI “God of Vision/seeing” (Genesis 16:13)
-EL-OLAM “The Eternal God” (Psalm 103: 90)
-EL-GIBHOR “God Almighty” (Isaiah 6: 9) – (Revelation 19:15).
Investigation
In fact, a lot of confusion prevailed in this aspect of the two sects of Jews and Christians. They mixed the names of God with His attributes, so you hardly find a disciplinary measure for distinction between them; we find out that they have considered many of God’s actions and attributes as his names!
We, also, feel confusion on another side. The translators of the Bible were confused about the name of god so that one of the two groups may not monopolize it, or the New Testament supporters may not be disdained or rejected.
Therefore, translators resorted to a general word, which is “Lord or God”. In the Arabic translations of the two Testaments God names were translated to the Arabic general word “Al-Rab (i.e. God).” They have thus escaped from a stalemate to a more severe stalemate, falling into absurd justifications for the Trinity by claiming that all divine names in the Old-Testament should be given to Jesus (who was not yet born) or the Holy Spirit. In his book “The Names of God in the Bible”, Dr Minis even claimed that all God’s names in the Old Testament should at least bear the prophecy of trinity!
As for Islam, we do not find embarrassment in the multiplicity of the Names of God Almighty. What, however, is forbidden is to mix them with polytheism in any form like the belief that they denote different gods or the multiplicity of Gods as Christians believe. Allah Almighty said in the Qur’an:
“And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing..” (180: 7)
“Say, “Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever [name] you call – to Him belong the best names.” And do not recite [too] loudly in your prayer or [too] quietly but seek between that an [intermediate] way. “.(17:110)
“He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor, the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (24:59)
The People of the Book, Jews and Christians, fell into deviation and polytheism in the names and attributes of God. So, we read in the Bible that God cries, regrets, and fears! We see manifestations of degrade for God in likening him to creatures!
It is even worse that Christians, who followed the way of the pagans, polytheists and idol-worshipers, translated the word “Lord or God” to refer to Christ or made Christ a partner or a match to Allah.
The Muslim Imam At-Tabari, (a well-known Muslim interpreter of the Noble Qur’an) says about the interpretation of the aforementioned Qur’anic verse (180: 7): “Their polytheistic approach in the names of God was through giving the names of God to their gods or idols. They increased in them and decreased them. They even called one of their gods “Lat”, deriving it from the word “Allah”, and the other god “Uza”, as a derivation from the name of God, “Al-Aziz.”
After this verse, God has shown that there is a nation among other nations that did not fall into such aberration and delusion; it is the nation of Islam.
Muslims believed in God as one Lord and did not fall in deviation as regard to His names or attributes. They kept him away from any shortfall and singled him with worship:
“And whoever created us will lead a nation to be guided by truth, and through it they will be righteous” (181: 7)
The Qur’an, moreover, justly recommend a group of the People of the Book before Islam, who followed Moses, peace be upon him, and did not fall into such aberration and delusion:
“And among the people of Moses is a community which guides by truth and by it establishes justice.” (159: 7)
References
-Dr. Pastor Mounis Abdel Nour, God’s Names in the Holy Bible, Cairo.
-The Holy Quran (via / tanzil.ne)
-The Bible (via biblehub.com)
-https://www.gotquestions.org/Arabic/Arabic-names-of-God.html