13
The numerous names for God have been a source of debate among biblical scholars. Elohim (god, or authority, plural form), El (mighty one), El Shaddai (almighty), Adonai (master), Elyon (highest), Avinu (our father), are regarded by many religious Jes not as names, but as titles highlighting different aspects of !"#" and the various $roles$ of God. "oever other Jeish sources accept that the fact that there are various names of God used in the "ebre %ible, and that Elohim is a plural ord may suggest a polytheistic origin. &'  Thus the ancient abbis ent to great lengths to try to account for the number of the names of God, by claiming that they account for the various aspects of God. The Tetragrammaton The Tetragrammaton in *hoenician (''++ %E to E -++), Aramaic ('+th entury %E to +) and modern "ebre scripts.  Main article: Tetragrammaton The name of God in Judaism used most often in the  "ebre %ible is the fourletter name /0/1 (!"#"), also 2non as the Tetragrammaton. The Tetragrammaton appears 3,454 times in the %iblia "ebraica Stuttgartensia edition of the "ebre 6asoretic Te7t. 8t is first mentioned in the Genesis 59: and is traditionally translated as The L  ORD  in English language %ibles. The "ebre letters are (right to left) !odh, "e, #a and "e (/0/1). 8t is ritten as !"#", !";", or J";" in English, depending on the transliteration convention that is used. !"#" is an archaic third  person singular imperfect of the verb <to be< (meaning, therefore, <"e is<). This interpretation agrees ith the meaning of the name given in E7odus  -9':, here God is represented as spea2ing, and hence as using the first person (<8 am<). 8t stems from the abbinic conception of monotheism that God e7ists by himself for himself, and is the uncreated reator ho is independent of any concept, force, or entity (<8 am that 8 am<). An early depiction of the Tetragrammaton=circa 3++ %E. *ortion of riting on silver  scroll ith the <*riestly %enediction< (>umbers 395:?53)

Names of God in Judaism

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 1/13

The numerous names for God have been a source of debate among biblical scholars. Elohim (god, orauthority, plural form), El (mighty one), El Shaddai (almighty), Adonai (master), Elyon (highest),Avinu (our father), are regarded by many religious Jes not as names, but as titles highlightingdifferent aspects of !"#" and the various $roles$ of God.

"oever other Jeish sources accept that the fact that there are various names of God used in the"ebre %ible, and that Elohim is a plural ord may suggest a polytheistic origin. &' Thus the ancientabbis ent to great lengths to try to account for the number of the names of God, by claiming thatthey account for the various aspects of God.

The Tetragrammaton

The Tetragrammaton in *hoenician (''++ %E to E -++), Aramaic ('+th entury %E to +) andmodern "ebre scripts.

 Main article: Tetragrammaton

The name of God in Judaism used most often in the "ebre %ible is the fourletter name /0/1(!"#"), also 2non as the Tetragrammaton. The Tetragrammaton appears 3,454 times in the %iblia"ebraica Stuttgartensia edition of the "ebre 6asoretic Te7t. 8t is first mentioned in the Genesis 59: and is traditionally translated as The L ORD  in English language %ibles.

The "ebre letters are (right to left) !odh, "e, #a and "e (/0/1). 8t is ritten as !"#", !";", orJ";" in English, depending on the transliteration convention that is used. !"#" is an archaic third

 person singular imperfect of the verb <to be< (meaning, therefore, <"e is<). This interpretation agreesith the meaning of the name given in E7odus -9':, here God is represented as spea2ing, and henceas using the first person (<8 am<). 8t stems from the abbinic conception of monotheism that Gode7ists by himself for himself, and is the uncreated reator ho is independent of any concept, force, or

entity (<8 am that 8 am<).

An early depiction of the Tetragrammaton=circa 3++ %E. *ortion of riting on silver  scroll ith the<*riestly %enediction< (>umbers 395:?53)

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 2/13

The Tetragrammaton as ritten in contrasting *aleo"ebre characters in some of the oldestsurviving s@uare Aramaic "ebre te7ts, and ere not read as Adonai (<6y ord<) until after theabbinic teachings after 8srael ent into %abylonian captivity. &5&need quotation to verify %ecause Judaismforbids pronouncing the name outside the Temple in Jerusalem, the correct pronunciation of theTetragrammaton may have been lost, as the original "ebre te7ts only included consonants. The

 prohibition of blasphemy, for hich capital punishment is prescribed in Jeish la, refers only to theTetragrammaton (Soferim iv., endB comp. Sanh. 33a).

*ortion of column 'C of the *salms Scroll (Tehilim) from Dumran ave ''. The Tetragrammaton in

 paleo"ebre can be clearly seen si7 times in this portion.

[edit] YHWH

 Further information: Yahweh

!"#"Sorry, your broser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player.!ou can donload the clip or  donload a player  to play the clip in your broser.The pronunciation ith the voels suggested in the 6asoretic Te7t. Some scholars suggestalternative pronunciations.

 Prolem! li!tening to thi! file" #ee media hel$%

abbinical Judaism teaches that the fourletter name of God, !"#", is forbidden to be uttered e7cept by the "igh *riest in the "oly Temple on !om ippur . Throughout the service, the "igh *riest pronounced the name !"#" <Fust as it is ritten< in each blessing he made. #hen the peoplestanding in the Temple courtyard heard the name they prostrated flat on the Temple floor. The nameceased to be pronounced in Second Temple Judaism, by the -rd century %E.&-

*assages such as9 <And, behold, %oa came from %ethlehem, and said unto the reapers, !"#" &be

ith you. And they ansered him, !"#" bless thee.< (uth 59:), indicates the name as still being pronounced at the time of the redaction of the "ebre %ible in the 3th or Hth century %E. The prohibition against verbaliing the name did not apply to the forms of the name ithin theophoricnames (the prefi7es yeho&, yo&, and the suffi7es &yahu, &yah) and their pronunciation remains in use.The historical pronunciation of !"#" is suggested by hristian scholars to be Yahweh. This

 pronunciation is allegedly based on historical and linguistic evidence. Irthodo7 and someonservative Jes never pronounce !"#", and especially not <!aheh<, as it is connotated ithhristendom. Some religious nonIrthodo7 Jes are illing to pronounce it, for educational purposesonly, never in casual conversation or in prayer. 8nstead, Jes say  Adonai.

The Jeish *ublication Society translation of 'C', in online versions, uses !"#" once at E7odus

39- in order to e7plain its use among hristians. &citation needed 

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 3/13

[edit] Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh

 Main article: ' Am that ' Am

EhyehAsherEhyeh

Sorry, your broser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player.!ou can donload the clip or  donload a player  to play the clip in your broser.

 Prolem! li!tening to thi! file" #ee media hel$%

 (hyeh a!her ehyeh ("ebre9  אשא א ) is the first of three responses claimed to be givento 6oses hen he as2s for God$s name (E7odus -9':). 8t is one of the most famous verses in the"ebre %ible. The Tetragrammaton itself derives from the same verbal root. The ing James version of the %ible translates the "ebre as <8 Am that 8 Am< and uses it as a proper name for God. TheAramaic Targum In2elos leaves the phrase untranslated and is so @uoted in the Talmud (%. %.

-a&clarification needed 

).

Ehyeh is the firstperson singular imperfect form of hayah, <to be<. (hyeh is usually translated <8 ill be<, since the imperfect tense in "ebre denotes actions that are not yet completed (e.g. E7odus -9'5,<ertainly 8 ill be &ehyeh ith thee.<). &: Asher is an ambiguous pronoun hich can mean, dependingon conte7t, <that<, <ho<, <hich<, or <here<.&: The same root for $hayah$ e7ists in Arabic as ell andmeans $life.$ 8t occurs fre@uently in the Dur$an as the Sifat(attribute) Al"ayyu (iving), but it is alays

 paired ith AlDayyum (SelfSustaining). The Arabic ife Application %ible translates the name asK L M NOL PN QR   UV K  M NOL PN.

Although (hyeh a!her ehyeh is generally rendered in English <8 am that 8 am<, better renderings might

 be <8 ill be hat 8 ill be< or <8 ill be ho 8 ill be<, or <8 shall prove to be hatsoever 8 shall prove to be< or even <8 ill be because 8 ill be<.&H 8n these renderings, the phrase becomes an openended gloss on God$s promise in E7odus -9'5. Ither renderings include9 eeser, W8 #8 %E T"AT 8#8 %EXB otherham, W8 #ill %ecome hatsoever 8 please.X Gree2,  (go eimi ho on ( YZ [ \]ἐ ἰ ὁ

 ^), <8 am The %eing< in theὤ Septuagint,&3 and *hilo,&&4 and evelation&C  or, W8 am The E7istingIneXB at., ego !um qui !um, W8 am #ho 8 am.X&'+

[edit] Yah

Sorry, your broser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player.!ou can donload the clip or  donload a player  to play the clip in your broser.

 Prolem! li!tening to thi! file" #ee media hel$%

Yah appears often in theophoric names, such as EliFah or AdoniFah. The astafarian Jah is derivedfrom this, as is the e7pression "alleluFah. _ound in the Authoried ing James ;ersion of the %ible at*salm 349:. `ifferent versions report different names such as9 !A", !"#", I`, GI` and JA".

[edit] YHWH Tzevaot 

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 4/13

!"#" TevaotSorry, your broser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player.!ou can donload the clip or  donload a player  to play the clip in your broser.

 Prolem! li!tening to thi! file" #ee media hel$%

!"#" and Elohim fre@uently occur ith the ord t)evaot  or !aaoth (<hosts< or <armies<, "ebre90) as Y*+* (lohe T)evaot  (<!"#" God of "osts<), (lohey T)evaot  (<God of "osts<), AdonaiY*+* T)evaot  (<ord !"#" of "osts<) and, most fre@uently, Y*+* T)evaot  (<!"#" of "osts<).

This compound name occurs chiefly in the prophetic literature and does not appear at all in the Torah,Joshua or Judges. The original meaning of t)evaot  may be found in ' Samuel '9:H, here it isinterpreted as denoting <the God of the armies of 8srael<. The ord, in this special use is used todesignate the heavenly host, hile otherise it alays means armies or hosts of men, as, for e7ample,in E7odus 3953, 9:, '59:'.

[edit] Adonai

Shefa Tal A abbalistic e7planation of the *riestly %lessing ith Adonai inscribed.

8n the 6asoretic Te7t the name Y*+*  is voel pointed as /0/ 1, as if pronounced Y(&*O&,A*  inmodern "ebre, and Y-h.w/h in Tiberian vocaliation. Traditionally in Judaism, the name is not

 pronounced but read as Adonai (  ̍ d j  ̍n aɪ ) (<6aster<, <ord<&'') during prayer, and referred to as"aShem (<the >ame<) at all other times. This is done out of reluctance to pronounce the nameanyhere but in the Temple in Jerusalem, due to its holiness. This tradition has been cited by mostscholars as evidence that the 6asoretes voel pointed !"#" as they did only to indicate to thereader they are to pronounce <Adonai< in its place. #hile the voel points of 1k (A ny) andḏ /0/ 1(!jhh) are very similar, they are not identical, hich may indicate that the 6asoretic voel

 pointing represented the actual pronunciation of the name Y*+*  and as not or not only an indicationto use a substitute name (0ere&1etiv 2.&'5

[edit] HaShem

8t is common Jeish practice to restrict the use of the ord Adonai to prayer  only. 8n conversation,some Jeish people, even hen not spea2ing "ebre, ill call God *a#hem, q/, hich is "ebre

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 5/13

for <the >ame< (this appears in eviticus 5:9''). Some Jes e7tend this prohibition to some of theother names listed belo, and ill add additional sounds to alter the pronunciation of a name henusing it outside of a liturgical conte7t, such as replacing the <h< ith a <2< in names of God such as<k el< and <elok i$m<.

#hile other names of God in Judaism are generally restricted to use in a liturgical conte7t, *a#hem isused in more casual circumstances. *a#hem is used by some Irthodo7 Jes so as to avoid saying

 Adonai outside of a ritual conte7t. _or e7ample, hen some Irthodo7 Jes ma2e audio recordings of prayer services, they generally substitute *a#hem for AdonaiB a fe others have used Amonai.&'- Insome occasions, similar sounds are used for authenticity, as in the movie 3!h$i)in, here Aonai

 (lo4enu & !ic is used throughout.

[edit] Adoshem

p until the midtentieth century, the use of the ord Ado!hem, combining the first to syllables of<Adonai< ith the last syllable of <"ashem<$, as @uite common. This as discouraged by abbi`avid "aevi Segal in his commentary to the Shulchan Aruch. The rationale behind Segal$s reasoningas that it is disrespectful to combine a >ame of God ith another ord. 8t too2 a fe centuries forthe ord to fall into almost complete disuse. `espite being obsolete in most circles, it is usedoccasionally in conversation in place of Adonai by Jes ho do not ish to say Adonai but need tospecify the substitution of that particular ord. 8t is also used hen @uoting from the liturgy in a nonliturgical conte7t. _or e7ample, Shlomo arlebach performed his prayer <Shema !israel< ith theords #hema Yi!rael Ado!hem (lo4einu Ado!hem ( ad ḥ  instead of #hema Yi!rael Adonai (loheinu

 Adonai ( ad ḥ .

[edit] Other names and titles of God

[edit] Adonai

AdonaiSorry, your broser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player.!ou can donload the clip or  donload a player  to play the clip in your broser.

 Prolem! li!tening to thi! file" #ee media hel$%

 Main article: Adonai!t 

Adonai ( נדא ) is "ebre for <my lords<, from adon <lord, oner<.&': The singular form is Adoni, <mylord<. This as used by the *hoenicians for the god Tammu and is the origin of the Gree2 nameAdonis. Jes only use the singular to refer to a distinguished person.

The plural form is usually e7plained as $lurali! e5cellentiae. The pronunciation of the tetragrammatoncame to be avoided in the "ellenistic period, therefore Jes use <Adonai< instead in prayers, andcollo@uially ould use *a!hem (<the >ame<).

[edit] Baali

%aali ( pron.9   ̍b eɪ .jl aɪ )&'H is a former title used by the 8sraelites for  God. The title, hich means <mylord,< is derived from the possessive form of the honorific %aal. The Judeohristian prophet "osea

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 6/13

(%oo2 of "osea 59'3) reproached Jes for applying the title to Jehovah. 8nstead, he said, they shouldhave used the endearing title 8shi, hich means <my husband<. The verse goes &59

<8t ill come about in that day,< declares the I`, <That you ill call 6e ' 8shi And ill no longercall 6e %aali.

[edit] El

Sorry, your broser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player.!ou can donload the clip or  donload a player  to play the clip in your broser.

 Prolem! li!tening to thi! file" #ee media hel$%

 Main article: (l 6deity2

El appears in garitic, *hoenician and other 5nd and 'st millennium %E te7ts both as generic <god<and as the head of the divine pantheon.&'3 8n the "ebre %ible El ("ebre9 ) appears veryoccasionally alone (e.g. Genesis --95+, el elohe yi!rael , <El the god of 8srael<, and Genesis :39-, ha7elelohe ai4a, <El the god of your father<), but usually ith some epithet or attribute attached (e.g.  (l

 (lyon, <6ost "igh El<, (l #haddai, <El of #haddai<, (l 8Olam <Everlasting El<, (l *ai, <iving El<, (l Ro7i <El my Shepherd<, and (l 9ior  <El of Strength<), in hich cases it can be understood as thegeneric <god<. 8n theophoric names such as Gabriel (<Strength of God<), 6ichael (<#ho is li2eGod<), aphael (<God$s medicine<), Ariel (<God$s lion<), `aniel (<God$s Judgement<), 8srael (<oneho has struggled ith God<), 8mmanuel (<God is ith us<), and 8shmael (<God "ears<<Godistens<) it usually interpreted and translated as <God<, but it is not clear hether these <el<s refer todeity in general or to the god El in particular. &'

[edit] Elah

Elah ("ebre9 /w ), (plural <elim<) is the Aramaic ord for <aesome<. The origin of the ord isuncertain and it may be related to a root ord, meaning <reverence<. Elah is found in the Tana2h in the

 boo2s of Era, `aniel, and Jeremiah (Jer '+9'', the only verse in the entire boo2 ritten in Aramaic.)&'4 Elah is used to describe both pagan gods and the Jes$ God. The name is etymologically related toAllah, used by 6uslims.

• Elahavahati, God of my fathers, (`aniel 595-)

• Elah Elahin, God of gods (`aniel 59:)• Elah !erushelem, God of Jerusalem (Era 9'C)

• Elah !israel, God of 8srael (Era H9')

• Elah Shemaya, God of "eaven (Era 95-)

[edit] Eloah

The "ebre form (loah (/x0), hich appears to be a singular feminine form of (lohim, iscomparatively rare, occurring only in poetry and prose (in the %oo2 of Job, :' times). #hat is

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 7/13

 probably the same divine name is found in Arabic ( 'lah as singular <a god<, as opposed to Allah meaning <The God< or <God<, <al< in <alah< being the definite article <the<) and in Aramaic ( (laha).

 (loah or (lah may be considered cognates of Allah due to the common Semitic root name for (an orthe) creator God, as in El (deity) of ancient >ear Eastern cosmology. Allah (literally, al il/hʾ ) is also

the Arabic name for the God of Abraham in general, as it is used by Arab hristians and traditionally,6irahi Jes. 8ts Aramaic form,  Alhʼ   in use by modern Assyrian hristians, is ta2en from the

%iblical Aramaic  ;l/h/ʼ   and as the everyday ord for God at the time of the omanoccupation.

This unusual singular form of (lohim is used in si7 places for heathen deities (e7amples9 5 hronicles -59'HB `aniel ''9-, -4B). The normal (lohim form is also used in the plural a fe times to refer tomultiple entities other than God, either for gods or images (E7odus C9', '59'5, 5+9-B and so forth) orfor one god (E7odus -59'B Genesis -'9-+, -5B and elsehere). 8n the great maFority of cases both areused as names of the Ine God of 8srael.

[edit] Elohim

 Main article: (lohim

A common name of God in the "ebre %ible is Elohim ("ebre9  q1/ (helpinfo)). `espite the &im ending common to many plural nouns in "ebre, the ord (lohim hen referring to God isgrammatically singular, and ta2es a singular verb in the "ebre %ible. The ord is identical to theusual plural of el  meaning gods or magistrates, and is cognate to the $lhm found in garitic, here it isused for the pantheon of anaanite gods, the children of El and conventionally vocalied as <Elohim<although the original garitic voels are un2non. #hen the "ebre %ible uses elohim not in

reference to God, it is plural (for e7ample, E7odus 5+9-). There are a fe other such uses in "ebre,for e7ample <ehemoth. 8n 6odern "ebre, the singular ord a7alim (<oner<, <lord<, or <husband<)loo2s plural, but li2eise ta2es a singular verb.

A number of scholars have traced the etymology to the Semitic root =yl , <to be first, poerful<, despitesome difficulties ith this vie.&'C  (lohim is thus the plural construct <poers<. "ebre grammarallos for this form to mean <"e is the *oer (singular) over poers (plural)<, Fust as the ord

 <a7alim means <oner< (see above). <"e is lord (singular) even over any of those things that he onsthat are lordly (plural).<

Ither scholars interpret the &im ending as an e7pression of maFesty ( $lurali! ma>e!tati!) or e7cellence( $lurali! e5cellentiae), e7pressing high dignity or greatness9 compare ith the similar use of plurals ofa8al  (master) and adon (lord). _or these reasons many hristians cite the apparent plurality of elohim as evidence for the basic Trinitarian doctrine of the Trinity. This as a traditional position but there aresome modern hristian theologians ho consider this to be an e7egetical fallacy. &who"

Theologians ho dispute this claim cite the hypothesis that plurals of maFesty came about in moremodern times. ichard Toporos2i, a classics scholar, asserts that plurals of maFesty first appeared inthe reign of `iocletian (54:-+H E).&5+ 8ndeed, Gesenius states in his boo2 *erew 9rammar  thefolloing9&5'

The Jeish grammarians call such plurals z $lur% virium or virtutumB later grammarians call them $lur% e5cellentiae, magnitudini!, or $lur% maie!taticu!. This last name may have been suggested by the

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 8/13

we used by 2ings hen spea2ing of themselves (compare ' 6accabees '+9'C and ''9-')B and the plural used by God in Genesis '953 and ''9B 8saiah 394 has been incorrectly e7plained in this ay). 8tis, hoever, either communicative (including the attendant angels9 so at all events in 8saiah 394 andGenesis -955), or according to others, an indication of the fullne!! of $ower and might  implied. 8t is

 best e7plained as a plural of !elf&delieration. The use of the plural as a form of respectful address is

@uite foreign to "ebre.

;arious scholars have cited the use of plural as possible evidence to suggest an evolution in theformation of early Jeish conceptions of monotheism, herein references to <the gods< (plural) inearlier accounts of verbal tradition became either interpreted as multiple aspects of a singlemonotheistic God at the time of riting, or subsumed under a form of monolatry, herein the god(s)of a certain city ould be accepted after the fact as a reference to the God of 8srael and the pluraldeliberately dropped.&55

The plural form ending in &im can also be understood as denoting abstraction, as in the "ebre ordschayyim (<life<) or etulim (<virginity<). 8f understood this ay, (lohim means <divinity< or <deity<.

The ord chayyim is similarly syntactically singular hen used as a name but syntactically pluralotherise.

 (loah, (lohim, means <"e ho is the obFect of fear or reverence<, or <"e ith hom one ho is afraidta2es refuge<. Another theory is that it is derived from the Semitic root <uhl< meaning <to be strong<.Elohim then ould mean <the allpoerful Ine<, based on the usage of the ord <el< in certain versesto denote poer or might (Genesis -'95C, >ehemiah H9H).

8n many of the passages in hich elohim &loer case occurs in the %ible it refers to non8sraelitedeities, or in some instances to poerful men or Fudges, and even angels (E7odus 5'93, *salms 49H) asa simple plural in those instances.

[edit] El Roi

 Main article: (l Roi

8n Genesis '39'-, "agar calls the divine protagonist El oi. oi means Wseeing<. To "agar, Godrevealed "imself as <The God #ho sees<.

[edit] El Shaddai

 Main article: (l #haddai

El Shaddai ("ebre9 1  (helpinfo), pronounced & a da.iʃ ˈ ) is one of the names of God in Judaism,ith its etymology coming from the influence of the garitic religion on modern Judaism. El Shaddaiis conventionally translated as <God Almighty<. #hile the translation of (l  as <god< ingaritanaanite language is straightforard, the literal meaning of #haddai is the subFect of debate.

[edit] Elyon

{Elyon

Sorry, your broser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player.!ou can donload the clip or  donload a player  to play the clip in your broser.

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 9/13

 Prolem! li!tening to thi! file" #ee media hel$%

 Main article: (lyon

The name Elyon ("ebre9 |01}) occurs in combination ith El, !"#", Elohim and alone. 8t appearschiefly in poetic and later %iblical passages. The modern "ebre adFective <{Elyon< means <supreme<(as in <Supreme ourt<) or <6ost "igh<. (l (lyon has been traditionally translated into English as$God 6ost "igh$. The *hoenicians used hat appears to be a similar name for God, ~•]€^. 8t iscognate to the Arabic 8Aliyy.

[edit] The Eternal One

The epithet <The Eternal Ine< may increasingly be found instead, particularly in *rogressive Jeish communities see2ing to use genderneutral language.&5-

[edit] Shalom

 Main article: #halom

Talmudic authors,&5: ruling on the basis of Gideon$s name for an altar (<!";"Shalom<, according to(Judges 395:), rite that <the name of God is $*eace$< ( Pereq ha&#halom, Shab. '+b), B conse@uently, aTalmudic opinion (#haat , '+b) asserts that one is not permitted to greet another ith the ord

 !halom 6 hel$?info 2 in unholy places such as a bathroom . The name #hlomo, <"is peace< (from !halom,Solomon, 00), refers to the God of *eace. #halom can also mean either <hello< or <goodbye<,depending on conte7t (cf% <Aloha<).

[edit] Shekhinah

 Main article: #he4hinah

#he4hinah ("ebre9 /k1‚ (helpinfo)) is the presence or manifestation of God hich has descendedto <dell< among humanity. The term never appears in the "ebre %ibleB later rabbis used the ordhen spea2ing of God delling either in the Tabernacle or amongst the people of 8srael. The root ofthe ord means <delling<. If the principal names of God, it is the only one that is of the femininegender in "ebre grammar. Some believe that this as the name of a female counterpart of God, butthis is unli2ely as the name is alays mentioned in conFunction ith an article (e.g.9 <the She2hina

descended and delt among them< or <"e removed "imself and "is She2hina from their midst<). This2ind of usage does not occur in Semitic languages in conFunction ith proper names.

The Arabic form of the ord <#a4@nah ƒ„M…†< is also mentioned in the Duran. This mention is in themiddle of the narrative of the choice of Saul to be 2ing and is mentioned as descending ith the ar2 ofthe covenant, here the ord is used to mean <security< and is derived from the root sa2ana hichmeans dell9

And (further) their *rophet said to them9 <A Sign of his authority is that there shall come to you theAr2 of the ovenant, ith (an assurance) therein of security from your ord, and the relics left by thefamily of 6oses and the family of Aaron, carried by angels. 8n this is a Symbol for you if ye indeed

have faith.<

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 10/13

[edit] HaMakom

<The Imnipresent< (literally, The *lace) ("ebre9 q0‡/) Jeish tradition refers to God as <The*lace< to signify that God is, so to spea2, the address of all e7istence. 8t is commonly used in thetraditional e7pression of condolenceB q10ˆ10 |01 1 ˆ ‰0 q‚ qŠk1 q0‡/ *aMa4om yenachem

etchem etoch !har aveilei T)iyon ,Yeru!halayim =<The *lace (i.e., The Imnipresent Ine) illcomfort you (pl.) among the mourners of ‹ion and Jerusalem.<

[edit] Seen names of God

8n medieval times, God as sometimes called The #even%&5H&need quotation to verify The seven names for theGod of 8srael over hich the scribes had to e7ercise particular care ere9&53

'. Eloah (God)5. Elohim (Gods)

-. Adonai (ord)

:. EhyehAsherEhyeh (8 am that 8 am)

H. !"#" (8 am that 8 am)

3. El Shaddai (God Almighty)

. "aShem (The >ame)

4. !"#" Tevaot (ord of "osts9 Sabaoth in atin transliteration)

[edit] !ess "ommon or esoteri" names

•  Adir  =<Strong Ine<•  Adon Olam =<6aster of the #orld<

•  Aii!hter  =<The 6ost "igh< (Yiddi!h)

•  Aleim =sometimes seen as an alternative transliteration of Elohim

•   Avinu Mal4einu 6 hel$?info 2 =<Iur _ather, Iur ing<

•   <ore 6 hel$?info 2 =<The reator<•  (hiyeh !h7(hiyeh =<8 Am That 8 Am<9 a modern "ebre version of <Ehyeh asher

Ehyeh<

•  (lohei AvrahamB (lohei Yit)cha4 ve (lohei Ya8aqov =<God of Abraham, God of8saac, and God of Jacob<

•  (lohei #araB (lohei Riv4aB (lohei Leah ve (lohei Ra4hel  =<God of Sarah, God ofebecca, God of eah, and God of achel<

•  (l ha&9ior  =<God the "ero< or <God the Strong< or <God the #arrior<

•  (met  =<Truth<

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 11/13

•  (7in #of  =<Endless, 8nfinite<, abbalistic name of God

•  *a1ado!hB <aru4h *u ("ebre)B 1ud!haB <ri4h *u (Aramaic)=<The "oly Ine,%lessed %e "e<

•  *aRachaman<The 6erciful Ine<

•  1ado!h '!rael  =<"oly Ine of 8srael<

•  Melech *aMelachim =<The ing of ings< or Melech Malchei *aMelachim <Theing, ing of ings<, to e7press superiority to the earthly rulers title.

•  Ma4om or *aMa4om =literally <The *lace<, perhaps meaning <The Imnipresent<Bsee Timtum

•  Magen Avraham =<Shield of Abraham<

•  Riono !hel 8Olam =<6aster of the #orld<

•  Ro7eh Yi!ra7el  =<Shepherd of 8srael<

• T)ur '!rael  =<oc2 of 8srael<

• 3ri 9ol  = <The >e I` for a >e Era< (Judges H9':)

• Y*+*&Yireh 6Adonai&>ireh2 =<The I` #ill *rovide< (Genesis 559'-?':)

• Y*+*&Ra$ha =<The I` that "ealeth< (E7odus 'H953)

• Y*+*&Ci!!i 6Adonai& Ci!!i 2 =<The I` Iur %anner< (E7odus '94?'H)

• Y*+*&#halom =<The I` Iur *eace< (Judges 395:)

• Y*+*&Ro7i =<The I` 6y Shepherd<

• Y*+*&T!id4enu =<The I` Iur ighteousness<&5 (Jeremiah 5-93)

• Y*+*&#hammah 6Adonai&!hammah2 =<The I` 8s *resent< (Ee2iel :49-H)

•  Rofeh Eholim<"ealer of the Sic2<

•  Matir A!urim <_reer of the aptives<

•  Mali!h Arumim <lother of the >a2ed<

•  Po4each 'vrim <Ipener of %lind Eyes<

• #omech Coflim <Supporter of the _allen<

•  o4ef 4efufim <Straightener of the %ent<

• $!otsehr Ir$ &Fa!hioner of Light 

• O!eh #halom <6a2er of *eace<

•  Mechayeh Metim <ifegiver to the `ead<

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 12/13

•  Mechayeh *a1ol  <ifegiver to All< (reform version of 6echayeh 6etim)

[edit] #n English

The ords <God< (used for the "ebre (lohim) and <ord< (used for the "ebre Adonai) are oftenritten by many Jes as <Gd< and <$rd$< as a ay of avoiding riting in full any name of God. 8n`euteronomy '59-:, the Torah e7horts one to destroy idolatry, adding, <you shall not do such to theord your God.< _rom this verse it is understood that one should not erase or blot out the name ofGod. The general halachic opinion is that this only applies to the sacred "ebre names of God, but notto other euphemistic referencesB there is a dispute hether the ord <God< in English or otherlanguages may be erased.&54

[edit] $a%%alisti" &se

Ine of the most important names is that of the Ein Sof  (Œ0 |1 <;oid<, <8nfinite< or <Endless<). Thefortytolettered name contains the combined names /10/ 1k0 /0/1 /1/, that hen spelled outcontains :5 letters. The e@uivalent in value of !"#" (spelled 00 / 01 / Ž :H) is the fortyfivelettered name.&clarification needed 

The seventytolettered name is derived from three verses in E7odus (':9'C?5') beginning ith<;ayyissa<, <;ayyabo< and <;ayyet< respectively. Each of the verses contains 5 letters, and hencombined they form 5 names, 2non collectively as the Shemhamphorasch. The 2abbalistic boo2#efer Yet)irah e7plains that the creation of the orld as achieved by the manipulation of these sacredletters that form the names of God.

[edit] Writing diine names

The *salms in "ebre and atin. 6anuscript on parchment, '5th century.

8/12/2019 Names of God in Judaism

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/names-of-god-in-judaism 13/13

According to Jeish tradition, the sacredness of the divine names must be recognied by the professional scribe ho rites the Scriptures, or the chapters for the tefillin and the meuah. %eforetranscribing any of the divine names he prepares mentally to sanctify them. Ince he begins a name hedoes not stop until it is finished, and he must not be interrupted hile riting it, even to greet a 2ing. 8fan error is made in riting it, it may not be erased, but a line must be dran round it to sho that it is

canceled, and the hole page must be put in a geni)ah (burial place for scripture) and a ne page begun.

According to Jeish tradition, the number of divine names that re@uire the scribe$s special care is <theseven<B El, Elohim, Adonai, !"#", EhyehAsherEhyeh, Shaddai and Tevaot. abbi Joseconsidered <Tevaot< a common name (Soferim :9'B !er. . ". '9'B Ab. . >. -:). abbi 8shmael heldthat even <Elohim< is common (Sanh. 33a). All other names, such as <6erciful<, <Gracious< and<_aithful<, merely represent attributes that are also common to human beings (Sheb. -Ha).