“Yahweh” is God’s personal name (see Exodus 3:13-15 and Exodus 6:2-3), and is usually “translated” as Lᴏʀᴅ (in small caps). It’s not really a translation because Yahweh does not mean Lord. Rather, it means something like  “I am who I am” or  “I will be who I will be”.

God has other names also. The following table gives twelve names used of God in the Old Testament, and their frequencies.

Name Frequency
Adon 27
Adonai 428
El 221
Elahh 74
Elohim 2340
Eloah 52
Yah 40
Yahweh 6807
Shaddai 48
Elyon 35
Illay 9
Sabaoth 278

(Source: Table 4, What is his name?: a biblical study of divine titles, Alfred Norris. Aletheia Books, 1986.)

  • There are other titles used of God, but the ones not listed above concern his attributes and are not actual names.
  • Elahh and Illay are Aramaic rather than Hebrew names. They are equivalent to Eloah and Elyon in Hebrew.
  • References to false gods and to agents of the true God (such as judges or angels) have been omitted.
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