El Olam meaning in the Bible

As I use the Lord’s Prayer as the framework for many of my morning prayers, it reminds me God is our Father, and that I am part of His body. And when I pray hallowed be thy name, I praise his names with new understanding as I continue in my study on the names of God. Today’s post will look at El Olam, and at the end of this post I’ve included a list of the names we’ve already studied with quick explanations of how I incorporate them when praying. 

El Olam in the Bible

"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God” (Gen. 21:33). This NSAB translation tells us the El Olam meaning. He is our Everlasting God, without beginning or end. But in my mind, I wanted to know why Abraham used El Olam as he planted the tamarisk tree. How is it related?

 

What is a tamarisk tree

I looked into the tamarisk tree to help provide context. Research revealed it is an evergreen tree native to dry areas of southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. It can grow up to 30 feet tall. According to The Natural History of the Bible by Henry Baker Tristram (1868) it is a “very graceful tree, with long feathery branches and tufts, closely clad with the minutest of leaves, and surmounted in spring with spikes of beautiful pink blossom, which seem to envelop the whole tree in one gauzy sheet of color.”

That evergreen quality of the tamarisk tree represents:

• Hope and life
• New beginnings
• Reminder that better days are ahead

Abraham’s use of El Olam

With this in mind, I looked at Abraham’s use of El Olam and the planting of the tamarisk tree and the context of the rest of the chapter.

Isaac born (vs. 1-7): Earlier in this chapter, Sarah had given birth to her promised son, Isaac. The LORD had fulfilled his promise made to Sarah. She conceived and bore a son to Abraham when she was past the age of conceiving and Abraham was 100 years old! Abraham (and Sarah) witnessed God’s faithfulness.

Hagar and Ishmael sent out (vs. 9-17): In these verses we see Abraham faced with a big challenge. He is told to send Hagar and Ishmael away. It distressed him greatly because he loved his son Ishmael but Abraham didn’t hesitate to obey. He rose early in the morning, gave Hagar and 16-17 year old Ishmael some supplies, and sent them peacefully on their way. God had told him not to be distressed “for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant” (vs. 13-14). Again, Abraham trusted God’s faithfulness.

The Treaty at Beersheba (vs. 22-31): Just before the planting of the tamarisk tree, we see a treaty made between Abraham and Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces. Abimelek had said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”  Abraham swore it in vs. 24 Abraham says, “I swear it.”

At the start of the next chapter, Abraham is challenged to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. I mention this, because all these things deal with Abraham as a man of faith. In Gen. 15, Abraham "believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." All these things in chapter 21 reflect that faith. He had eternity in view and faith in an Everlasting God. The tamarisk tree served as a reminder that El Olam, the Everlasting God” keeps his promises throughout time."

 

Hallowed be Thy name

As a quick reference, here are the names we’ve already took a look at here at Lightbearers and how they help us focus our praise and thanks to Him:

Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will provide): Reminds me of his love and how he provided Jesus to take away my sin.

Jehovah Nissi (The Lord my banner): Reminds me that he is the standard to look to while in the chaos of this world and the spiritual battle we are in.

Jehovah Raah (Rohi, Roi) (The Lord is my shepherd): Reminds me of his role as shepherd: Protector, Guide, and the one who brings us home. It also reminds me to be watching for the Lord’s return for his church.

Jehovah Rophe (The Lord your healer): Reminds me of my spiritual healing.

Yahweh Sabaoth (The Lord of hosts): Reminds me that my confidence is in the Lord of hosts who goes forth before me. To get my eyes off the “giants” of this world and on my Lord.

Adoni (God is sovereign): Reminds me that God is supreme in power; possesses supreme dominion and is sovereign ruler of the universe. That he is supreme; superior to all others; chief. That God is the sovereign good of all who love and obey him.

Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is Peace): Reminds me that Jehovah (the becoming one) (in his relationship with you) desires to give you a (sense of completeness and tranquility). It is an inner peace, not outward peace that depends on circumstances.

 

 

 

What is the meaning of Jehovah Shalom?

Here at the Lightbearers of the Inheritance blog we are taking a deeper look at the compound names of God, their meanings, and how they apply to believers today. This inspirational journey has transformed my prayer life, and encouraged my faith walk. I hope it has done the same for yours. Today’s post delves into Jehovah Shalom's meaning. To start, we first need to talk about our relationship with God so it all makes sense.

Relationship with God

In the how do we praise the name of God post, we learned that God’s name YHWH or JHVH (today articulated as Yahweh or Jehovah) is the Hebrew name revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus at the burning bush. It means “the becoming one” or “I am” and is a name by which God reveals his desired relationship with you.

God underscored his desire for relationships from the beginning. We see it in the book of Genesis, in the garden with Adam and Eve. He enjoyed interacting (fellowship) with them. Once sin entered the scenario through their disobedience that relationship was broken.

Since then, God has worked to reveal himself and bring us back into a relationship with himself. With that understanding, let’s look at the compound name Jehovah Shalom, where it is found in Scripture, and what it meant then and what it means now. First, let's look at the word shalom in Hebrew.

Shalom in Hebrew

Before we go to the Hebrew, ask yourself what the word Shalom means to you at this moment. I knew that it meant “peace” and that it is a word used to say hello and goodbye, but I learned it is deeper than that.

With upheaval in the world today, some might think it means hoping for no more war, no more stress, or no more problems. A similar-sounding Arabic word (Salam) does refer to hope for world peace and the end of war, but the meaning of the Hebrew word Shalom is more than that. It can refer to the absence of war, but its use throughout the Bible, most often involves an inner sense of completeness and tranquility.

Jehovah Shalom meaning

Boiled down this is the Jehovah Shalom meaning: Jehovah (the becoming one) (in his relationship with you) desires to give you a (sense of completeness and tranquility). It is an inner peace, not outward peace that depends on circumstances.

Jehovah Shalom Scripture

In Judges Gideon built and altar to the Lord and called it The LORD is Peace. What were his circumstances? His people were being oppressed by the Midianites who often raided their land and ruined their crops. As a result, we find Gideon threshing grain in a winepress—hiding from the Midianites. But the thing that frightened him was a visit from the angel of the LORD [Yahweh] who said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:11-23). When Gideon realized he was speaking with the angel of the Lord, he says, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” He was afraid he was going to die! But, the Lord reassured him. “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.” While Gideon was hesitant to think of himself as a warrior, by the end of the story he builds an altar and calls it Jehovah Shalom, “The LORD is peace.”

Why? In response to the Lord's assurance: “Shalom! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” Shalom refers to “completeness, soundness, flourishing, or well-being.” This is possible through a relationship with God. Gideon needed this assurance not because he feared the Midianites, but because he has seen the angel of the Lord face to face and feared death.

 

What the meaning of Shalom means to us

Instead of thinking of world peace as something we can accomplish, we can look at God’s peace as world changing. If all hearts had a right relationship with God, Shalom would change the world from the inside out. Let us pray hearts would be softened and seek to be in a right relationship to God.

* * * *

Quick reference to other compound names of the names of God from previous posts:

·  Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)

·  Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)

·  Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)

·  Joehvah Rophe (The Lord Who Heals)

·  Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts) The Lord of Powers

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What is the meaning of Adonai in Hebrew?

As I have mentioned in earlier posts, the names of God found in the Old Testament represent God as he was known to his people, along with the divine aspects attributed to him. Today’s post takes a look at the name Adonai, its meaning and origin.

Adonai meaning

A close look at the name Adonai takes us back to the unspoken name of God. Jews were afraid of taking God’s name in vain, so they would not utter it. When reading Scripture aloud, they replaced YHWH with Adonai and also used Adonai (My Lord) in their prayers. (It is translated Kyrios (Lord) in the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures). 

But why did they choose Adonai?

Why Adonai?

The name Adonai gives us an indication of the Lord’s role in life. Adonai means “Master” or “Lord,” showing God has sovereignty over us.

This name wasn’t pulled out of the air randomly. Its history can be traced back to the first century when Jewish scholars created the Masorah. Along with the text of the traditional Hebrew bible, it contains information and comments on the text. Regarding the sacred name, the Masoretes added marks below or near a consonant of the name YHWH. These marks represented the vowels of Adonai to remind the reader to say Adonai when praying rather than using the unspoken name YHWH. This practice replaced YHWH with the Hebrew word Adonai vocally in synagogue rituals.

 

Use of Adonai in prayer

In conversation, the Jews used the word Hashem which means The Name. So, Adonai was and is used in prayer and Hashem in conversation. The name Adonai is found in Jewish prayers today including the Shema, the Amidah, as well as the first three Hanukkah blessings.

Many Jews consider the Shema to be the most important prayer in Judaism. It is a reminder that there is only one God. The first line of the Shema is found in Deuteronomy 6:4. "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One" (Shema Yisrael Adonai eloheinu Adonai ehad). This line is repeated throughout prayer services and is recited in the morning blessings, in the musaf Amidah of Shabbat, and holidays. It is repeated when the Torah is taken out of the Torah Ark on Shabbat and holidays, and it is also said as a bedtime prayer, as part of the deathbed confessional, and at various other times.

As you call upon the name of the Lord remember the Shema. "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). Adonai is our Lord and Master.