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.

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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.

 

What is the Book of the Covenant?

As I read Exodus 24 this morning I noticed that Moses read from the Book of the Covenant after he visited God on Mount Sinai. It raised the question: what is the Book of the Covenant? With a little research I have the answer. Exodus chapters 20-23 is known as the book of the covenant. This is the Law that David referred to in Psalm 1 when he talks about meditating on the Law of God, day and night. 

The Book of the Covenant

In Exodus chapter 24, God invites Moses, Aaron and his two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, and the 70 elders who had been appointed to be judges over the people to come up on Mount Sinai to worship from afar. The rest of the people are not invited and remain at the bottom of the mountain. Only Moses is called to come nearer. When Moses comes back from his visit with God, he proclaims to all the people the Lord’s commands and judgements. And what do the people say? “…all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!’” (Exodus 24:3). 

To be sure the people knew the words God spoke regarding this covenant, Moses wrote them all down and these writings are referred to as the Book of the Covenant in v. 7. This is the first record of a written record of God’s Word and helps me understand what Moses was doing for 40 days.

The following morning, Moses wakes early and builds an altar to the LORD, with 12 pillars representing the 12 tribes of Israel. He presents a burnt offering and a peace offering of young bulls to the LORD. The burnt offering is an offering of consecration. In the Bible, consecration refers to the act of dedicating yourself to the service and worship of God. The peace offering was made to obtain peace with God in order to assure communion with God, so it represented fellowship with God. For the peace offering, the meat was roasted and a portion was given to the people and the rest given to God. This illustrates the need to be dedicated to the Lord before you can have peace and fellowship with him.

 

Moses reserves half of the blood from the sacrifices in basins, and sprinkles the altar with the rest. Then he reads the Book of the Covenant to the people. After Moses finishes reading the Book of the Covenant to them, they say, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (v. 7). Then Moses takes the blood in the basins and sprinkles it on the people saying, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words” (v. 8). They accepted it and agreed with it, and because blood represents life (see Leviticus 17:14), its sprinkling on the congregation represented an essential commitment between God and His people.

 

The blood covenant

These actions make this a blood covenant. Many cultures had blood covenants. Often, it required the drinking of blood. The Israelites were forbidden to drink blood, and so Moses bound them to the covenant by sprinkling them with the blood of the covenant. 

Other well known blood covenants in the Bible include the covenant between God and Abraham, which was sealed by circumcision and the new covenant, between God and believers sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Why blood? In Hebrews 9:11-23 we see that God's covenant is ratified by blood (Hebrews 9:11-23).

Photo credits: FreeBibleImages