Chapter 3

"THE ONLY TRUE GOD"

Because of its importance in Scripture, whole books have been written on this subject. We propose to examine first the one and only name of God (hence the singular 'name' in our heading), and then list in tabular form the meaning and usage of the principal titles by which He has been pleased to reveal Himself. (Note the distinction between a 'name', specific to a person or place -- e.g. 'Jesus'-- and a 'title'-- e.g. 'king of Israel'-- which at different times could apply to various persons).

GOD'S GREAT NAME: 'YAHWEH" ¹⁰

"God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM". [a] And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The LORD, [b] 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 for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations ..." (Exodus 3:14-15)

RSV footnotes to this verse:

a. Or I AM WHAT I AM or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE.

b. The word LORD when spelled with capital letters stands for the divine name, YHWH which is here connected with the verb hayah, to be.

In these verses the words in capitals represent the following Hebrew words respectively: EHYEH ASHER EHYEH, EHYEH and YAHWEH. There can be no doubt that EHYEH normally means 'I will be' rather than 'I am', and is so translated elsewhere, usually in God's affirmation about Himself, such as in verse 12 of this same chapter: "But I will be with you ..." However it also occurs with the same future significance in the ordinary conversation of Israelites, e.g :

"If you bring me home again to fight with the Ammonites, and the LORD gives them over to me, I will be your head" (Judges 11:9).

"... you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you" (1 Samuel 23:17).

"I will be your servant, O king ..." (2 Samuel 15:34).

(other examples will be found in 1 Samuel 18:18; 2 Samuel 16:18-19; Isaiah 3:7; 47:7)

The fuller expression 'EHYEH ASHER EHYEH', when literally translated, will therefore read 'I will be who (or what--ASHER can mean either) I will be'. But what does this mean? What is the significance of the repetition? J.B.Rotherham, in the introduction to his 'Emphasised Bible', demonstrates that the repetition of the verb either side of ASHER is a common Hebrew idiomatic construction. Here are some examples (his translation):

"And they went whithersoever they could go" (1 Samuel 23:13).

"Seeing I go whither I may go" (2 Samuel 15:20).

"And sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn" (2 Kings 8:1).

It will be seen that in English we can omit part of the repetition and still retain the sense. Similarly, in Exodus 3:14, EHYEH ASHER EHYEH means "I will be (or, become) whatever I will (or, please, choose)". The related name YAHWEH is the causative form of HAYAH, 'to be' (Illustrated Bible Dictionary, pp571-572); in its context here it may be translated "He Who causes to be (or, become) what He chooses." The relevance of this is seen when we find that the same construction appears in the preface to the declaration of the divine Name in Exodus 34. Moses had asked to see God's glory. God replied:

"I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD'; And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy". (Exodus 33:19).

Here again we have ASHER (with the accusative particle ETH) translated 'to whom' and 'on whom', bracketed either side with the relevant verb. In Romans 9:15 the Apostle Paul quotes this verse, and after a reference to Pharaoh's rle in causing God's name to be proclaimed in all the earth he adds:

"So then he has mercy upon whomever he wills" (Romans 9:18), 

which is clear New Testament confirmation of the correct interpretation of the idiom, viz. "He who becomes what he chooses".

What then does God choose to be or become, in fulfilment of the name YAHWEH' He will cause to be (become) what He chooses'? The answer in Exodus 34:6-7 is this: He chooses to reveal himself as a merciful and gracious God, One who is

"slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty ..."

These are the traits of character which God has chosen to associate with His name YAHWEH, the LORD. These attributes are repeated as a golden thread throughout the Old Testament in the many quotations or allusions to this Exodus passage. ¹¹ There is also frequent reference to 'the memorial name 'Hebrew  'zikkaron' i.e. Yahweh by which God is to be remembered throughout all generations.¹² 

It is important to recognise that there are both past and future aspects of God making a name for Himself. The past aspect refers to the fame and honour He gained in the outstanding events of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt the plagues on the Egyptians and the subsequent miracles during the desert journeys. As He warned Pharaoh through Moses:

"... for this purpose have I let you live, to show you my power, so that my name may be declared throughout all the earth" (Exodus 9:16).

This purpose was magnificently fulfilled, as Isaiah records:

"Where is he ... who divided the waters before them, to make for himself an everlasting name? ... So thou didst lead thy people, to make for thyself a glorious name" (Isaiah 63:11- 14). ¹³

YAHWEH's intervention on His people's behalf had a powerful and devastating effect on the morale of Israel's neighbours and potential enemies, as various incidental references bear witness see, for example, Joshua 2:8-11; 9:9-10,24; 1 Samuel 4:8 all in fulfilment of God's express promise in Deuteronomy:

"This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you." (Deuteronomy 2:25).

All this is now history. We are told, however, that the main events of the Exodus deliverance of Israel are to be re-enacted on a much larger scale in the near future (Isaiah 11:11-16; Micah 7:18-20). God will, at Christ's return to the earth, again be manifested, this time by making a new name for Himself a 'name' embodying all the true believers in Christ, His dear Son. Through this 'name' He will declare His glory among all nations (Isaiah 60:9; 66:15-19) and fill the earth "with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). The agency for this transformation in world affairs is God manifested in Spirit, i.e., in the servants of Christ raised from the dead and transformed into Spirit nature, to live and reign with him for the millennial age and beyond (more on this in chapter 4, p.78ff).

THE CONCEPT OF 'NAME' IN BIBLICAL USAGE

Consider the following definitions of the word 'name' from various sources:

'shem' (= name)" reputation ... making oneself a name", also: "fame, glory". ¹⁴

'onoma' (= name)" By a usage similar to that with reference to Hebrew 'shem' ... of all that the name implies, of rank, authority, character etc., ... especially the name of God as expressing the divine attributes; ... similarly, of the name of Christ". ¹⁵

'The Name': the revelation of God, especially His power and glory." ¹⁶

The 'name' may be used a) for the person himself, or b) for the person's representative or agent, acting with his authority. For the former usage, compare the following verses:

"Behold, the name of the LORD comes from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke; His lips are full of indignation, and his tongue like a devouring fire" (Isaiah 30:27).

"For behold, the LORD will come in fire, and his chariots like the storm-wind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire" (Isaiah 66:15).

It is clear from this example that the name of the LORD stands for the LORD Himself, or His representative.

As an example of the latter usage, (b), consider the following parallels:

"I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me ..." (John 17:6).

"No-one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known" (John 1:18).

Elsewhere we have noted Exodus 23:21, where God says concerning the Angel of His Presence "My Name is in him". i.e. the angel has the authority to act for and on behalf of YAHWEH Himself (see next chapter on 'God-manifestation').

In the New Testament we are expressly told that Jesus obtained by inheritance a 'name' excelling that of the angels, viz., that he is God's Son (Hebrews 1:4). To the Philippians Paul writes:

"Therefore" [because of Jesus' obedience, even to death on a cross] "God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).

When we appreciate that Jesus is the Greek form of 'Joshua', meaning 'Yahweh saves', we can see the relevance of these words to the declaration in Isaiah 45:

"Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return (i.e. 'be revoked'):

"To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength" (Isaiah 45:22-24).

Thus the exalted Jesus has been 'freely given' (charizomai, as in Romans 8:32) by his Father, God's own name YAHWEH which, as God's Son, he has inherited, and with that name all the honour and glory which go with it. The doxology of Revelation 5:13 confirms this favour of the Father towards His Son:

"To him who sits upon the throne (i.e. God Himself Revelation 7:15) and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might for ever and ever."

Note again here that the Father is the giver, the Son is the beneficiary; further, as the Philippians quotation says, this is "to the glory of God the Father." Scripture consistently maintains the Father's supremacy over the Son.

The wonderful thing is that the honour and blessing of sharing in the name of YAHWEH is not restricted to the Son, but is offered to all who are willing to submit to God's law. When men and women hear and believe the gospel message, they are invited indeed commanded by God to become united with Christ by being baptised (i.e. by total immersion in water) into (Greek 'eis') the name of Jesus (Romans 6:3-5; Acts 8:16; 19:5). By their faith they are kept (guarded) within that name (John 17:12) and, as a seal of ownership, have the name of both Father and Son written on their foreheads (Revelation 14:1).

If the idea of sharing a name seems strange at first sight, think of two well known human institutions: that of marriage where, in Britain at least, the bride takes her husband's family name (similarly in Israel see Isaiah 4:1 and compare Jeremiah 23:6 with 33:16 RV); also the custom of adoption, in which children become members of the adopting family and henceforward take their name. Both these arrangements have their Scriptural parallels in the divine plan. Those who are baptised into Christ are collectively his bride (2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 19:7-8); they are also by that same institution of baptism adopted sons and daughters of the Almighty and brothers and sisters of Jesus (Romans 8:14-17,29; Galatians 4:4-7).

These sons (and daughters) are the prospective 'kings and princes' of the coming Kingdom of God on earth (Psalm 45:16-17; Revelation 5:9-10; 2 Timothy 2:12). At Jesus' return he and they will constitute 'the name of YAHWEH', exercising all the power of the Spirit to subject the nations to the laws of God issuing from Jerusalem (Psalm 2:7-11; Isaiah 2:2-4). This 'plurality in unity' or 'many in one' is 'memorialised' in the compound name of God so frequently used in the Hebrew Scriptures: YAHWEH ELOHIM (translated LORD God in most English versions but, from considerations already outlined, to be interpreted as 'He who will be (come) mighty ones' (see ELOHIM in the subjoined table). The same concept is implied in Isaiah 41:4:

"I, the LORD, the first (singular), and with the last (plural); I am He."

In anticipation of this future work, Jesus says of all his faithful followers:

"The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one." (John 17:22-23).

The purpose of God in having the gospel preached to the Gentiles is that out of these may be taken 'a people for His name', as James declared (Acts 15:14), to share with faithful Israel the promises made to the Jewish forefathers.

From this consideration we can see that the 'Name' of God tells us that He chooses to become:

1. A merciful and gracious redeemer.
2. Manifested in His Son.
3. Manifested in the multitude of the redeemed.

These three aspects will be elaborated in the next chapter. Meanwhile it will be useful to consider how the Name and titles of God have been rendered in our English Bibles.

THE ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE NAME AND TITLES OF GOD

To the English reader there are two main Biblical terms for the Deity, God and Lord, and these are often regarded as synonymous. But the original readers were presented with a wide range of Hebrew or Greek words to denote God, each with its own meaning. The recognition of this is particularly relevant to our study of the Old Testament, where the original Hebrew text contains different shades of meaning that are easily lost on translation into English. For example, to us the word 'God' conveys the idea of the Supreme Being Himself, and we generally attach this meaning to the word when we read it in the Bible. Yet 'God' or 'god' in the Old Testament is used as a translation of six different words in the original Hebrew, some of which clearly do not even refer to God Himself at all. The English word 'Lord' presents even more difficulties it is used to translate no less than eleven completely distinct original words in the Old Testament, and five in the New Testament. So when we find the word 'God' or 'Lord' in our Bibles we must remember that whilst usually it is a reference to God Himself it is not necessarily so in every case. To appreciate this is obviously vital to our study, and it will be worth while spending a little time explaining the meaning of some of the original words used to describe God.

The situation is not as confusing as might appear at first sight because the AV translators have in most cases used a sort of code to indicate the different original words. This code is easy to miss at first reading, but becomes obvious once it is pointed out. The code consists of the differing use of capital and small letters in the English translations of the original. If you look carefully you will see that in the Old Testament the words describing God are sometimes printed in small (lower case) letters and sometimes in capitals, and sometimes in a mixture of both. The various alternatives are:

In the Greek and Hebrew in which the Bible was originally written some of these words define titles, offices or attributes. In such cases 'God' in our conventional sense is not always intended. For example the word 'Lord' in the English Bible could apply to a human ruler rather than a divine one.

But as well as being titles these words translated 'God' or 'Lord' often contain the personal name of God that we have already considered, YAHWEH, sometimes spelled 'JEHOVAH'. In such cases the whole word is always printed in capital letters: as 'LORD' and 'GOD' in the examples above.

It would be useful at this point to look at Scriptural examples of this use of the titles and names. This information is summarised on the table on p.63

Lord. As already mentioned, this is the translation of no fewer than eleven Hebrew words. One of the most frequent is adon and its plural adonim. The meaning of adon conveys the idea of 'master', and is used in this way as a title of both men and God as these examples show:

"Do not slander a servant to his master (adon)" (Proverbs 30:10).

"Tell my lord (adoni) the king" (1 Kings 20:9).

"The Lord (adon) of all the earth" (Psalm 97:5)

"And if I am a master (adonim), where is my fear, says the LORD of hosts ..." (Malachi 1.6).

In the first two examples the 'lord' is obviously human, whilst in the third and fourth the same word is clearly used of God Himself.

Adonai is another plural form of adon, preferred by the traditional scribes in place of adonai when God Himself is being referred to:

"I will give thanks to thee, O Lord (adonai) my God" (Psalm 86:12).

"For the Lord (adonai) will not cast off for ever" (Lamentations 3:31).

These examples show that adon can be used of human masters or the divine one. When used of God the word 'Lord' indicates God's supremacy and rulership over all, recognising that He is King and that man is subordinate to Him. This is its fundamental meaning, and no other is implied when the word is used.

The New Testament equivalent of the Hebrew adon is kurios and has exactly the same meaning of 'master'. Thus in the gospels when the disciples referred to Jesus as 'Lord' they were in general acknowledging him as their master, not attributing any divine status to him.

LORD. As soon as they are printed in capital letters these same four letters take on a different meaning. They are now the translation of the personal name of God rather than one of His titles. In the Hebrew this name of God consists of four letters, the English equivalents of which are YHWH. With added vowels this becomes YAHWEH, sometimes rendered JEHOVAH: pious Jews do not dare to pronounce the actual name of God. ¹⁷  This is God's personal Name and is generally used only of Him, although there are notable occasions when it is also used of God's agents who carry out His work, the angels for example.

"I am the LORD (Yahweh), that is my name; my glory I give to no other" (Isaiah 42:8).

In the Authorised Version this word is occasionally transferred untranslated, as in this example:

"That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth" (Psalm 83:18).

So 'LORD' is a translation of God's name (as distinct from His titles) and is used exclusively of either God Himself, or of those who personally represent Him. An example of such representatives are the angels. As Bishop Burnet observed:

"Angels carry the name of God when they went on special deputations from Him, the angels being called Jehovah". ¹⁸

An example of this is when God once said:

"Behold, I send an angel before you ... give heed to him ... do not rebel against him .... for my name is in him" (Exodus 23:20-21).

So when such a 'name-bearing' angel appeared to Abraham in company with two 'ordinary' angels he was quite appropriately given God's name of Yahweh. Although the angel was obviously not God Himself, as God's messenger he was empowered to assume God's name:

"The LORD (Yahweh) appeared to him .... and behold, three men stood in front of him" (Genesis 18:1-2).

In the description of the conversation that followed, the angel is again given God's name:

"The LORD (Yahweh) said to Abraham ...." (v13)

Thus early on in this study the principle is established that whilst 'LORD' is a translation of the personal name of God, it is also used of those whom He has commissioned to work on His behalf.

The other Hebrew and Greek words translated 'Lord' are used fairly infrequently and need not be considered here.

God or god. In the Old Testament this is the translation of a variety of words, most of which derive from the Hebrew word el, meaning 'a mighty one' (plural: elim). These derivations are elah, and eloah with its plural elohim. The terms are used variously to describe the idols of the heathen, the true God of the Bible, angels, or even powerful human figures or rulers.

Some examples will show the range of meaning attached to the words:

To describe God Himself:

"The heavens are telling the glory of God (el)" (Psalm 19:1)

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD (Yahweh) our God (Elohim) is one LORD (Yahweh)" (Deuteronomy 6:4).

To describe angels:

"Thou hast made him (man) a little lower than the angels (elohim)" (Psalm 8:5, AV).

"Who among the heavenly beings (elim) is like the LORD (Yahweh)" (Psalm 89:6).

To describe false gods and idols:

"Who is like thee, O LORD, among the gods? (elim) (Exodus 15:11).

"You shall have no other gods (elohim) before me" (Exodus 20:3).

"Chemosh the god (elohim) of Moab" (1 Kings 11:33).

To describe human 'mighty ones', that is, judges and rulers:

"God has taken his place in the divine council (lit: council of el); in the midst of the gods (elohim) he holds judgment: How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? .... I say "You are gods (elohim)...." (Psalm 82:1-2,6). (Note: Jesus in John 10:34 quotes this in a way that confirms that the reference here is to mortal men.)

To describe the coming Messiah:

"The Mighty God (el)" (Isaiah 9:6).

This range of instances of the original words translated 'God' shows that whilst in the majority of cases God Himself is meant, lesser beings are frequently intended. Thus no trinitarian argument can be advanced from the mere occurrence of the Hebrew words translated 'God'.

In the original of the New Testament no distinction is made by the use of different words for God; the Greek word theos is used to embrace all the aspects mentioned above.

GOD. As with the word 'Lord' the use of capital letters is here reserved for occasions when the personal name of God is found in the original. Thus:

"The spirit of the Lord GOD (Yahweh) is upon me" (Isaiah 61:1).

LORD God, and Lord GOD. In many instances the personal name of God is combined with His titles adon (Lord or Master) or Elohim (Mighty One). Thus the original of the first example above is Yahweh Elohim, meaning 'Yahweh the Mighty One', and in the case of the second Adonai Yahweh, 'The Lord Yahweh'.

Although the study of these original terms for God may have seemed tedious or even unnecessary, it will be most useful when in later chapters we come to consider the various references to the relationship that exists between Jesus and his Father. Some knowledge of the original meaning might prevent our jumping to conclusions about this relationship solely on the basis of words used in the English translation.

APPENDIX: The Spelling of God's Name: YAHWEH

REFERENCES

10. For adopting this from rather than the commoner 'Jehovah' see appendix to this chapter.

11. E.g. Numbers 14:18; 2 Chronicles 30:9; Nehemiah 9:19; Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; 116:5; 145:8; Jeremiah 32:18; Daniel 9:4; Jonah 4:2; cp John 1:14-17.

12.  Psalm 30:4; 97:12; 102:12; 111:4; 135:13; Isaiah 26:8; Hosea 12:5.

13. See also 2 Samuel 7:23; 1 Chronicles 17:21; Nehemiah 9:10; Jeremiah 32:20.

14. Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, p.1028

15. Abbot-Smith: Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, p.319

16. NIV Study Bible: footnote to Isaiah 30:27 (quoted below).

17. Scholars generally accept that because YHWH was not to be pronounced in any form by pious Jews, the vowel 'pointing' belonging to one of the titles of God was placed underneath the name. In the combination ADONAI YHWH the vowel points of the word 'Elohim' were inserted under YHWH as a signal to the synagogue reader to use 'Elohim' instead of YHWH, and the combination read as 'Adonai Elohim'. The Gentile translators were ignorant of this device and so put the vowels of 'ADONAI' into YHWH, making an inaccurate mixture of the two - JEHOVAH. (See Appendix to this chapter for further details).

18. Exposition of Thirty-nine Articles, p.43