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Elohim and Jehovah - The Names of God
From Genesis: A General Survey
The Names of God in Genesis 1–3
Elohim - The God of Creation
Root meaning: "The Mighty One" or "The Strong One"
Used in: Genesis 1 (exclusively)
Reveals: God as Creator, His majesty, grandeur, immensity, sovereignty, and almightiness
Related forms: El Elyon (the Most High), El Shaddai (God Almighty), El Bethel (God of the House of God)
I want you to note the titles or names that are used for God in these three chapters because in their use is a key. In Genesis 1, the name Elohim is used absolutely exclusively. We should have an understanding of this name because it appears all the way through Scripture. "In the beginning God …" And right the way through Genesis 1 this is used exclusively for God - Elohim. Its root meaning is "the Mighty or the Strong One," and it always brings into view the God of creation. Whenever Elohim is used it is always bringing into view God as the God of all creation. You get its form used in many other names such as El Elyon, "the Most High;" Daniel uses that always. Or El Shaddai, "God the Almighty." Then, you get it in El Bethel, "God, of the House of God." So we find it all the way through Scripture - El, God, Elohim in full, God.
We find Elohim used again and again and again in Genesis 1: "God said … God called … God divided …" God did this. God did that. God, the God of all creation. It brings into view the majesty, the grandeur, and the immensity of God. Now, mark that because in the 20th century that is what is lacking - the majesty, the grandeur, and the immensity of God.
Even among Evangelicals, this is the thing that is sadly lacking. Our God is so small. There is no longer that sense of the greatness of God, the sovereignty of God, the almightiness of God. It is a tremendous thing. The whole spirit of the 20th century is to belittle God and make Him into some little departmental being that is not really sovereign and cannot really do anything He wants to do. But Elohim speaks of the mightiness and the immensity of God.
Jehovah - The Intimate God of Redeeming Love
Root meaning: "To be" or "I AM" — speaks of unchangeableness and eternity
Pronunciation: Likely "Yahweh" (Jews were never permitted to speak it aloud)
Used in: Genesis 2 (as Jehovah Elohim / Yahweh Elohim)
Reveals: God's intimate, personal relationship with His people; His covenant love, faithfulness, grace, mercy, and redeeming love
Key truth: God's unchangeableness is linked to His eternal faithfulness and love, not just to creation
In Genesis 2, the name Jehovah is used exclusively. Jehovah God, the two are brought together. Yahweh Elohim, the Lord God, Jehovah God or Jehovah Elohim. We do not even really know how that name is pronounced because the Jews were never ever allowed to utter it. You always had to be silent, pass it over, or substitute another word for it. So we do not even know how it was pronounced. But we think it was pronounced Yahweh.
Jehovah. This name, wherever you find it in Scripture, speaks of the intimate God of redeeming love; the name by which He wanted to be known in the most inner, intimate, marriage bond between Himself and His people. He did not want them just to know Him as Elohim. He wanted His own to know Him as Jehovah. And there is something so very, very wonderful about the name Jehovah. You can think of it as the Covenant God, the Covenant Keeping God, the God who has bound Himself to His people by love, by His own faithfulness. He has come down to their level and bound Himself to them. The great God of creation has come right down to intimate, personal, direct level and bound Himself to each of us as His people. And He says, "I will love thee with an everlasting love." Do you see? That is Jehovah, and it brings into view the grace and the love and the mercy and the faithfulness of God.
Now, whenever you read Jehovah in your Bible, think about that. It means that when the Lord says, "I am Jehovah," He is always trying to make them think. When He speaks to them as El Shaddai, He is trying to tell them something else. But when He speaks to them as Jehovah, He is trying to awaken cords of love in His people. He is saying, "I am the faithful One. I am the One who is full of love for you, and mercy toward you, and grace for you."
The wonderful thing is, and this might surprise you, that the root meaning of Jehovah is "to be." " I AM." Do you remember what He said to Moses? "I AM that I AM. Go and say that I AM has sent you." I AM has come down to us as Yahweh, as Jehovah. What does it mean? God wants to link His eternity, His unchangeableness, to the fact of His faithfulness. That is very wonderful! In other words, He is not faithful for an age, He is not faithful for ages. He is faithful for eternity. The root form, the root meaning of Jehovah is "unchangeableness," and He has linked that with grace, and love, and mercy, and faithfulness. We would have thought that the unchangeableness would have been linked with the God of creation, wouldn't we? But no, that is where we are wrong. Creation is more transient than the mercy and the love of God. The love of God, in God's sight, is the eternal thing; this creation is the transient thing.
Genesis 1 uses Elohim; Genesis 2 uses Jehovah Elohim, combining the God of creation with the God of redeeming love. That is very wonderful, isn't it?
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Elohim mean in Hebrew?
Elohim means "The Mighty One" or "The Strong One" in Hebrew. It is the name used exclusively in Genesis 1 and always brings into view God as the Creator of all things, emphasizing His majesty, grandeur, and immensity.
What is the difference between Elohim and Jehovah?
Elohim emphasizes God as the mighty Creator, revealing His sovereignty and power. Jehovah (Yahweh) reveals God's intimate, personal relationship with His people - the God of covenant love, faithfulness, grace, and mercy. Genesis 1 uses Elohim exclusively, while Genesis 2 combines both names (Jehovah Elohim) to show God is both the powerful Creator and the intimate Redeemer.
Why couldn't Jews say the name Jehovah?
The name Jehovah (YHWH) was considered so sacred that Jews were never permitted to speak it aloud. They would remain silent, pass over it, or substitute another word when reading Scripture. This is why we don't even know the exact pronunciation, though scholars believe it was likely pronounced "Yahweh."
What does Jehovah mean?
The root meaning of Jehovah is "to be" or "I AM" - linking God's eternal, unchangeable nature to His faithfulness. When God said to Moses "I AM that I AM," this reveals that God's unchangeableness is connected to His eternal covenant love, grace, and mercy toward His people.