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5) Names and Titles of the God of Israel
Just as all these ancient gods had a name and a supposed purpose, so too does the God of Israel. Unfortunately, in the translating of the Bible, the significance of the name and titles of the God of Israel has been lost. In the Old Testament the Hebrew in many cases has been translated in such a way that different titles of the Deity have been translated simply as 'God', which does not do justice to the original meaning of the name. Gods' names such as Dagon and Bel have been taken directly from the Hebrew text and transferred into the English text. But this has not occurred in relation to the God of Israel, whose name has been obscured in translating it as, GOD or LORD, and His titles as `God' and `Lord', which obscures the true meanings of these titles.
Fine distinctions exist in the Hebrew for the word translated as `God'. There is not just one Hebrew word translated as `God' but several, and could be any one of the following Hebrew words:
El (or Ail) means supreme power or strength
Eloah means a mighty one and
Elohim. its plural, means mighty ones, or, El manifested in a multitude, each one of which is an Eloah
Tzur, a rock, is a metaphor for strength.
By using a concordance, or online Bible the distinctions can be discovered and the text made more meaningful.
The Hebrew word translated as LORD' should have been translated as the Hebrew 'Yahweh', who is the God of Israel. His purpose is memorialised in His name and it is prophetic of the Creator's intention to manifest His glory in people whom He is taking out of the nations (Acts 15: 14). The word in the original Hebrew signifies `He who will be' and represents that He will be manifested in a multitude, which will reflect His glory. This multitude of people will be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Yahshua the Anointed (Christ), called Jesus (Iesous in Greek) since about the 1600's,
`Lord', in lower case is Adon or Adonai (plural) meaning sovereign, ruler, lord, owner or overseer. Sometimes these words are used in combination such as Lord GOD (Adonai Yahweh) and LORD God (Yahweh Elohim) referring to those who will be mighty ones (saints/the redeemed). This expresses the Deity's purpose to take “out from the Gentiles a people for His name” (Acts 15: 14) who will reflect His glory.
The name of the Deity, Yahweh, occurs some 6800 times in the Old Testament. It is used by the prophets, by the Psalmist, by the Chroniclers and exclusively in the Proverbs. To the faithful, through the ages, the name, has embodied the purpose that the Creator has to fill this earth with His glory and has given the faithful hope of salvation, which will come through the Messiah, who bears the name of His Father, which is Yah will save, as previously indicated.
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