22010.253 God’s Names in the Bible—Ten “Jehovah” Names You Can Rely On!

This lesson actually builds on the one previous to it. We learned in that lesson that God’s very nature is communicated to us through the names used for him in the Old Testament. Knowing who God really is and how He works in our lives gives us the confidence to fully trust Him. When we claim those names in our lives, we can depend on His character to sustain us through all of life.

Ten different names for God as “Jehovah” are included in this lesson. 

• Jehovah: LORD, I am who I am
• Jehovah-Jirah: The LORD provides
• Jehovah-Kaddesh: The LORD who makes you holy
• Jehovah-Nissi: The LORD is my banner
• Jehovah-Rohi: The LORD is my Shepherd
• Jehovah-Rophi: The LORD who heals
• Jehovah-Sabaoth: The LORD of hosts
• Jehovah-Shalom: The LORD is peace
• Jehovah-Shamma: The LORD is there
• Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The LORD is our righteousness

Study each name and its meaning, read the verses associated with each name, and take time to reflect upon how that specific name of God touches your life. God’s names reveal to us His very nature—He is waiting to meet you!

Jehovah: LORD, I am that I Am

Of all the names of God used in the Old Testament, Jehovah is the name used most frequently. It was also transcribed as Yahweh and is the proper name of the God of Israel. Anytime LORD appears in all capital letters in the Bible, it is translated from the word Jehovah, “I am”.

“This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created—when the LORD God made the earth and heavens.” —Genesis 2:4

“God said to Moses, ‘I am that I am.’ And he said, ‘You must say this to the Israelites, “I am has sent me to you.”’ God also said to Moses, ‘You must say this to the Israelites, “The LORD—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 forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.”’” —Exodus 3:14–15

“The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the LORD by name. The LORD passed by before him and proclaimed: ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.’” —Exodus 34:5–7

This is a very strong statement: “I am that I am”!

Jehovah-Jireh: The LORD Provides

In Genesis 22:8–14 we see a picture of God as provider:

“‘God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,’ Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together. When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter his son. But the LORD’s angel called to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ’Here I am!’ he answered. ‘Do not harm the boy!’ the angel said. ‘Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.’
“Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place ‘The LORD provides.’ It is said to this day, ‘In the mountain of the LORD provision will be made.’”

Jehovah-Kaddesh: The LORD Who Makes You Holy

“You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.” —Leviticus 20:7

Jehovah-Nissi: The LORD is my banner

“Moses built an altar, and he called it ‘The LORD is my Banner.’” —Exodus 17:15

Jehovah-Rohi: The LORD is my Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” —Psalm 23:1

Jehovah-Rophe: The LORD who heals

“Then Moses led Israel to journey away from the Red Sea. They went out into the wilderness of Shur, walked for three days into the They traveled in this wilderness, and found no water. Then they came to Marah, but they were not able to drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter. (That is why its name was Marah.) So the people murmured against Moses, saying, ‘What can we drink?’ He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When Moses threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord made for them a binding ordinance, and there he tested them. He said, ‘If you will diligently obey the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.’” —Exodus 15:22–26

Jehovah-Sabaoth: The LORD of hosts

“The LORD of hosts” actually represents the God of deliverance. The “hosts” are the angels of heaven. When there seemed to be no other source of deliverance, the children of Israel came to know God as Jehovah-Sabaoth. This term is used a great deal in the prophet books in the Old Testament of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. It seems that it was when God’s chosen people found themselves failing and powerless, they realized their need for the LORD of hosts.

“This man would go up from his city year after year to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies at Shiloh. (It was there that the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, served as the LORD priests.” —I Samuel 1:3

“Moreover, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has said: ‘Pay close attention to these things also.’” —Haggai 1:7

“The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is on our side!” —Psalm 46:7

Jehovah-Shalom: The LORD is peace

“Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it ‘The LORD is on friendly terms with me.’ To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.” —Judges 6:24

Jehovah-Shammah: The LORD is there

“The circumference of the city will be six miles. The name of the city from that day forward will be: ‘The LORD Is There.’” —Ezekiel 48:35

Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The LORD is our righteousness

“Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety and Israel will live in security. This is the name he will go by: ‘The LORD has provided us with justice.” —Jeremiah 23:6

Righteousness actually means to be right with God! It is more than goodness. It is to do what God says is right, to live according to His standards. God extended His righteousness to us when He allowed His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross. When we accept Christ as our personal Savior, we are made righteous before God. Jesus saves us from our sins. We do not earn it—God is our righteousness!

When we know who God really is and how He works in our lives, we will have the confidence to fully trust Him. By learning God’s names, we can depend on His very character to sustain us through all of life! 

Application

Here’s a great resource for learning more about God’s names as they are presented in the Bible: LORD, I Want to Know You: A Devotional Study on the Names of God by Kay Arthur.

You can also go to bible.org and read the article, Names of God.