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The Hebrew Names Of
God
Mysteries of the Hebrew Names of God
Explained
Bibles For Israel ministry
“O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt
His name together.” (Psalm 34:3)
In this Bibles For Israel ministry teaching,
you’ll be delighted by the depth of meaning and richness in the next names we
will explore:
·
Adonai
Rophekha: The Lord Your Healer
·
Adonai
Shammah: The Lord is There
·
Adonai
Tzidkeinu: The Lord Our Righteousness
But first, let’s understand the significance
of Hebraic names by looking at the very first name given to man, Adam.
Within a Hebraic context, names are not given
randomly; rather, they are chosen purposefully to demonstrate something about
the person’s character, calling or destiny.
God Himself seemed to set this trend when He
named the first man Adam (אדם).
In fact, this is also the name He gave for all
of humankind!
“Then the LORD God formed man [adam] from the dust of the ground [adama], and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis
2:7)
This name, Adam (אדם), is
directly related to the Hebrew word adama (אדמה), which means ground, earth, or
even dirt/soil.
This name indicates something about the nature
of Adam and all humankind, as well as his relationship with the earth itself.
“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be
fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the
fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that
moves on the ground.’” (Genesis 1:28)
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the
Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15)
Since Adam was created from adama, the
dust of the earth, his name reflects his physical origin, earthly nature and
destiny, both in life and death.
Because Adam sinned, death was introduced to
the world and because of that, the body returns to the dust.
“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your
food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you
are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19)
The name Adam is also related to the Hebrew
word adom, which means red. This perhaps symbolizes the life-giving blood flowing through
mankind.
The Book of Leviticus in the Torah (first five
books of the Bible) accurately identifies that this precious red substance
gives the body life, and also states that it makes atonement on the altar for sin (Leviticus 17:11).
Even though God created mankind and breathed
into Adam’s body the breath that made us living beings, few people know
anything about the Creator.
Rather than leaving mankind to speculate about
Who He is and What He is like, one key way in which He has chosen to reveal
Himself and His will to us is through His Names.
The Lord Your
Healer: Adonai Rophekha (יהוה רֹפְאֶֽךָ)
“If you listen carefully to the voice of the
Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands
and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought
on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD [YHVH], your healer [Rophekha].” (Exodus
15:26)
The Hebrew word rophekha is
derived from rapha, a verb that means to restore, heal or make healthy. Here in Israel, we call a medical
doctor a rophe (or ropha in the feminine gender) in Hebrew.
“Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all
His benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals [rapha] all your diseases.”
(Psalm 103:2–3)
This name first appears during the
Israelite’s exodus from Egypt at the waters of Mara (bitter waters).
One of the primary healings we need is for
deliverance from unforgiveness and bitterness.
Nevertheless, we understand from Exodus
15:26 that healing comes with a condition: complete obedience.
Of course, we know that in our fallen
humanity, none of us can claim this perfection, since we are in desperate need
of spiritual healing.
God sent the cure in His Son, Yeshua (Jesus),
who gave Himself as our personal sin offering.
Messianic Prophecy of Isaiah 53:
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He
was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon
Him, and by His wounds we are healed [rapha].” (Isaiah 53:5)
His life was characterized by powerful
miracles of healing. Yeshua healed lepers, epileptics, and paralytics. He
even raised the dead to a new life.
His healing power is still available to us
today through faith.
“You know of Yeshua of Nazareth, how God
anointed Him with Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) and with power, and how He
went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by Satan, for God was
with Him.” (Acts 10:38)
The Lord is
There: Adonai Shammah (שמה יהוה)
“The distance all around will be 18,000
cubits. And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.” (Ezekiel 48:35)
The Hebrew word shammah is derived from the word sham, which simply means there.
For instance, Moses apparently named his
son Gersham (גֵּרְשֹׁם) because
he was a stranger (ger/
גֵּר) there (sham/ שֹׁם) in Egypt (Exodus 2:22). This
comforting name of God speaks of His faithfulness.
The name The Lord Is There (Adonai Shammah) occurs only once in the Tanakh (Hebrew
Scriptures) in the prophetic Book of Ezekiel.
Although it specifically refers to Jerusalem, it is a name of God. This is the new name
that Jerusalem will be called when Yeshua, the son of David, returns to reign
in Jerusalem and God’s Presence permanently resides there.
In other words, Jerusalem will be so changed
by God dwelling in Jerusalem that she will receive this name linking her to God
Himself!
Other prophetic names for Jerusalem at that
time will be “The Throne of the Lord” and “The Lord Is our
Righteousness” (Adonai Tzidkeinu) (see Jeremiah 3:17, and 33:16).
We can receive assurance from this name that
God has not and will not abandon Jerusalem.
We can also understand that God Is
There for us in a real and personal way.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them.
They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their
God.’” (Revelation 21:3)
Our lives can be so permeated by His Presence
that we can receive this new name that reflects our changed character and
relationship to Yeshua (Jesus) and His Holy City, Jerusalem.
“Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the
temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him
the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which
is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new
name.” (Revelation 3:12)
The Lord Our Righteousness: Adonai
Tzidkeinu (יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ)
The days are coming, declares the LORD, when I
will raise up to David a
righteous Branch, a King who
will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will
live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness [YHVH
Tzidkeinu].” (Jeremiah 23:5–6)
The name Adonai Tzidkeinu (The Lord our Righteousness) appears twice in the Tanakh, both times
in Jeremiah (23:5–6;
33:16).
The word tzidkeinu comes from the root צדק (tz-d-k) meaning
justice or righteousness.
The Hebrew words tzadik (righteous one) and tzedakah (charity, literally righteousness) share the same root.
While righteousness may not be popular in
today’s modern society, this powerful name of God conveys His incredible mercy
to the lost world in which we live.
God first revealed Himself as our
righteousness in the midst of a people being judged for their sins.
While the Israelites were being sent into
exile for their idolatry and unfaithfulness, He promised that one called YHVH
Tzidkeinu would arise one day from the line of David (Jeremiah 23:5–6).
Who else could this be, other than the
Messiah?
Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus, the Messiah and son
of David) fulfilled this Messianic prophecy about
600 years later.
Yeshua — who was perfectly blameless, sinless,
guiltless, holy, and innocent — took all of our sins upon Himself in order that
we could become the righteousness of God in Him.
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our
behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt
offering, my son.” (Genesis 22:8)
Not one of us can claim to be completely
righteous and without sin (1 John
1:8); however, when we put
our faith in Yeshua and follow Him, we become righteous in God’s eyes.
When Yeshua returns as King Messiah to sit on
His throne in Jerusalem, this end-time prophecy will be fulfilled.
As we saw in the name Adonai Shammah (The Lord is There), Jerusalem will be transformed by His coming
and the Holy City will reflect the nature of God to such a degree that a name
given to the Messiah will also be given to the Holy City Jerusalem — The Lord
our Righteousness.
First and foremost, our
mission is ministering to Jewish people with love and comfort.
“Comfort, comfort my people
(Israel), says your God.” Isaiah 40
Located in the Holy Land, the
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The Dung Gate is southwest of the Temple Mount
in the Old City of Jerusalem
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A stained glass by Charles Lorin depicting Adam
and Eve being banished from the Garden of Eden (Gan Eden).
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A modern street in Jerusalem adjacent to the
walled Old City of Jerusalem
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A Jewish girl has her Bat Mitzvah in Jerusalem
near the Western (Wailing) Wall.
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An Orthodox Jewish man surveys a selection
of books in Jerusalem.
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Since ancient times, the city of Jerusalem has
been surrounded by walls.
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An Orthodox Jewish man reads a siddur (Jewish
prayer book) at Jerusalem’s Western (Wailing) Wall
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“God will provide for Himself the lamb for the
burnt offering, my son.” (Genesis 22:8)
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