Divine Names in Genesis: Elohim, Yahweh, and the Revelation of God's Character

Introduction: Names as Theological Revelation

When God appears to Hagar in the wilderness after her expulsion from Abraham's household, she responds with a remarkable act of naming: "You are ʾēl rōʾî" — the God who sees me (Genesis 16:13). This brief encounter captures something essential about divine names in Genesis: they are not arbitrary labels but theological revelations that disclose God's character, his relationship with humanity, and his purposes in history. The question of why Genesis uses different names for God — sometimes ʾĕlōhîm (God), sometimes yhwh (LORD), sometimes compound forms like ʾēl šadday (God Almighty) — has occupied biblical scholars since Jean Astruc's 1753 proposal that Moses compiled Genesis from multiple sources distinguished by their divine names. Yet the theological significance of these names extends far beyond source-critical debates.

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, names carried ontological weight. To know someone's name was to have access to their identity and, in some sense, their power. Egyptian texts speak of the "secret name" of Ra that grants authority over the sun god. Mesopotamian incantations invoke divine names to compel divine action. Against this backdrop, the divine names in Genesis function as controlled revelations: God discloses his character progressively, each name illuminating a different facet of his being and his covenant relationship with his people. Gordon Wenham observes in his Genesis commentary (1987) that the alternation between ʾĕlōhîm and yhwh is "not haphazard but reflects the narrator's theological concerns." The God who creates the cosmos with sovereign power (ʾĕlōhîm in Genesis 1) is the same God who walks in the garden and calls to Adam (yhwh ʾĕlōhîm in Genesis 2–3), establishing from the outset that transcendence and immanence, universal sovereignty and personal relationship, are not competing attributes but complementary dimensions of the one true God.

This article examines the primary divine names in Genesis — ʾĕlōhîm, yhwh, and the various ʾēl compounds — to demonstrate how each name reveals specific aspects of God's character and covenant purposes. I argue that the distribution of divine names in Genesis is theologically intentional, not merely the artifact of documentary sources, and that understanding the semantic range of these names enriches our reading of Genesis as a unified theological narrative. The names are not interchangeable synonyms but precise theological terms that guide readers toward a richer understanding of who God is and how he relates to his creation.

Elohim: The Transcendent Creator

The Hebrew term ʾĕlōhîm is a plural form of ʾĕlōah, itself derived from the root ʾl meaning "power" or "might." While grammatically plural, ʾĕlōhîm functions as a singular noun when referring to the God of Israel, taking singular verbs and adjectives. This morphological peculiarity has generated considerable theological discussion. Some early Christian interpreters saw in the plural form a hint of the Trinity, though this reading is anachronistic. More plausibly, the plural may be a "plural of majesty" (pluralis majestatis) emphasizing God's supreme dignity, or it may reflect the term's generic usage for any deity, whether the God of Israel or the gods of the nations.

In Genesis 1:1–2:3, ʾĕlōhîm is the exclusive divine name, appearing thirty-five times. This is theologically significant. The creation account emphasizes God's transcendent power, his effortless sovereignty over the cosmos, his ordering of chaos into cosmos through speech alone. There is no theogony, no divine conflict, no struggle against primordial monsters — just the majestic declaration, "Let there be light," and light comes into being (Genesis 1:3). Bruce Waltke notes in his Genesis commentary (2001) that the use of ʾĕlōhîm in Genesis 1 "underscores God's transcendence and universal sovereignty as Creator of all that exists." The term positions God above and beyond creation, the uncaused cause who brings all things into existence by his word.

Yet ʾĕlōhîm is not merely a term of distant power. In Genesis 1:26–27, this transcendent Creator declares, "Let us make humanity in our image, according to our likeness," and then creates male and female in the divine image. The God who is wholly other chooses to create beings who bear his likeness, who are capable of relationship with him. The term ʾĕlōhîm thus holds together transcendence and relationality: God is infinitely above his creation, yet he creates beings with whom he can commune.

The semantic range of ʾĕlōhîm extends beyond the God of Israel. The term can refer to foreign gods (Genesis 35:2, "the foreign gods that are among you"), to divine beings in the heavenly council (Psalm 82:1, "God [ʾĕlōhîm] stands in the divine assembly; among the gods [ʾĕlōhîm] he renders judgment"), and even to human judges or authorities (Exodus 21:6; 22:8–9). This generic usage highlights the term's fundamental meaning: ʾĕlōhîm denotes power, authority, and transcendence. When applied to the God of Israel, it affirms that he possesses these attributes in their fullness and that he alone is worthy of worship.

Yahweh: The Covenant Name

The tetragrammaton yhwh (יהוה), conventionally vocalized as "Yahweh," is the personal name of the God of Israel. Its etymology has been debated since antiquity. The most widely accepted derivation connects it to the Hebrew verb hāyāh ("to be"), based on God's self-identification in Exodus 3:14: ʾehyeh ʾăšer ʾehyeh, "I AM WHO I AM" or "I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE." This cryptic formula has generated multiple interpretations. Medieval Jewish commentators like Rashi (1040–1105) understood it as a statement of God's eternal, unchanging existence. Christian theologians from Augustine to Aquinas saw in it a declaration of divine aseity — God's self-existence, his independence from all created things. Modern scholars like John Durham (1987) and Brevard Childs (1974) emphasize the dynamic, relational dimension: God promises to be actively present with his people, to be for them what they need in each circumstance.

In Genesis, yhwh appears first in Genesis 2:4, where the narrative shifts from the cosmic scope of creation to the intimate setting of the garden: "In the day that yhwh ʾĕlōhîm made earth and heaven..." The compound name yhwh ʾĕlōhîm ("LORD God") is used throughout Genesis 2–3, linking the transcendent Creator of Genesis 1 with the personal God who forms Adam from the dust, plants a garden, walks in the cool of the day, and calls out, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9). R.W.L. Moberly argues in The Theology of the Book of Genesis (2009) that this compound name is "programmatic for the book as a whole," establishing that the God who creates the cosmos is the same God who enters into covenant relationship with humanity.

The name yhwh is associated throughout Genesis with covenant promises and personal encounters. It is yhwh who calls Abram to leave Ur and promises to make him a great nation (Genesis 12:1–3). It is yhwh who appears to Abram in a vision and makes a covenant with him, passing between the pieces of the sacrificial animals (Genesis 15:7–18). It is yhwh who appears to Isaac at Beersheba and reaffirms the covenant promises (Genesis 26:24). The name signals divine initiative, covenant faithfulness, and personal presence.

Yet there is a curious tension in Genesis regarding the name yhwh. The narrator uses the name freely from Genesis 2 onward, but according to Exodus 6:2–3, God tells Moses, "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as ʾēl šadday, but by my name yhwh I did not make myself known to them." This has generated considerable scholarly debate. Does Exodus 6:3 contradict Genesis, where the patriarchs clearly use the name yhwh (e.g., Genesis 15:2, 8; 28:16)? Or does "make myself known" refer not to the mere utterance of the name but to its full experiential realization in the exodus deliverance? Terence Fretheim suggests in Exodus (1991) that the patriarchs knew the name yhwh but did not yet experience its full significance — the God who delivers his people from bondage and establishes them as a nation. The exodus would reveal the meaning of the name in a way the patriarchal period did not.

El Shaddai and the Compound Names

Genesis employs several compound divine names that combine ʾēl ("God") with descriptive epithets. These names appear at key moments in the narrative, each revealing a specific dimension of God's character or covenant relationship.

ʾēl šadday ("God Almighty") appears six times in Genesis (17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; 49:25), always in contexts related to the Abrahamic covenant and the promise of descendants. When God appears to ninety-nine-year-old Abram and announces that Sarah will bear a son, he identifies himself as ʾēl šadday: "I am ʾēl šadday; walk before me and be blameless" (Genesis 17:1). The name emphasizes God's power to fulfill seemingly impossible promises. The etymology of šadday is disputed — it may derive from šadeh ("field" or "mountain") or from šāḏaḏ ("to overpower"). Regardless of its etymology, the name functions in Genesis to assure the patriarchs that God has the power to accomplish his covenant purposes despite human impossibility.

ʾēl ʿelyôn ("God Most High") appears in Genesis 14:18–22, where Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of ʾēl ʿelyôn, blesses Abram after his victory over the eastern kings. Melchizedek declares, "Blessed be Abram by ʾēl ʿelyôn, maker of heaven and earth, and blessed be ʾēl ʿelyôn, who has delivered your enemies into your hand" (Genesis 14:19–20). Abram then identifies yhwh with ʾēl ʿelyôn: "I have sworn to yhwh, ʾēl ʿelyôn, maker of heaven and earth..." (Genesis 14:22). This identification is theologically significant: it affirms that the God of Israel is not a tribal deity but the supreme God over all nations and powers. The title ʿelyôn ("Most High") appears in Ugaritic texts as an epithet of El, the head of the Canaanite pantheon, but Genesis appropriates the title for yhwh, asserting his supremacy over all other claimants to divinity.

ʾēl rōʾî ("the God who sees") is Hagar's name for God after he appears to her in the wilderness (Genesis 16:13). Fleeing from Sarah's harsh treatment, Hagar encounters the angel of yhwh at a spring, who tells her to return to Sarah and promises that her descendants will be too numerous to count. Hagar responds, "You are ʾēl rōʾî," and names the well Beer-lahai-roi, "the well of the Living One who sees me." This name reveals God's attentiveness to the marginalized and oppressed. Hagar, an Egyptian slave woman with no social standing, is seen by God. He knows her plight, hears her cry, and intervenes on her behalf. The name ʾēl rōʾî assures readers that God's covenant faithfulness extends beyond the elect line to encompass all who call upon him.

ʾēl ʿôlām ("the Everlasting God") appears in Genesis 21:33, where Abraham plants a tamarisk tree at Beersheba and calls upon the name of yhwh, ʾēl ʿôlām. The name emphasizes God's eternal existence and unchanging faithfulness. Unlike the gods of the nations, who are subject to time and fate, yhwh is the everlasting God whose covenant promises endure forever.

The Documentary Hypothesis and Divine Names

No discussion of divine names in Genesis can ignore the documentary hypothesis, which has dominated Pentateuchal scholarship since Julius Wellhausen's synthesis in the 1870s. The hypothesis proposes that the Pentateuch was compiled from four primary sources: the Yahwist (J), who uses yhwh; the Elohist (E), who uses ʾĕlōhîm; the Deuteronomist (D); and the Priestly writer (P). The distribution of divine names was one of the key criteria for source division. Genesis 1:1–2:3, which uses ʾĕlōhîm exclusively, was assigned to P. Genesis 2:4–3:24, which uses yhwh ʾĕlōhîm, was assigned to J. The patriarchal narratives were divided between J and E based largely on their use of divine names.

Yet the documentary hypothesis has faced increasing challenges in recent decades. Scholars like R.N. Whybray (1987) and John Van Seters (1999) have questioned whether the criteria for source division are sufficiently objective. The use of divine names, in particular, may reflect theological concerns rather than documentary sources. Why does Genesis 1 use ʾĕlōhîm exclusively? Perhaps because the creation account emphasizes God's universal sovereignty as Creator of all nations, not just Israel. Why does Genesis 2–3 use yhwh ʾĕlōhîm? Perhaps to link the transcendent Creator with the personal, covenant God who relates intimately to humanity. The alternation of divine names may be a literary and theological strategy, not evidence of multiple sources.

Bill Arnold argues in his Genesis commentary (2009) that "the distribution of divine names in Genesis is better explained by theological and literary factors than by the documentary hypothesis." He notes that yhwh appears in contexts emphasizing covenant relationship and divine initiative, while ʾĕlōhîm appears in contexts emphasizing God's universal power and transcendence. The compound names appear at key moments to reveal specific aspects of God's character. This pattern suggests intentional theological artistry, not haphazard compilation.

The debate over the documentary hypothesis remains unresolved, but for theological interpretation, the final form of the text is primary. Whether Genesis was composed by Moses, compiled from multiple sources, or developed over centuries, the text as we have it presents a coherent theological portrait of God through the careful deployment of divine names. Each name contributes to our understanding of who God is and how he relates to his creation.

Theological Synthesis: One God, Many Names

The multiplicity of divine names in Genesis might seem to suggest multiple conceptions of deity, but the text itself insists on the unity of God. The various names are not competing deities but complementary revelations of the one God who is simultaneously transcendent and immanent, powerful and personal, universal and particular. Genesis 14:22 makes this explicit when Abraham identifies yhwh with ʾēl ʿelyôn: the covenant God of Israel is the Most High God, maker of heaven and earth. Genesis 2:4 links yhwh with ʾĕlōhîm: the personal, covenant God is the transcendent Creator.

This theological synthesis has profound implications. It means that the God who creates the cosmos with sovereign power is the same God who walks in the garden and calls to Adam. The God who numbers the stars is the same God who sees Hagar in the wilderness. The God who is wholly other is the same God who enters into covenant relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Transcendence and immanence are not competing attributes but complementary dimensions of the one true God.

Moberly observes that the divine names in Genesis function as "a progressive revelation of God's character and purposes." Each name discloses something new about God, yet each name refers to the same God. The God who reveals himself as ʾĕlōhîm in creation reveals himself as yhwh in covenant, as ʾēl šadday in promise, as ʾēl rōʾî in compassion, as ʾēl ʿôlām in faithfulness. The names are not interchangeable, but they are inseparable. To know God fully is to know him under all his names.

Implications for Ministry and Credentialing

Understanding the divine names in Genesis enriches preaching and teaching by revealing the multidimensional character of God. Pastors who can explain why Genesis uses different names for God — and what each name reveals — will help their congregations develop a richer, more nuanced understanding of the God they worship. Abide University provides the Hebrew language and Old Testament theology training needed for this kind of exegetically informed ministry.

For ministry professionals seeking to formalize their expertise, the Abide University Retroactive Assessment Program offers a pathway to academic credentialing that recognizes prior learning and pastoral experience.