What do LORD, GOD, Lord, and God stand for in the Bible?

JEHOVAH

This is the second name of God found in the Old Testament. Its first occurrence is found in Genesis 2:4. It is translated GOD some 300 times, and LORD about 6,000 times. Its meaning is, He, that always was, that always is, that always will be, the Eternal. It is far more numerously mentioned in Scripture than any other name of God. Wherever the reader finds the name of GOD printed in capital letters, or the name LORD printed likewise in capital letters in his Bible, he may in both cases know that it refers to Jehovah.

The Spirit's use of divine names and titles in the Scriptures is most instructive, and should be observed carefully by all who seek to understand the ways of God throughout the ages with men, and especially with Israel. Unfortunately our generally excellent Authorised Version does not help us in this as it should. The words "God" and "the Lord" (the latter sometimes in capitals and sometimes in small letters) really hide important truths. In the book of Jonah we read of "God" and "the Lord." "God" stands for the Hebrew "Elohim," and occurs 15 times; "the Lord" stands for "Jehovah," and occurs 26 times. Divine names are abundant throughout the sacred Word, each having its own meaning; each therefore having its own sweet message to the heart. Psalm 68 is particularly rich in divine names and titles. At least twelve will be found there. The latest and fullest revelation of God is the name "Father," brought down to us by the Son of His love, and it is under this name the saints of this era are in relationship with Him His children, sons, and heirs.

There is another trace of the Septuagint, which is much more serious. The Jews, from time immemorial, never pronounce the word Jehovah, or write it in any but in the Hebrew characters. Now the translators of the Septuagint were Jews, imbued with the common prejudice of their nation. In consequence the word Jehovah does not once appear in the Septuagint; it is invariably rendered by Kurios, or Lord, which was a common title of respect between man and man. This peculiarity passed into the Vulgate, where Dominos is the equivalent term for Jehovah; and, for some unexplained reason — probably on account of the influence exercised by learned Jews over the reformers — it has been almost always retained in our common English Bibles. From this circumstance, a great deal of the meaning of the Bible is sometimes neglected; and the proper name of the invisible God does not appear where it ought to be. In our printed Bibles, it will be seen that when Lord stands for Jehovah, it consists of four capital letters, thus: — LORD.

The writers of the Septuagint were all Jews, and therefore never wrote the word Jehovah with Greek letters. The word Jehovah never once occurs in the entire New Testament. There is no kind of doubt that they used the title kurios, or the LORD, just as the Septuagint translators had done — as a well-understood equivalent for Jehovah. And when this title of LORD became, in an emphatic manner, fixed upon the Redeemer, he was thereby proclaimed to be Jehovah.

It appears the Jews had a special reverence for the name, Jehovah, so much so that they would not allow the name to pass their lips. They substituted for it Elohim or Adonai, according to the vowel points by which it was accompanied. Smith’s Concise Dictionary of the Bible affirms that the true pronunciation of the name, Jehovah, by which God was made known to the Hebrews, has been entirely lost through the Jews scrupulously avoiding its use. Would that we, Christians, showed more reverence when we take the sacred name of God upon our lips!

Elyon, 'the Most High,' is another name of God, which stands alone, as in Deut. 32:8; 2 Sam. 24:14; and in Dan. 4:17-34 (from a kindred word); or it has one of the above words added and is then 'the most high God,' Gen. 14:20; or 'the LORD most high.' Ps. 7:17. It is not confined to Israel, for He is "the Most High over all the earth." Ps. 83:18.

6, 7. Adon and Adonai, and the plural Adonim, are all translated 'Lord'; they occur frequently, and are found in some of the following compounds:- Adon Jehovah, Ex. 23:17, the Lord GOD. Adon Jehovah Elohim, Isa. 51:22, thy Lord, the LORD, and thy God. Adon Jehovah Sabaoth, Isa. 19:4, the Lord, the LORD OF HOSTS. Adonai Elohim, Ps. 86:12, O Lord my God: cf. Dan. 9:3, 9, 15. Adona Jehovah, Deut. 9:26, O Lord GOD (occurs frequently). Adonai Jehovah Sabaoth, Jer. 2:19, the Lord GOD of hosts. El Elohim, Gen. 33:20, El-elohe [Israel]; Gen. 46:3, God, the God [of thy father]. El Elohim Jehovah, Joshua 22:22, the LORD God of gods. El Shaddai, Gen. 28:3, etc., God Almighty. Jah Jehovah, Isa. 26:4, the LORD JEHOVAH. Jehovah Adon, Neh. 10:29, the LORD our Lord. Jehovah Adonai, Ps. 68:20, GOD the Lord. Jehovah El, Ps. 31:5, O LORD God. Jehovah Elohim, Gen. 9:26, etc., the LORD God. Jehovah Elohim Sabaoth Adonai, Amos 5:16, the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord. Jehovah Jehovah El, Ex. 34:6, the LORD, the LORD God. Jehovah Sabaoth, Jer. 46:18, the LORD of hosts. Jehovah Sabaoth Elohim, Jer. 27:4, etc., the LORD of hosts, the God [of Israel].

For titles in combination with Jehovah, See JEHOVAH.

The true pronunciation of Jehovah is declared to be lost: the Jews when reading the O.T. never utter it (from a constrained interpretation of Lev. 24:16), but say, 'the name,' 'the great and terrible name,' etc.

In the O.T. there are five words so translated, but only one that occurs frequently, adon, which is often rendered 'Lord,' and signifies 'master' either as owner or ruler. In the N.T. there is κύριος, often translated 'Lord:' this is rendered 'master' in reference to God in Eph. 6:9; Col. 4:1; and is often used as between master and servants.

The word Lord has two meanings. In the Old Testament it almost always means Jehovah when printed in capital letters, and in the New, "Lord" is often applied to the Lord Jesus because of His being Jehovah, God manifest in flesh, the self-existent One. It would mortify a Jew beyond measure to apply this title to any but the divine Being. As Peter said, "God hath made this same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." All was to be given into His hands, to be recognised by all as the anointed servant — the Man who has all power everywhere. They did not know why they were to call the babe Jesus, but God knew. He was the only one to whom that name could be given; He was to be the exponent of what God is (names were always given thus in the Old Testament). God knew that He was the only One who could settle the whole question of sin. God must find One, holy and undefiled; He alone could go and stand in the gap, He alone in redemption could bring them into a new place, breaking the power of Egypt.

[We shall here give the various divine titles given in Scripture: and the reader can, if so led, examine for himself the passages in which they occur, and see the way in which they are applied.

"Elohim" — God. "Jehovah" — Lord. "Adonai," also rendered Lord, see Ps. 16:2. Adonai, or Adon, has been taken to mean Ruler, or Sovereign, from the root "Dan," to judge. In some English Bibles, Jehovah is rendered in capital letters, LORD; Adonai, Lord. Thus the distinction is easily seen. "O my soul, thou hast said, Jehovah, Thou art my Adonai" (Ps. 16:2). This is very striking and most beautiful.

Jehovah. This is a name of relationship with men, especially with Israel, taken by God in time. It is derived from havah, 'to exist,' and may be expanded into 'who is, who was, and is to come.' God thus reveals Himself in time as the ever-existing One: that is, in Himself eternally, He is always the same: cf. Heb. 1:12. The above 'relationship' may be seen in the change from Elohim, the Creator, in Gen. 1, to Jehovah Elohim in Gen. 2, when man was brought into relationship with God. Again in Gen. 7:16 Elohim ordered Noah to make the ark but Jehovah shut him in. Unfortunately the name Jehovah is seldom employed in the A.V. It is generally represented by LORD (sometimes GOD) printed in small capitals.* There is a contraction of Jehovah into Jah, also translated in the A.V. by LORD, except in Ps. 68:4, where Israel is exhorted to sing unto God, and "extol him by his name JAH." Jah signifies the absolute supremacy of the self-existing One; whereas Jehovah was the name made known to Israel, and on which they could count. "God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM," Ex. 3:14, where the word is Ehyeh, which is from the same root as Jehovah, the Eternal existing One; He that was, and is, and the coming One.

In the N.T. the word Θεός is constantly translated God; and Κύριος is the word commonly rendered Lord. In the O.T. the latter is used by the LXX as the translation of Jehovah, so in the N.T. it often represents Jehovah, and is then mostly, if not always, without the article, as in Matt. 1:20, 22, 24, etc. The Lord is also called 'the Almighty,' Rev. 1:8, etc.; and there are a few compound names as in the O.T.: God Almighty, Rev. 16:14; Rev. 19:15. Lord Almighty, 2 Cor. 6:18. Lord God Almighty, Rev. 4:8; Rev. 11:17; Rev. 15:3; Rev. 16:7; Rev. 21:22. Lord of Sabaoth, Rom. 9:29; James 5:4.