If you want to know someone deeply, you learn their name — and in Scripture, every name of God reveals another beautiful dimension of who He truly is.
Today I want to continue my series on getting to know God better. In my previous post, I wrote about How to Know God Better by Reading the Bible. Today we will explore how the various names of God found in Scripture reveal His character and help us know Him more fully.
One God, Many Names
There are hundreds of names for God found throughout the Bible. This does not suggest multiple gods, but one God whose character is so vast and magnificent that many names are needed to describe Him.
Deuteronomy 6:4–5 declares:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
Scripture makes it clear: there is one God, and our greatest calling is to love Him completely.
What Is in a Name?
Names in the Bible carry deep meaning. They often describe a person’s nature or character. The names of God function the same way — they do not merely describe what God does; they reveal who He is.
Below are several names of God to begin your journey of deeper understanding:
Names of God in Scripture
- Abba — Father (Galatians 4:6)
- Adonai — Lord, Master (Ezekiel 16:8)
- Alpha and Omega — Beginning and the End (Revelation 1:8, 11, 17)
- Ancient of Days — Ever-Existing One (Daniel 7:9)
- Jehovah Jireh — The Lord Who Provides (Genesis 22:14)
- Christ — The Anointed One (Mark 8:29)
- Jehovah Nissi — The Lord Our Banner (Exodus 17:15)
- El Elyon — God Most High (Genesis 14:20)
- Jehovah Shalom — The Lord Our Peace (Judges 6:23–24)
- El Roi — The God Who Sees (Genesis 16:13)
- Jehovah Shammah — The Lord Who Is There (Ezekiel 48:35)
- Immanuel — God With Us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22–23)
- Jehovah Tsidkenu — The Lord Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6)
- El Shaddai — God Almighty (Genesis 17:1–2)
- Jehovah Rapha — The Lord Who Heals (Exodus 15:26)
- Elohim — Creator (Genesis 1:1)
- Jehovah M’Kaddesh — The Lord Who Sanctifies (Leviticus 20:26)
- Jehovah (Yahweh) — The Self-Existent One (Exodus 3:14)
- Jehovah Rohi — The Lord Our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
- Jesus — The Lord Saves (Matthew 1:21)
- Logos — The Word (John 1:1)
Many of these names come from the original Hebrew and Greek languages and are not always fully expressed in English translations. Yet each one reveals an aspect of God’s character worthy of reflection and study.
Using God’s Names in Prayer
One meaningful practice is to incorporate God’s names into your prayer life. For example:
“God, You are Jehovah Rohi — the Lord my Shepherd.”
From there, you can pray through Psalm 23, reflecting on how God guides, protects, and provides just as a shepherd cares for his sheep.
The Name Above Every Name
The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:9:
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.”
No other name compares to God’s name — it stands above every name in heaven and on earth.
When the apostle John witnessed Jesus’ return in Revelation 19:11–16, he recorded that written on His robe and thigh was the title:
King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
We will know Him when He comes.
A Final Encouragement
Let me encourage you to go deeper in your journey of knowing God. Study the names Scripture uses for Him. Meditate on them. Pray through them.
These names are not merely descriptions of God’s actions — they reveal His very nature.
The more we understand His names, the more we come to know Him.
Which name of God speaks most clearly to your current season of life, and why?
How does understanding God’s character change the way you pray?
Which name of God do you need to trust more deeply right now?
How could you intentionally include God’s names in your daily prayer time this week?
What does it mean personally for you that Jesus is the “name above every name”?
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