"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your NAME in all the earth!" Psalm 8:1
"The NAME of the Lord is a strong tower…" Proverbs 18:10
What is in a name? There have been many names used for God down through the ages, and many of these are used because of the meaning behind the name. For the next few months I am going to go through the alphabet, thinking about a different name for God each week, and writing a brief, though hopefully enlightening synopsis of that name. It is my sincere thought that as Christians, we must continually be learning and growing in the Lord, so what better way than to learn about Him through His names.
To begin this exercise, I have chosen the name of Adonai. I have heard this name from time to time, but never did know the meaning behind it. There are other ‘A’ names that come to mind, such as Almighty, Alpha, and Anointed One, but I love saying the word "Adonai" pronounced (A-do-NAI). It catches my heart some way.
Adonai is the Hebrew name for ‘My Lord’. It is used in the Hebrew reading as a substitute for the name YHWH, Yahweh (Yah-ve) or Jehovah, with the primary meaning of "self-existant one". YHWH is called a ‘Tetragrammation’, using the 4 consonants of the Hebrew name for God. YHWH was considered too sacred to be spoken aloud, so the word ‘Adonai’ (Lord) is substituted for the name in utterance. The vowels of Adonai or Elohim (God) are inserted in the Hebrew texts so that the modern reconstruction of YHWH is Yahweh or Jehovah.
The first part of the word "Adon", means "steward administrator, master or Lord." By adding the "ai" this intensifies the meaning to mean the Lord of all, or Supreme Lord. Therefore, by using the title Adonai, we are emphasizing that God is sovereign, giving Him Lordship. It also places us in the role of servant, that is servant to our Lord, our Adonai.
The chorus to a song sung by Avalon:
Adonai, I lift up my heart and I cry
My Adonai.
You are the maker of each moment
Father of my hope and freedom,
Oh, my Adonai.
My Adonai.
You are the maker of each moment
Father of my hope and freedom,
Oh, my Adonai.
No comments:
Post a Comment