The Bible is a book that reveals God Himself. All the words in the Bible are full of the revelation of God; therefore, we will first look at the line of the Triune God in the Bible. We will look at it in three sections—the names of God, the attributes of God, and the works of God.
In the Bible, the first name by which God is called is God. In the Old Testament, there are at least three different Hebrew words for God—Elohim, El, and Eloah, each with a distinct meaning. When modifiers are added to these names, compound names are produced.
Elohim is a word in the plural form; it is a plural word indicating a number higher than two. When we read Genesis 1:1, which says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” we often ask the question, “Since God is one, why is He called Elohim?” There are a few points that require explanation.
1) According to the form of the words in Genesis 1:1, God is plural, yet created is singular. This shows that although God is three, He is still one.
2) In Genesis 1:26, God who is Elohim refers to Himself as “Us,” another plural term. Also in Genesis 3:22, when Adam ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God said, “The man has become like one of Us.” In Genesis 11:7, when the children of men were building the tower of Babel, God again said, “Let Us go down and there confound their language.” Still again in Isaiah 6:8, God says, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” Furthermore, in John 17:11 and 22 the Lord Jesus prayed that the disciples might be one “even as We are.” God repeatedly refers to Himself as “Us” and “We.”
3) While We is plural, image in Genesis 1:27 is singular, and His in His own image is singular as well. So here we must acknowledge that God is a God who is three yet one.
4) In Matthew 28:19, the Lord said, “Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The persons are three, yet name is singular. So it is very clear that God is a trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
5) In John 17:11 and 22, the Lord said that the Father and the Son are one, which is to say that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one.
6) Although God is three in person, 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Corinthians 8:4 and 6, and Romans 3:30 all say that God is uniquely one. This proves that God is three yet one, or we may say, one yet three.
7) According to the record in Numbers 6:24-26, God told the priests to bless the children of Israel with three requests. The first request would be carried out by God the Father, the second request by God the Son, and the third request by God the Spirit. In Isaiah 6:3, when praising God, the seraphim also say consecutively, “Holy, holy, holy.”
8) In the New Testament in Matthew 6:9-10 there are also three requests in the Lord’s prayer. The first request is carried out by God the Father, the second request by God the Son, and the third request by God the Spirit. Furthermore, in Revelation 4:8, when praising God the four living creatures also say consecutively, “Holy, holy, holy.”
Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, prayer on the earth always consists of three requests, and praise in the heavens always consists of three holys. Thus, by inference, we can conclude that God is truly triune.
In Hebrew, Elohim is composed of two parts. The first part El means one who is strong and powerful, and the second part ohim means to bind oneself with an oath. Oath-making reveals God’s faithfulness; being strong and powerful reveals God’s might. God is a faithful mighty One.
The name Elohim is used more than two thousand five hundred times in the Old Testament. It is first used in Genesis 1:1, showing that the God who created the heavens and the earth is triune and that He is mighty and faithful. The emphasis on might relates to creation, whereas the emphasis on faithfulness relates to preservation and maintenance. Through His might the Triune God created the heavens and the earth, and through His faithfulness He preserves and maintains the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 shows us that the heavens and the earth were created jointly by the three-one God.
El is a word in singular form, meaning “the first mighty One, the preeminent mighty One.” This word is used approximately two hundred and fifty times in the Old Testament; it is first used in Genesis 14:18-20 and 22, revealing that God is the preeminent, high, and mighty One in the universe.
Eloah is the singular form of Elohim, derived from the word Alah. Alah means “to worship”; therefore, Eloah denotes that God is the mighty One to be worshipped. This word is used fifty-six times in the Old Testament; it is first used in Deuteronomy 32:15 and 18. From El three more compound names are derived.
El means “the preeminent mighty One,” and Elyon means “the most high.” El Elyon denotes that God is the mighty One who is the highest in the universe. This name is first used in Genesis 14:18-20 and 22.
Shaddai means “breast” or “udder”; El Shaddai denotes that God is the mighty One with an udder, the all-sufficient mighty One. Our relationship with God is like that of an infant lying on the bosom of the mother and receiving the supply for all the necessities in life; hence, God is the All-sufficient One to us. This title is first used in Genesis 17:1. It is also used in Genesis 28:3, 35:11, and 49:25.
Olam has the same meaning as that of the Greek word aeon, meaning “hidden, concealed,” and “from generation to generation and from eternity to eternity.” The full meaning indicates that God is the mysterious mighty One in eternity. Some English versions translate this title as “the everlasting God” while others translate it as “the eternal God,” yet neither of these expresses the meaning adequately. This word is first used in Genesis 21:33; in addition, Psalm 90:2 and Isaiah 40:28 use this word.
In addition to the above six Hebrew names for God, there is a Chaldean (Aramaic) word used as a title of God, Elah, which is also written in certain places as Elahah for emphasis. This word is equivalent to the Hebrew word Eloah. It is used seventy-seven times in Ezra and Daniel.