#namesforgod

200+ Names and Titles for God

The idea came to see how many names or titles for the indescribable, ineffable Divine could be found. Indeed, in this endeavour one is trying to do the impossible by trying to describe what cannot be put into words, but the effort still happens out of devotion to and love for God / Divine. Sri Anandamayi Ma, an Indian Saint (1896 - 1992) and described as "the most perfect flower the Indian soil has produced", said: All names given to God have the same power.  You can reach your destination by taking any name you like.  (eg Brahman, Vishnu, Krishna, Rama, Shiva, Ganapatya, Hari.)  The more intense your sadhana, the quicker you reach Him.  Take it lightly, and you take more time. The fact that you are aware that of your incapacity to concentrate on God's name is also His grace.  Even though not interested take the Name as a medicine.  This will also have a good result.  You will improve.  God's names is not like worldly medicine that acts at times and at other times does not; God's name invariably bears fruit. Such amazing words.  Names for God can lead us to Him.  All names are sacred.  Such a wondrous, beautiful saint was Sri Anandamayi Ma. As to the first name of God, Bhagvan Sri Ramana Maharshi said that 'I' is the original name of God: The one, infinite, unbroken whole became aware of itself as ”I”. This is its original name. All other names, for example Om, are later growths.’ - Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, talk no. 9 The enlightened Jnani, Robert Adams, also stated how powerful saying the name of God can be: Saying the name of God repeatedly is very powerful. You can do this internally. But do it. Watch what happens. You are lifting yourself up to a beautiful Reality. A bright and shining Reality.  This becomes your Reality. This is the power you have to completely change your day. Your consciousness. The more you do this, the deeper you dive within it, the stronger it becomes.  - Robert Adams The list is omni-denominational ie no religion is excluded - for God is not religious.  I think the list will end up a long one.  Of course this is mainly a list in English - were we to make it a list for all languages I think there would not be a longer list to describe anything else that could be conceived!  As a related thought just think how few are the words are to describe the person/human/you/me/them.  Yet for God the names are really without end. If you wish to join in a Kirtan (sacred mantra music) and recite God's name 'Bhagwan' (the word for God in Sanskrit), here is the amazing music of Krishna Das.  Jaya or Jai means victory or victorious. And without further ado, here are 200+ names and titles for God.  En-joy.  Feel free to suggest more names for God in the comments below. Jai Bhagwan! Namaste,

List of Names for God

In Exodus 3, God comes to Moses by means of a burning bush and commands him to go and bring the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.  In his back and forth debate with God Moses asks, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”  (Ex 3:13-14)

This name for God, “I am who I am” is YHWH in Hebrew, often pronounced Yahweh.  In our English Bibles most translations reflect this name of God in all caps ‘LORD,’ but what does YHWH, “I am who I am” mean? 

German scholar Martin Noth says, “that kind of indefiniteness is expressed which leaves open a large number of possibilities (’I am whatever I mean to be’).”   

So in one sense the LORD was telling Moses not to worry about people asking “What is his name?”  Moses needed to leave that in the LORD’s hands.  As in the case of Moses and the Israelites, so it is with us.  The LORD will reveal Himself how He chooses and there will be no mistake when He does. 

A professor of mine in college, Victor Hamilton also notes that this name not only reveals God’s indeterminacy here, but can also convey “intensity and actuality... In this sense, then ‘I AM WHO I AM’ means ‘I am there (with you, wherever you are), I really am.’”  

One thing I love about the Bible is how forthright it is.  It delivers the broken mess of life as it happens.  One such story is that of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar.  God made a covenant with Abram that he would make him into a great nation, with a great name, that would be a blessing to all peoples on earth.  Little did Abram know that God would take he and Sarai through a long period of infertility before they had their first child.  In fact, Sarai eventually decided to take matters into her own hands.  She said to Abram, “Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her” (Gen 16:2).  Abram did, and Hagar got pregnant.  Then Sarai began to despise and mistreat her servant, so Hagar fled from her.

Can you imagine- a slave in a foreign land, used to carry on someone else’s family name, despised, mistreated, pregnant, and on the run?  Yet, this is the very moment the LORD revealed himself to Hagar.  *In fact, many think “angel of the LORD”  (Gen 16:7) here is the preincarnate Christ. 

As we often read in the Scriptures, the sufferer gives God a name based on His actions in a trying time.  Here Hagar calls Him EL Roi (EL raw-EE), “You are the God who sees me.”  That’s also why the well she was near was called Beer Lahai Roi, “well of the one who sees me and who lives.”

In life we’re sometimes troubled with thoughts of, “Does God REALLY care about me?  If so, why is all this happening?”  Yet, He is EL ROI.  He is the God who sees everything happening.  He has perfect vision.  He’s not missing one iota of our story.  Remember, it’s right in the middle of the mess that Hagar discovered God in the most intimate of ways.  He then encouraged her, gave her a promise, and sent her back to remain faithful in her circumstances.