The name "God Almighty" or "Almighty God" attributed to the Lord in the Old Testament is from the Hebrew name El Shaddai usually translated "God, the All-powerful One." In contrast with the numerous gods of the nations surrounding Israel, God was to be known as the almighty God who reigned over all.
The first use of this Hebrew name is found in Genesis 17:1 during an encounter where God speaks with Abraham. The Lord refers to Himself by this name, saying, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless." Many of the other uses of El Shaddai are also found in Genesis. For example, Genesis 28:3 states, "God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples." Here, God's power to bless and provide a nation through Abraham is mentioned alongside this important name of God (see also Genesis 35:11).
In Genesis 43:14, we find Jacob asking for mercy for his sons, "May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin." In a second passage, Jacob tells his son Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me" (Genesis 48:3). In that passage, Jacob referred to the Lord's promise to bless his family with many descendants.
In Exodus 6:2-3, God tells Moses, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them." In this passage, God identifies Himself as the same Almighty God who appeared to the forefathers of Moses, now referring to Himself as the Lord.
One final passage, Ezekiel 10:4-5, mentions the power of God as Almighty God: "And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD. And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks." In this vision, Ezekiel refers to the wings of the cherubim (angels) being as loud as God's voice.
Based on these passages as well as other themes found throughout Scripture, it is clear God is Almighty in the sense that He is all-powerful. There is no act of strength too big for Him. There is no other person or so-called god who compares with His power. As the people of Israel discovered many times in the Old Testament, the Lord Almighty could conquer any enemy and provide answers when there appeared to be no answer.
These teachings were noted as part of God's perfect attributes with the goal of directing God's people to worship Him. Still today, a closer look at God's attributes, including His almighty power, causes us to look to Him with a deeper, more reverent sense of worship.
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