WE have already observed that there are two Divine Names in the Hebrew which, though materially different in their signification are translated by the same English word Lord, with this distinction, that when the Hebrew is Jehovah, the English is "Lord" (in capital letters), and when it is Adonai, the English is "Lord"� (in small letters).

We have also seen that where these two words are used together, Adonai Jehovah, they are always rendered (not " Lord Lord,"� but) "Lord God"� with God in capital letters and Lord in small letters.

But when the two words Jehovah Elohim are used together, then it is rendered "Lord God"� ("Lord"� being put in capital letters and "God"� in small letters). Therefore,

Adonai Jehovah = Lord GOD.

Jehovah Elohim = LORD God.

All this difficulty comes through the attempt to translate proper names, which should be always transliterated as nearly as possible in every language. "God"� does not correctly represent either El or Elohim, and "Lord"� certainly does not in any way represent Jehovah, though it has a closer connection with Adonai.

Now there are three forms of this word, Adon, Adonai, and Adonim. It is from Adan, to be low, as a foundation, then Dan or Doon, to judge, order, or rule. Hence אדן (Ehden) is a hinge which governs the door on which it turns, or a socket or base on which a board, pillar, or building rests (Exod. xxvi. 19; xxvii. 10). In Job xxxviii. 6, the Almighty asks, "Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened"� (speaking of the world) (marg., sockets made to sink).

ADON.

So that the word אדן Adon, used as a name, is one on whom others rest and by whom they are ruled, one who supports and has authority and dominion over others. Hence it is used of man as well as God. Its first occurrence fixes its meaning (Gen. xviii. 12). It is the common word for acknowledged superiority of position.

Our English word Lord as used of man comes from loaf, the loaf-keeper (as Lady is literally loaf-kneader), hence the A.S. loaf, to sustain, i.e., the one who supports his vassals as well as governs them (Gen. xxxix. 20; xlii. 30; xlv. 8; 1 Kings xxii. 17). When used of the Divine Being it always has the article — Ha- Adon.

In Exod. xxiii. 17 and xxxiv. 23, it is combined with Jehovah, "Thy males shall appear before the Adon, Jehovah (i.e., the Covenant God who is also thy Ruler, and therefore issues this command).

Josh. iii. 11, 13 and Zech. vi. 5: "The Adon of all the earth."�

Psa. xcvii. 5; Micah iv. 13; Zech. iv. 14: "The Adon of the whole earth."�

Psa. cx. 1: "Jehovah said unto my Adon."

In Isa. i. 24; iii. 1; x. 16, 33; xix. 4; Mai. iii. 1, we have, "Thus saith the Adon, Jehovah of hosts."�

Psa. cxiv. 7: "Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Adon, at the presence of the Eloah of Jacob."�

These are all the occurrences of Adon as used of the Divine Being, and they relate specially to the Lord Jesus who was made low, and on this account was exalted and made Ha-Adon, the Lord and Ruler (see Acts ii. 36 and Phil, ii. 10, 11). As Jehovah He was not "made"� low or high, but as Ha-Adon, He is the humbled One, who is now exalted, upon whom all Creation rests. "By Him all things consist,"� and by Him they will soon all be governed.

ADONIM.

Adonim is the plural of Adon. As plural it is never used of man, but only of the Divine Being. It is the plural of Majesty, and carries with it all that belongs to Adon only in a greater and higher degree. Perhaps ownership may be more strongly implied. All the instances are as follows: —

Deut. x. 17:"For Jehovah your Elohim is Elohim of Elohim, and Adonim of Adonim, the great El, the mighty and the terrible, etc."�

Neh. iii. 5: "The work of their Adonim."

Neh. viii. 10: "Holy unto our Adonim."�

Neh. x. 29: "Jehovah our Adonim."

Isa. li. 22: "Thus saith thy Adonim, Jehovah; and thy Elohim."�

Psa. viii. 1,9: "O Jehovah our Adon."

Psa. xlv. 11: "He is thy Adonim, and worship thou Him."�

Psa. cxxxv. 5: "And that our Adonim is above all Elohim."

Psa. cxxxvi. 3: "O give thanks unto the Adonim of Adonim."

Psa. cxlvii. 5: "Great is our Adonim, and of great power."�

ADONAI.

Adonai, unlike Adon and Adonim, is used exclusively of the Divine Being, and is practically equivalent for Jehovah, or Jehovah as the Ruler and Sustainer of His people. As the Tetragrammaton, Jehovah, came to be regarded as too sacred to be pronounced, its vowel-points were used with the word Adon, making Adon into Adonai. It occurs some 430 times, and in 134 of these the word has been deliberately substituted for Jehovah. A list of these is preserved in the Massorah, and we have already given that list in these pages. We have marked them with an asterisk in the following list of passages where the word Adonai is used.

If now our readers will go through their Bibles and mark these passages, they will then always know that every other place where the word "Lord"� is in small type, it is Adon and is used of men.

To sum up, we may thus distinguish these three words: —

Adon is the Lord of power, support, and rule.

Adonim is the Lord as owner and proprietor.

Adonai is the Lord in the relationship of covenant blessing.

 אדׂני, Adonai.

Gen. xv. 2, 8; xviii. 3, 27,* 30,* 31,* 32*; xix. 18*; xx. 4.* Exod. iv. 10,* 13*; v. 22* (2nd); xv. 17* (2nd); xxxiv. 9* (twice). Num. xiv. 17.* Deut. iii. 24. ix. 26 (2nd). Josh. vii. 7, 8.* Judges vi. 15,* 22 (2nd); xiii. 8*; xvi. 28. 2 Sam. vii. 18 (2nd), 19 (twice), 20, 28, 29. I Kings ii. 26; iii, 10; viii. 53; xxii. 6.* 2 Kings vii. 6*; xix. 23.* Ezra x. 3.* Neh, i. 11.*; iv. 14.* Job xxviii. 28.* Psa. ii. 4*; xvi. 2* (2nd); xxii. 30; xxxv. 17* 22* (2nd), 23; xxxvii. 13*; xxxviii. 9,* 15* (2nd), 22*; xxxix. 7*; xl. 17*; xliv. 23*; li. 15*; liv. 4*; lv. 9*; lvii. 9*; lix, 11.*; lxii. 12.*; lxvi. 18*; lxviii. 11,* 17,* 19,* 20, 22,* 26, 32.*; lxix. 6; lxxi. 5, 16; lxxiii. 20,* 28; lxxvii. 2,,* 7*; lxxviii. 65*; lxxix. 12*; lxxxvi. 3,* 4,* 5,* 8,* 9,* 12,* 15*; lxxxix. 49,* 50*; xc. 1*; cix. 21; cx. 5*; cxxx. 2,* 3* (2nd), 6*; cxl. 7; cxli. 8. Isa. iii. 15, 17* (1st), 18*; iv. 4*; vi. i,* 8,* xi; vii. 7, 14.* 20*; viii. 7*; ix. 8,* 17*; x. 12,* 16 (2nd), 23, 24; xi. 11*; xxi. 6,* 8,* 16*; xxii. 5, 12, 14 (2nd), 15; xxv. 8; xxviii. 2, 16, 22; xxix. 13; xxx. 15, 20*; xxxvii. 24*; xxxviii. 16*; xl. 10; xlviii. 26; xlix. 14, 22; l. 4, 5, 7, 9; lii. 4; lvi. 8; lxi. 1, 11; lxv. 13, 15. Jer. i. 6; ii. 19, 22; iv. 10; vii. 20; xiv. 13; xxxii. 17, 25; xliv. 26; xlvi. 10 (twice); xlix. 5; l. 25 (2nd), 31. Lam. i. 14,* 15* (twice); ii. 1,* 2,* 5,* 7 * (1st), 18,* 19,* 20* (2nd); iii. 31,* 36,* 37,* 58*. Ezek. ii. 4; iii. 11, 27; iv. 14; v. 5, 7, 8,11; vi. 3 (twice), 11; vii. 2, 5; viii. 1; ix. 8; xi. 7, 8, 13, 16, 17, 20; xii. 10, 19, 23, 25 (2nd), 28 (twice); xiii. 3, 8 (twice), 9, 13, 16, 18, 20; xiv. 4, 6, 11, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23; xv. 6, 8; xvi. 3, 8, 14, 19, 23, 30, 36, 43, 48, 59, 63; xvii. 3, 9, 16, 19, 22; xviii. 3, 9, 23, 25, 29, 30, 32; xx. 3, 5, 27, 30, 31, 33, 36, 39, 40, 44 (2nd), 47 (2nd), 49; xxi. 7, 13, 24, 26, 28; xxii. 3, 12, 19, 28, 31; xxiii. 22, 28, 32, 34, 35. 46, 49 J xxiv. 3, 6, 9, 14 (2nd), 21, 24; xxv, 3 (twice), 6, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; xxvi. 3, 5, 7, 14 (2nd), 15, 19, 21; xxvii. 3; xxviii. 2, 6, 10, 12, 22 (1st), 24, 25; xxix. 3, 8, 13, 16, 19, 20; xxx. 2, 6, 10, 13, 22; xxxi. 10, 15, 18; xxxii. 3, 8, 11, 14. 16. 31. 32; xxxiii. 11, 17,* 20, 25, 27; xxxiv. 2, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17, 20, 30 (2nd), 31; xxxv. 3, 6, 11, 14; xxxvi. 2, 3, 4 (twice), 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23 (2nd), 32, 33, 37; xxxvii. 3, 5, 9, 12, 19, 21; xxxviii. 3, 10, 14, 17, 18, 21; xxxix. 1, 5, 8, 10, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29; xliii. 18, 19, 27; xliv. 6, 9, 12, 15, 27 *, xiv. 9 (twice), 15, 18; xlvi. 1, 16; xlvii. 13, 23; xlviii. 29. Dan. i. 2*; ix. 3,* 4* (2nd), 7,* 8, 9,* 15,* 16,* 17,* 19* (three times). Amos i. 8; iii. 7, 8, 11, 13; iv. 2, s; v. 3, 16* (2nd); vi. 8 (1st); vii. 1, 2, 4 (twice), 5, 6, 7,* 8*; viii. 1, 3, 9, 11 (1st); ix. 1,* 5, 8 (1st). Obad. 1. Mic. i. 2, 2*. Hab. iii. 19. Zeph. i. 7 (1st). Zech. ix. 4,* 14 (2nd). Mai. i. 14 (1st).

Continued in Part 9