What is shaddai

God could have been powerful but not in every area of our life. Or, He could have been able to meet our needs in every area of our life but only to a degree. God can minister to every area of your life whether physical, spiritual, emotional, or intellectual and He can do it completely. He is completely capable and powerful. I will help you. Scripture often borrows words from the Semitic language-speaking peoples of its day and invests them with brand-new, divinely-inspired meanings.

Looking at a Hebrew term that is used in other contexts can give us important clues as to why certain words were borrowed from surrounding cultures and not others. There is some debate as to the reasoning behind the choice of El Shaddai. Unlike paganism, however, Scripture never identifies God with His creation.

Qualifying His power in this way is important, as the Bible never suggests God can do everything and anything. A comparison of the two translations can help to discover the bias of each. In these cases the translator will attempt to interpret the words and phrases as best as possible based on the context of the word and the translators opinion of what the author was attempting to convey. The following passage will give an adequate example of some of the difficulties the translators face when attempting to convert the text into understandable English rendering.

Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. The above translation seems very clear, concise and understandable. The reader would have no problem understanding the meaning of the text and assumes that this translation adequately represents the original text. Below is a literal rendering of the same verse according to the Hebrew.

This is not an isolated case, but occurs continually throughout the Biblical texts. In order to assist the English reader, the translator has supplied words, phrases and even whole sentences to enable the reader to understand the text.

Later, he described to Joseph how the Almighty appeared to him at Luz. The name El Shaddai is found repeatedly in the book of Job, and that is no surprise. The Psalmist wrote about those who contend with and plot against the Father and His anointed Son—trying to claim greater wisdom and power than the Lord of heaven.

But Scripture says God laughs at their silly assertions. We are foolish to contend with the Almighty. A God of love is more palpable, more easily received, than the God who is sovereign and powerful—the Mighty God who can turn the hearts of kings and direct nations to do His will.

He is the God who chooses us to make us a holy people and He transforms us with His power. The mighty God, embodied in Jesus Christ, fed thousands from simple provisions. He healed people and cast out demons that tormented them. He worked mighty miracles to assist His people and rescue them. He even raised people from the dead! What a mighty God we serve—and we need to praise Him. He invites us to call on Him in prayer so He can show us great and mighty things.

We can trust Him because He is trustworthy; He is our solid rock and hiding place, our deliverer and protector. We are wise to love and trust Him with all our heart, soul and mind.