In Judaism, God has many names. Each of these names have different meanings and even feelings to them. I will give a brief explanation for four of them.

The first name used in scripture for the Hebrew God is Elohim. This name is plural, but it’s singular root is Eloha. It’s plural looks masculine, while the singular looks feminine. As far as I know, there is no actual meaning for this name - although I’ve read many different translations. Among them are: “gods”, “mighty ones”, “my God” or “the God of”, “God of Gods”, “Judge”, or according to Christianity it gives proof of the Trinity. It, or according to one scholar, Rambam, a homonym of it is used to refer to princes, judges, other gods, and other powerful beings. Therefore, Elohim is used to emphasize God’s might. The plural is more often used, while the singular: Eloha, Elohi or even just El are rarely seen.

The most important name for God is YHVH. This name is represented by the Hebrew letters: Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh. It is translated to mean, “to be” and is used to reflect the fact the God is always there - He is eternal. In writings, this name is used to show God’s kindness, mercy and loving nature to humans. It is often shortened to just Yah (Yod-Heh), Yahu, or Yeho (Yod-Heh-Vav).

A variation of the name YHVH is YHVH Tzva'ot. This is usually translated to mean, “Lord of Hosts”. The meaning for the latter part of the name is “hosts”, in the sense of a military grouping, or an organized group. Therefore, this name for the Hebrew God refers to his leadership and sovereignty. It is rarely used in earlier scripture, but interestingly enough is seen in the prophetic books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, as well as many times in the Psalms - which are historically seen as more recent books. It is never seen in the Torah, which are the first five books.

There is yet another variation, this time of Elohim. It is El Shaddai. While we know El is used as a singular of Elohim, Shaddai is a term that is not known. But, the name is usually seen translated as, “God Almighty”.