The Name of God in the Bible and the Quran - By Alano Perez

8/4/2019 The Name of God in the Bible and the Quran - By Alano Perez

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The Name of God in the Bible and the Quran

Part One: Names and Titles

Many people, including Christians, Muslims, and those who are not of either faith, hold that

the God of the Bible, YHWH, and the god of Islam, who is called "Allah," are one and the

same. While it may be true that in some senses they are similar (they share similar attributes,

the Quran claims that the prophets of the Bible are the prophets of its Author, etc.), ultimately

this claim of sameness cannot be true if one assumes the infallibility and total sufficiency of

the Quran, as we shall see later in this study. What is the name of God in the Bible? How

does this relate to Islamic theology? To study this issue, we should begin with a discussion

concerning the difference between names and titles.

It is obvious that the Bible contains words that are etymologically related to the words

"Allah" and "ilah" in Arabic. This does not imply, however, that "Allah" is the name of Godin the Bible as claimed by some Muslims. In the New Testament, we see the word "theos"

used to mean "God". Does this mean that somewhere between 400 BCE and 30 CE the name

of God changed? Of course not! However, the language in which God chose to reveal

Himself and His will changed from Hebrew/Aramaic (the Old Testament) to Greek (the New

Testament); thus, the descriptive titles used of YHWH changed (from "el," "elohim," "eloah,"

and "elah" in Hebrew/Aramaic to "theos" in Greek, words that are basically synonymous).

What is a "descriptive title"? By this phrase, I mean a word that illustrates what one is. "God"

is a word that describes YHWH, like "Lord" and "King." When I speak to my brothers, I call

my male parent "Dad." When I write to him (or of him to my siblings), I capitalize the word.

Is "Dad" my father’s name? Certainly not! Catholics speak of the man who claims to be the"Vicar of Christ" as "the pope". Does that make his name "the pope"? Of course not! Many

such similar examples could be found, such as "Mother", "the President," or "the mayor," but

none of these is the person’s name (unless the person actually has the name "President").

Likewise, as we shall see, neither are the words "elah," "eloah," "el," and "elohim" the name

of God. (Note: It is true that the word "God" is often used as a proper name in English, just as

"Christ" or "the President" are. As in the two examples, this is not proof that God’s name is

"God", but that the descriptive title "God" is used as a name.)

Uses of "El"

The descriptive title "el" (or its plural "elim") is used in the Old Testament without reference

to the one true living God in the following passages (all quotations are from the New

American Standard Bible (NASB) unless noted otherwise):

"Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness,

Awesome in praises, working wonders? [Exodus 15:11]

"Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god

and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the

indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. [Daniel 11:36]



"El" can also describe humans: Job 41:25; Ezekiel 32:21 are examples of instances in which

the word "el" is used to describe human beings (Young’s Literal Translation, however,

translates the word "elim," the plural of "el," as "gods" in the Ezekiel passage). Thus, we see

that the word "el" is not a name of God but is a descriptive term denoting either deity (true or

pagan) or strength.

Uses of "Elohim"

The word "elohim" literally means "gods." It is used with this denotation, with the meaning

of pagan or false gods, almost 200 times, in the following verses:

Genesis 3:5; 31:30, 32; 35:2, 4

Exodus 12:12; 18:11; 20:3, 23; 22:28; 23:13, 24, 32, 33; 32:1, 4, 8, 23, 31; 34:15, 16,

17

Leviticus 19:4

Numbers 25:2; 33:4

Deuteronomy 4:28; 5:7; 6:14; 7:4, 16, 25; 8:19; 10:17; 11:16, 28; 12:2, 3, 30, 31;13:2, 6, 7, 13; 17:3; 18:20; 20:18; 28:14, 36, 64; 29:18, 26; 30:17; 31:16, 18, 20;

32:17, 37

Joshua 22:22; 23:7, 16; 24:2, 14, 15, 16, 20, 23

Judges 2:3, 12, 17, 19; 3:6; 5:8; 6:10; 10:6, 13, 14, 16; 17:5; 18:24

Ruth 1:15

1 Samuel 4:8; 6:5; 7:3; 8:8; 17:43; 26:19; 28:13

2 Samuel 7:23

1 Kings 9:6, 9; 11:2, 4, 8, 10; 12:28; 14:9; 18:24, 25; 19:2; 20:10, 23

2 Kings 5:17; 17:7, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 38; 18:33, 34, 35; 19:12, 18; 22:17

1 Chronicles 5:25; 10:10; 14:12; 16:25, 26

2 Chronicles 2:5; 7:19, 22; 13:8, 9; 25:14, 15, 20; 28:23, 25; 32:13, 14, 17, 19; 33:15;

34:25

Ezra 1:7

Psalms 82:1, 6; 86:8; 95:3; 96:4, 5; 97:7, 9; 135:5; 136:2; 138:1

Isaiah 21:9; 36:18, 19, 20; 37:12, 19; 41:23; 42:17

Jeremiah 1:16; 2:11, 28; 5:7, 19; 7:6, 9, 18; 11:10, 12, 13; 13:10; 16:11, 13, 20; 19:4,

13; 22:9; 25:6; 32:29; 35:15; 43:12, 13; 44:3, 5, 8, 15; 46:25; 48:35

Daniel 11:8

Hosea 3:1; 14:3

Nahum 1:14

Zephaniah 2:11

Moreover, the word is also used to refer to angels (Psalm 8:5), so its usage is not limited to

deity. Thus, one can see that "elohim" is not the name of the true God, for false gods and

angels are also said to be "elohim."

Uses of "Eloah"

The title "eloah" is similar to "el" and "elohim" in its usage. The word is the singular of the

plural "elohim."

‘Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believehim, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or



from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’" [2

Chronicles 32:15]

"He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he

show regard for any {other} god; for he will magnify himself above {them} all [Daniel

11:37].

"He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with {the help of} a foreign god; he

will give great honor to those who acknowledge {him} and will cause them to rule over the

many, and will parcel out land for a price. [Daniel 11:39]

"Then they will sweep through {like} the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty,

They whose strength is their god." [Habakkuk 1:11]

In these passages, false gods are called "eloah." If this were the name of the true God,

certainly no pagan god would be called by this name. Thus, we again see that the word is a

noun that means "deity" and is not the name of God in the Bible.

Uses of "Elah"

"Elah" is the Aramaic term that is synonymous with "el" and "eloah" in Hebrew. It occurs

primarily in Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel (since these books were written during the

period when this language was predominant):

Thus you shall say to them, "The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish

from the earth and from under the heavens" [Jeremiah 10:11].

"Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could

declare it to the king except gods, whose dwelling place is not with {mortal} flesh" [Daniel

2:11].

The king answered Daniel and said, "Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings

and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery" [Daniel 2:47].

"There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of

Babylon, {namely} Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have

disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have

set up" [Daniel 3:12].

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego,

that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? [Daniel 3:14]

"But {even} if {He does} not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve

your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." [Daniel 3:18]

[8] "But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar according to the name

of my god, and in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream to him, {saying,}

[9] ‘O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, since I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in

you and no mystery baffles you, tell {me} the visions of my dream which I have seen, alongwith its interpretation. [Daniel 4:8, 9]



‘This is the dream {which} I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, tell

{me} its interpretation, inasmuch as none of the wise men of my kingdom is able to make

known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for a spirit of the holy gods is in you.’

[Daniel 4:18]

They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone[Daniel 5:4].

"There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your

father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And

King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the

magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans {and} diviners [Daniel 5:11].

"Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight

and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you. [Daniel 5:14]

Again, we see a word used for other than the only true God. How can "elah" be the name of God when it is used so many times to describe pagan gods? Why would anyone give the

name of the true God to anyone but God? The words "el", "elohim", "elah", and "eloah" all

can refer to human beings; yet we are to believe that these words are the name of God? If

these are God’s names, why are these same names used of human beings, idols, and pagan

gods such as Moloch (Amos 5:26)?

The Bible itself clearly refutes this reasoning, as one can see in the following passages where

YHWH, signified in many translations by the LORD, is used:

Exodus 3:15

God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD

[YHWH], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of

Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all

generations.

Exodus 6:3

and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but {by} My name, LORD

[YHWH], I did not make Myself known to them.

(Note: Though the KJV renders this verse "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and

unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known tothem", the first occurrence of the word "name" is not found in the Hebrew; thus, this passage

does not call "El Shaddai" God’s name.)

Exodus 15:3

"The LORD [YHWH] is a warrior; The LORD [YHWH] is His name.

Deuteronomy 28:58

"If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to

fear this honored and awesome name, the LORD [YHWH] your God,



Psalms 83:18

That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD [YHWH], Are the Most

High over all the earth.

Isaiah 42:8

"I am the LORD [YHWH], that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor Mypraise to graven images.

Isaiah 47:4

Our Redeemer, the LORD [YHWH] of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 48:2

"For they call themselves after the holy city And lean on the God of Israel; The LORD

[YHWH] of hosts is His name.

Isaiah 51:15

"For I am the LORD [YHWH] your God, who stirs up the sea and its waves roar (the LORD [YHWH] of hosts is His name).

Isaiah 54:5

"For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD [YHWH] of hosts; And your

Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.

Jeremiah 10:16

The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His

inheritance; The LORD [YHWH] of hosts is His name.

Jeremiah 16:21

"Therefore behold, I am going to make them know-- This time I will make them know My

power and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD [YHWH]."

Jeremiah 31:35

Thus says the LORD [YHWH], Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of

the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The

LORD [YHWH] of hosts is His name:

Jeremiah 32:18

who shows lovingkindness to thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God. The LORD [YHWH] of hosts is His

name;

Jeremiah 33:2

"Thus says the LORD [YHWH] who made {the earth,} the LORD [YHWH] who formed it

to establish it, the LORD [YHWH] is His name,

Jeremiah 46:18

"As I live," declares the King Whose name is the LORD [YHWH] of hosts, "Surely one

shall come {who looms up} like Tabor among the mountains, Or like Carmel by the sea.



Jeremiah 48:15

"Moab has been destroyed and men have gone up to his cities; His choicest young men have

also gone down to the slaughter," Declares the King, whose name is the LORD [YHWH] of

hosts.

Jeremiah 50:34"Their Redeemer is strong, the LORD [YHWH] of hosts is His name; He will vigorously

plead their case So that He may bring rest to the earth, But turmoil to the inhabitants of

Babylon.

Jeremiah 51:19

The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And of the tribe of His

inheritance; The LORD [YHWH] of hosts is His name.

Jeremiah 51:57

"I will make her princes and her wise men drunk, Her governors, her prefects and her mighty

men, That they may sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake up," Declares the King, whosename is the LORD [YHWH] of hosts.

Amos 4:13

For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind And declares to man what are His

thoughts, He who makes dawn into darkness And treads on the high places of the earth, The

LORD [YHWH] God of hosts is His name.

Amos 5:8

He who made the Pleiades and Orion And changes deep darkness into morning, Who also

darkens day {into} night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the

surface of the earth, The LORD [YHWH] is His name.

Amos 9:6

The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens And has founded His vaulted dome

over the earth, He who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the

earth, The LORD [YHWH] is His name.

What is God’s name? YHWH, not "God".

Zechariah 14:9

And the LORD [YHWH] will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD [YHWH]will be {the only} one, and His name {the only} one.

The God of the Bible, YHWH, has one name. That this is a prophecy referring to an event

that was in the future in Zechariah’s day does not mean that YHWH has more than one name

(cf. Exodus 3:15) any more than it means that Jehovah was not already King over all the

earth. It is an eternal reality that will only become visible to all "in that day".

The usage of various terms with YHWH (the LORD) also demonstrates that these terms are

viewed as descriptive while YHWH is viewed as the name of God:



Deuteronomy 4:35

"To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD, He is God [elohim]; there is no

other besides Him.

1 Samuel 2:2

"There is no one holy like the LORD, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there anyrock like our God [elohim].

2 Samuel 7:22

"For this reason You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God

[elohim] besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

1 Chronicles 17:20

"O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God [elohim] besides You, according to

all that we have heard with our ears.

2 Chronicles 14:11Then Asa called to the LORD his God [elohim] and said, "LORD, there is no one besides

You to help {in the battle} between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us,

O LORD our God [elohim], for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this

multitude. O LORD, You are our God [elohim]; let not man prevail against You."

Isaiah 45:5

"I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God [elohim]. I will gird you,

though you have not known Me;

Isaiah 45:21

"Declare and set forth {your case;} Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced

this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other

God [elohim] besides Me, A righteous God [el] and a Savior; There is none except Me.

In these passages, YHWH is who the Supreme Being is; terms such as "God" and "Savior"

describe Him.

In addition to these passages, several others demonstrate the descriptive nature of the use of

the term "elohim":

Genesis 27:20Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have {it} so quickly, my son?" And he said,

"Because the LORD your God [elohim] caused {it} to happen to me."

Leviticus 19:31

‘Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the

LORD your God [elohim].

Deuteronomy 1:30

‘The LORD your God [elohim] who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just

as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,



Deuteronomy 7:1

"When the LORD your God [elohim] brings you into the land where you are entering to

possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the

Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven

nations greater and stronger than you,

Deuteronomy 11:13, 14

[13] "It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am

commanding you today, to love the LORD your God [elohim] and to serve Him with all your

heart and all your soul, [14] that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and

late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil.

Deuteronomy 12:15

"However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, whatever you desire,

according to the blessing of the LORD your God [elohim] which He has given you; the

unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and the deer.

Deuteronomy 16:10

"Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God [elohim] with a tribute

of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the LORD your God [elohim]

blesses you;

Deuteronomy 21:10-12

[10] "When you go out to battle against your enemies, and the LORD your God [elohim]

delivers them into your hands and you take them away captive, [11] and see among the

captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her and would take her as a wife for

yourself, [12] then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and

trim her nails.

Deuteronomy 28:13

"The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will

not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God [elohim],

which I charge you today, to observe {them} carefully,

Deuteronomy 31:12

"Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your

town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the LORD your God [elohim], and be careful

to observe all the words of this law.

Joshua 23:10

"One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God [elohim] is He who

fights for you, just as He promised you.

2 Samuel 24:3

But Joab said to the king, "Now may the LORD your God [elohim] add to the people a

hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king {still} see; but why

does my lord the king delight in this thing?"

Nehemiah 8:9Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest {and} scribe, and the Levites



who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the LORD your God

[elohim]; do not mourn or weep." For all the people were weeping when they heard the words

of the law.

Zechariah 6:15

"Those who are far off will come and build the temple of the LORD." Then you will knowthat the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely obey the

LORD your God [elohim].

In these passages, the name YHWH is used to designate the name of the Supreme Being. The

term "elohim" is used as a noun that describes YHWH as God, much like the usage of the

other terms "el," "eloah," and "elah" do in other passages both with reference to the true God

and false Gods. It is used similarly in these passages to the word "teacher" in the phrase "Mr.

Johnson my teacher" (with "Mr. Johnson" being the who and "teacher" being the what ). Just

as the word "teacher" describes the person "Mr. Johnson," the words for God describe the

Being YHWH.

We have seen, therefore, that "God" is a descriptive title describing what YHWH is, much

like the words "Lord," "Father," and "King." Thus, the only logical conclusion is that

"elohim," "el," "elah," and "eloah" are not God’s name, but are descriptive titles. Thus,

Allah, the name etymologically related to these words, is not God’s name in the Bible, nor is

any word related to it in the Hebrew or Aramaic a name of God in the Bible. We see,

however, that God’s name is YHWH, and throughout the Old Testament He is called by that

name.

The name YHWH is significant in the New Testament as well. Although used in heaven

when the worshipers cry out "Alleluia" or "Hallelujah," meaning "Praise Yah (abbreviation of

YHWH)," (Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6) there is an even greater significance to this name:

[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed

to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. [19]

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to

send her away secretly. [20] But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord

appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as

your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. [21] "She will

bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

[22] Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: [23]

"BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, ANDTHEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH

US." [24] And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded

him, and took {Mary} as his wife, [25] but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and

he called His name Jesus. [Matthew 1:18-25, NASB]

That Jesus was given this name is no coincidence. He received this name to signify the fact

that He was the instrument of YHWH in saving His people from their sins, and as "God with

us" was YHWH Himself redeeming His people Israel. This name appears over 900 times in

the New Testament and bears witness to the fact that YHWH, in the Person of Jesus Christ, is

the Savior of the world. It is clear, then, that the name YHWH still carried significance in the

days of Jesus’ first advent.



Excursus:

We have seen thus far that the biblical evidence overwhelmingly supports the hypothesis that

the name of God is YHWH. There is, however, one verse for which the rendering in someEnglish translations seems to suggest otherwise:

Amos 5:27

"Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD [YHWH],

whose name is the God [elohim] of hosts.

Based on this translation (and various other translations which render this verse similarly),

some might say that "elohim" is a or the name of God. The Jewish Publication Society Old

Testament, however, translates this passage as follows:

Amos 5:27Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith He, whose name is

the LORD God of hosts.

We inquired about the observed differences and their reasons with Dr. James Price (professor

of Hebrew Studies) who commented as follows:

The phrase "YHWH ‘elohey tsebaoth" or "YHWH ‘elohim tsebaoth" occurs 19 times in the

Hebrew Bible. In all instances, except Amos 5:27, all translations that I consulted translate

the phrase as a proper name (2 Sam. 5:10; 1 Ki. 19:10, 14; Ps. 59:6; 80:5, 20; 84:9; 89:9; Jer.

5:14; 15:16; 35:17; 38:17; 44:7; Amos 4:13; 5:14ff, 27; 6:8). JPS [Jewish Publication

Society] consistently translates all instances as a proper name. That phrase is popular in

Amos, occurring 5 times in such a short book.

Since the same phrase is translated in this manner only this passage instead of the usual

"YHWH God of hosts" as everywhere else, we conclude that Amos 5:27b is, therefore, no

basis for arguing that the name of God is "elohim," and not YHWH.

There exists a certain ambiguity in the Hebrew text which may have led to the rendering

found in some other translations. Continuing with his response, Dr. Price stated the

following:

It is possible that the phrase"God of Hosts" is used as an appositive as in "David king of

Israel." Thus the name here could be understood as "the LORD God of Hosts" as in all other

instances. The Hebrew text reads:

... amar YHWH 'elohey tsebaoth sh-m-o.

(He) said, YHWH God of hosts, his-name.

In Amos 5:27, the Masoretic accents favor the whole phrase being treated as a proper name.

The name "YHWH" is linked with "God of Hosts" by means of the conjunctive accent

Mereka; and the phrase "His name" is separated from "the LORD God of Hosts" by means of

the disjunctive accent Tiphcha, as one would expect if it were the predicate nominative of averbless clause. This favors the JPS translation, but the accentuation is not conclusive



because the Masoretic accentuation is primarily musical, and this specific accentuation can be

particularly ambiguous. On the other hand, the JPS translation is a little awkward, because,

interpreting the verse the way it does, the clause ends up with no declared subject, but with an

appositive on a subject pronoun (He) inferred from the inflection of the verb. As a result,

most translators have interpreted the text as "the LORD whose name is the God of Hosts"

without regard to the accents and without having given thought to being consistent withthe other instances of the same expression. The JPS translation is justifiable, but not

without its own problems; yet, at least, JPS is consistent in rendering this interesting

expression.

Look again at the literal translation in comparison to NASB and JPS:

... amar YHWH 'elohey tsebaoth sh-m-o.

(He) said, YHWH God of hosts, his-name.

... says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts. [NASB]

... saith He, whose name is the LORD God of hosts. [JPS]

The Hebrew text does not contain the relative pronoun "whose" or the verb "is" which were

inferred by both translations. Both translations also move "name" away from the end of the

sentence and their use of the relative pronoun "whose" forced them to omit the possessive

pronoun "his". Splitting apart the expression "YHWH God of hosts" clearly does more

violence to the the Hebrew text than the translation chosen by the JPS. The following

rendering may not be as elegant in English as those chosen by the NASB or JPS, but it would

be more faithful to the structure of the Hebrew text:

... said (says) the LORD God of hosts — (that is) His name.

Dr. Price concluded:

In light of all the evidence examined, it is unwise to conclude that "elohim" is a proper name

based on one ambiguous apparent exception. That is not good exegesis.

Although the other translations are possible, the evidence favors the JPS rendering. Thus, it is

clear that there is no justification from this one passage, in light of the unanimous testimony

of the rest of the Old Testament, for concluding that "elohim" is a proper name of God in

addition to YHWH. (I thank Dr. Price for his professional insights into this passage.)

With such being the case, there is no support in the Bible for "Allah" being the name of God.

Besides the points above given by Dr. Price, the word used to mean "God" in this passage is

"elohim."[*] "Elohim" is not pronounced the same as "Allah"; thus, it fails the test of being

the same name as "Allah." Moreover, "elohim" is a plural noun, whereas "Allah" is singular;

thus, the two are technically not cognates, and therefore are not the same "name". (The

‘importance of sound’ will be seen in Part Three.) Thus, one can see that the clear testimony

of scripture is that YHWH is the name of God.

[*] 'Elohey is an inflected form of 'elohim; it is the same word, but inflected to indicate a grammaticalrelationship with the following word. Technically, the form is the masculine, plural, construct form of 'elohim

http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Perez/name_of_god3.html






(which is the masculine, plural, absolute form). The absolute form is used when the word stands alone

grammatically; the construct form is used when the word is grammatically linked with another word. It is theform used for "the God of Israel" ('elohey Yisrael), "the God of Heaven and the God of Earth" ('elohey

hashamayim w'elohey ha'aretz - Gen 24:3), "the God of Abraham" ('elohey Abraham - Gen. 26:24), "the God of

Isaac" ('elohey Yitschaq), "the God of Jacob" ('elohey Yaaqob - Exod. 3:5), etc.


Part Two: The Name of Allah

We have already presented proof that God’s name in the Bible is YHWH. We must now look

at what the Quran calls the name of its god. After doing this, we shall see the implication of

this on the relationship between the picture of God found in the Bible and the picture of God

in the Quran.

What is the name of God in the Quran? Some passages give us an indication (quotations will

be from Pickthall’s version):

Surah 1.1 (and before every Surah except #9)

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Surah 11.41

And he said: Embark therein! In the name of Allah be its course and its mooring. Lo! my

Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.

Surah 12.66

He said: I will not send him with you till ye give me an undertaking in the name of Allah

that ye will bring him back to me, unless ye are surrounded. And when they gave him their

undertaking he said: Allah is the Warden over what we say.

Surah 12.80

So, When they despaired of (moving) him, they conferred together apart. The eldest of them

said: Know ye not how your father took an undertaking from you in Allah's name and how

ye failed in the case of Joseph aforetime? Therefore I shall not go forth from the land until

my father giveth leave or Allah judgeth for me. He is the Best of Judges.

Surah 16.115

He hath forbidden for you only carrion and blood and swineflesh and that which hath been

immolated in the name of any other than Allah; but he who is driven thereto, neither

craving nor transgressing, lo! then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Surah 27.30

Lo! it is from Solomon, and lo! it is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful;

By analogy with the use of the name Jehovah (YHWH) in the following passages in the

Bible, one could conclude that the name of God is Allah in the Quran (New AmericanStandard Bible):



Deuteronomy 18:7

then he shall serve in the name of the LORD [YHWH] his God, like all his fellow Levites

who stand there before the LORD.

1 Samuel 20:42

Jonathan said to David, "Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the nameof the LORD [YHWH], saying, ‘The LORD will be between me and you, and between my

descendants and your descendants forever.’" Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went

into the city.

2 Kings 2:24

When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD

[YHWH]. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their

number.

2 Chronicles 33:18

Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh even his prayer to his God, and the words of the seerswho spoke to him in the name of the LORD [YHWH] God of Israel, behold, they are

among the records of the kings of Israel.

Psalms 124:8

Our help is in the name of the LORD [YHWH], Who made heaven and earth.

Jeremiah 26:9

"Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD [YHWH] saying, ‘This house will be

like Shiloh and this city will be desolate, without inhabitant’?" And all the people gathered

about Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

Micah 4:5

Though all the peoples walk Each in the name of his god, As for us, we will walk In the

name of the LORD [YHWH] our God forever and ever.

Similar passages are Deuteronomy 18:22; 21:5; 1 Samuel 17:45; 2 Samuel 6:18; 1 Kings

18:32; 22:16; 1 Chronicles 16:2; 21:19; 2 Chronicles 18:15; Psalm 118:10-12, 26; 129:8;

Isaiah 50:10; Jeremiah 11:21; 26:16, 20; 44:16; Zephaniah 3:12; Zechariah 13:3. As YHWH

is most frequently used of the Supreme Being in the Old Testament, as Allah is used in the

Quran, it would appear that Allah is the name of God in the Quran, like YHWH is the name

of God in the Bible.

We see a similar pattern in the following passages in the Quran:

Surah 2.114

And who doth greater wrong than he who forbiddeth the approach to the sanctuaries of Allah

lest His name should be mentioned therein, and striveth for their ruin. As for such, it was

never meant that they should enter them except in fear. Theirs in the world is ignominy and

theirs in the Hereafter is an awful doom.

Surah 5.4

They ask thee (O Muhammad) what is made lawful for them. Say: (all) good things are madelawful for you. And those beasts and birds of prey which ye have trained as hounds are



trained, ye teach them that which Allah taught you; so eat of that which they catch for you

and mention Allah's name upon it, and observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is swift to

take account.

Surah 6.118

Eat of that over which the name of Allah hath been mentioned, if ye are believers in Hisrevelations.

Surah 6.119

How should ye not eat of that over which the name of Allah hath been mentioned , when

He hath explained unto you that which is forbidden unto you unless ye are compelled thereto.

But lo! many are led astray by their own lusts through ignorance. Lo! thy Lord, He is Best

Aware of the transgressors.

Surah 6.121

And eat not of that whereon Allah's name hath not been mentioned , for lo! it is

abomination. Lo! the devils do inspire their minions to dispute with you. But if ye obey them,ye will be in truth idolaters.

Surah 6.138

And they say: Such cattle and crops are forbidden. No-one is to eat of them save whom we

will - in their make-believe - cattle whose backs are forbidden, cattle over which they

mention not the name of Allah. (All that is) a lie against Him. He will repay them for that

which they invent.

Surah 6.145

Say: I find not in that which is revealed unto me aught prohibited to an eater that he eat

thereof, except it be carrion, or blood poured forth, or swineflesh - for that verily is foul - or

the abomination which was immolated to the name of other than Allah. But whoso is

compelled (thereto), neither craving nor transgressing, (for him) lo! thy Lord is Forgiving,

Merciful.

Surah 22.28

That they may witness things that are of benefit to them, and mention the name of Allah on

appointed days over the beast of cattle that He hath bestowed upon them. Then eat thereof

and feed therewith the poor unfortunate.

Surah 22.34And for every nation have We appointed a ritual, that they may mention the name of Allah

over the beast of cattle that He hath given them for food; and your god is One God, therefor

surrender unto Him. And give good tidings (O Muhammad) to the humble,

Surah 22.36

And the camels! We have appointed them among the ceremonies of Allah. Therein ye have

much good. So mention the name of Allah over them when they are drawn up in lines. Then

when their flanks fall (dead), eat thereof and feed the beggar and the suppliant. Thus have We

made them subject unto you, that haply ye may give thanks.

Surah 22.40Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is



Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and

churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would

assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is

Strong, Almighty

Surah 24.36(This lamp is found) in houses which Allah hath allowed to be exalted and that His name

shall be remembered therein. Therein do offer praise to Him at morn and evening.

What is the name that should be mentioned over food? What is the name that should be

remembered? It appears that it would have to be Allah. By analogy with the Bible in its use

of the name YHWH, we would get that Allah is this name in the Quran:

Genesis 4:26

To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then {men} began to call

upon the name of the LORD [YHWH].

Genesis 21:33

{Abraham} planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the

LORD [YHWH], the Everlasting God.

Exodus 34:5

The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of

the LORD [YHWH].

Leviticus 24:16

‘Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD [YHWH] shall surely be put to

death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he

blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.’

1 Kings 5:5

"Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD [YHWH] my God, as the

LORD spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your

place, he will build the house for My name.’"

1 Kings 18:24

"Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD

[YHWH], and the God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people said, "That is agood idea."

2 Chronicles 2:1

Now Solomon decided to build a house for the name of the LORD [YHWH] and a royal

palace for himself.

Job 1:21

He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD

gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD [YHWH]."



Psalms 102:21

That {men} may tell of the name of the LORD [YHWH] in Zion And His praise in

Jerusalem,

Psalms 116:13

I shall lift up the cup of salvation And call upon the name of the LORD [YHWH].

Psalms 148:5

Let them praise the name of the LORD [YHWH], For He commanded and they were

created.

Isaiah 24:15

Therefore glorify the LORD [YHWH] in the east, The name of the LORD [YHWH], the

God of Israel, In the coastlands of the sea.

Isaiah 59:19

So they will fear the name of the LORD [YHWH] from the west And His glory from therising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of the LORD

drives.

Joel 2:32

"And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD [YHWH] Will be

delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the

LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

Other passages include Genesis 12:8;13:4; 16:13; 26:25; Exodus 20:7; 33:19; Leviticus

18:21; 19:12; 21:6; Deuteronomy 5:11; 28:10; 32:3; 2 Samuel 6:2; 1 Kings 3:2; 5:3; 8:17, 20;

10:1; 2 Kings 5:11; 1 Chronicles 22:7, 19; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 6:7, 10; Psalms 7:17; 20:7;

102:15; 113:1, 2; 116:4, 17; 122:4;135:1; 148:13; Proverbs 18:10; Isaiah 18:7; 30:27; 48:1;

56:6; 60:9; Jeremiah 3:17; Joel 2:26; Amos 6:10; Micah 5:4; Zephaniah 3:9. Thus, we see

that YHWH is the name on which the people called.

Finally, one can see that sometimes the god of the Quran is called "Lord":

Surah 56.74

Therefor [sic] (O Muhammad), praise the name of thy Lord, the Tremendous.

Surah 57.96Therefor [sic] (O Muhammad) praise the name of thy Lord, the Tremendous.

Surah 69.52

So glorify the name of thy Tremendous Lord.

Surah 73.8

So remember the name of thy Lord and devote thyself with a complete devotion

Surah 76.25

Remember the name of thy Lord at morn and evening.



Surah 87.1

Praise the name of thy Lord the Most High,

Surah 87.14, 15

He is successful who groweth,

And remembereth the name of his Lord, so prayeth,

Surah 96.1, 2

Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth,

Createth man from a clot.

In these verses we see that the descriptive title "Lord" ("rabb") is used to refer to the deity of

the Quran. In the same way, the word "God" ("our God", "my God", "the God of ...") is used

as a descriptor for YHWH:

Ezra 5:1

When the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jewswho were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them,

Psalms 20:1

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set

you {securely} on high!

Psalms 20:5

We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our

banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

Psalms 44:20, 21

[20] If we had forgotten the name of our God Or extended our hands to a strange god, [21]

Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

Psalms 69:30

I will praise the name of God with song And magnify Him with thanksgiving.

Proverbs 30:9

That I not be full and deny {You} and say, "Who is the LORD?" Or that I not be in want and

steal, And profane the name of my God.

Daniel 2:20

Daniel said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power

belong to Him.

Similarly, in the Quran we find many verses where the descriptive title "God" ("ilah") is used

for the one true God:

Surah 2.133

Or were ye present when death came to Jacob, when he said unto his sons: What will ye

worship after me? They said: We shall worship thy God, the God of thy fathers, Abraham

and Ishmael and Isaac, One God, and unto Him we have surrendered.



Surah 2.163

Your God is One God; there is no God save Him, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Surah 5.73

They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three; when there is no God save the

One God. If they desist not from so saying a painful doom will fall on those of them whodisbelieve.

Surah 9.31

They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of

Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One God. There is no God save Him. Be He

Glorified from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)!

Surah 14.52

This is a clear message for mankind in order that they may be warned thereby, and that they

may know that He is only One God, and that men of understanding may take heed.

Surah 29.46

And argue not with the People of the Scripture unless it be in (a way) that is better, save with

such of them as do wrong; and say: We believe in that which hath been revealed unto us and

revealed unto you; our God and your God is One, and unto Him we surrender.

Surah 114.1-3

Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,

The King of mankind,

The God of mankind,

What is one to make of this? We have seen that the Quran seems to teach that the name of the

Supreme Being is "Allah" and it uses the terms "Lord" and "God" as descriptive titles, just as

the Bible calls the name of the Supreme Being "YHWH" and uses "God" and "Lord" as

descriptive titles. There are many dozen passages where YHWH is addressed as or spoken

about as "Lord" ("adonai"), of which I will present just a couple:

1 Kings 3:10

It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.

Isaiah 6:1

In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, withthe train of His robe filling the temple.

Psalm 16:2

I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You."

Psalm 35:22

You have seen it, O LORD, do not keep silent;

O Lord, do not be far from me.

Micah 1:2

Hear, O peoples, all of you;Listen, O earth and all it contains,



And let the Lord GOD be a witness against you,

The Lord from His holy temple.

Zechariah 4:14

Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones who are standing by the Lord of the whole

earth."

What are the consequences of this doctrine? If the name of God is not "Allah", then the

Quran does not specify the name of God, and if this is the case, the Quran is not an all-

sufficient book. This is because it gives the command to mention Allah’s name over any meat

that will be consumed, yet it does not contain this name. Thus, if "Allah" is not the name of

God in the Quran, then the Quran gives a command that is impossible to fulfill without using

outside sources. If one goes by the assumption that the Quran is all-sufficient, the only

conclusion to which one can arrive is that Allah is God’s name. (This is exactly the view to

which Osama Abdallah and others have been driven.) If one believes that the name of God is

found in the previous revelation, then one must concede that these revelations are reliable

sources of information concerning doctrine.

We saw in Part One that the Bible teaches that God’s name is YHWH. This has important

theological implications:

Deuteronomy 13:1-3

[1] "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a

wonder,[2] and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying,

‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ [3] you

shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD

your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and

with all your soul.

Deuteronomy 18:20

‘But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not

commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall

die.’

Any prophet who speaks in a name other than that of YHWH is a false prophet, no matter

how successful his or her predictions may be. If the name of God in the Quran is Allah, then

the god of the Quran is not the same as the God of Moses and Jesus. (This is why Osama

Abdallah and others are trying to prove that God’s name has always been Allah.) The Quranmakes a similar declaration:

Surah 4.82

Will they not then ponder on the Qur'an? If it had been from other than Allah they would

have found therein much incongruity.

What is the incongruity in the Quran? Simply put, it claims to be a confirmation of the

previous scriptures (the Torah, the Psalms, the Prophets, and the Gospel):

Surah 2.41

And believe in that which I reveal, confirming that which ye possess already (of the







Scripture), and be not first to disbelieve therein, and part not with My revelations for a trifling

price, and keep your duty unto Me.

Surah 2.89

And when there cometh unto them a scripture from Allah, confirming that in their

possession - though before that they were asking for a signal triumph over those whodisbelieved - and when there cometh unto them that which they know (to be the truth) they

disbelieve therein. The curse of Allah is on disbelievers.

However, because the name of God in the Bible is YHWH and the name of God in the Quran

is Allah, there is an incongruity in the Quran: it claims to be a confirmation of the previous

scriptures while at the same time contradicting them on the subject of the name of God. One

can see, therefore, that it is impossible for the God of the Bible and the god of the Quran to be

the same. YHWH is God’s name in the Bible, but not in the Quran.

Since the Quran claims to be a confirmation of the Bible while contradicting the Bible on a

point as simple as the name of God, we must conclude that the two do not have the sameorigin. If the Quran is correct in its claim that the name of God is Allah, then this means that

the Bible contains error, and since the Quran elsewhere affirms the trustworthiness of the

Bible, the Quran itself must not have divine origins (or it would not affirm the trustworthiness

of a false book). If the Quran is simply wrong about God’s name, then it should be rejected as

having divine origins. Thus, while it may be possible (in the theoretical realm) that neither

book is true, it is impossible for the Quran to be right about the trustworthiness of the Bible

and its own trustworthiness at the same time. This would mean that the Quran actively

teaches falsehood concerning the doctrinal soundness of the previous scriptures, its own self-

sufficiency, its claim to be in total harmony with the previous scriptures and to have no

contradictions, or any combination of these areas. Since this is the case, it is therefore

impossible for the Quran to be a totally truthful book and it is not profitable for doctrine or a

divinely inspired composition.


Part Three: Allah the Oak?

In an article responding to Al-Kadhi’s What Did Jesus Really Say? and in Part Two of this

study, I have pointed out that Muhammad called on a god by the name of Allah, and therefore

he was a false prophet for not pointing people toward YHWH, the true, living God of the

Bible. Others, such as Quennel Gale, have also demonstrated that the name Allah was never

God’s name in the Bible, but that the word "allah" exists in the Bible in the Hebrew word for

"oak" (and also in the Greek word for "but").

Some Muslim "apologists", however, have tried to overcome this problem. One of these

individuals is Osama Abdallah of www.answering-islam.com and www.answering-

christianity.com, who has attempted to refute Quennel’s work. As we shall see, however, hisattempt was unsuccessful. Let us look at some of Abdallah’s arguments to see why they fail.

http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Al-Kadhi/r06.11.html







http://answer-islam.org/AllahisnotGod.html



http://www.answering-christianity.com/allah2.htm



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In his article, Abdallah and some others whom he quotes try to use various lexicons to prove

that Allah’s affinity in pronunciation to "elohim," "elah," and "el" prove that "Allah" is in the

Bible as God’s name. While these words are used with reference to the Creator, they are

descriptive titles (like "missionary" or "apologist"), not the name of the Supreme Being,

which is YHWH. In addition to this problem, though, they are not pronounced the same.

However, the words that are in the Bible that are pronounced more similarly to "Allah" are

found below, with definitions and references where these words are found.

'alah (Strong’s Number: H421, verb): to bewail :- lament.

Found in: Joel 1:8

'alah (Strong’s Number: H422, verb): to adjure, that is, (usually in a bad sense)

imprecate :- adjure, curse, swear.

Found in:Judges 17:2;

1 Samuel 14:24;

1 Kings 8:31;

2 Chronicles 6:22;

Hosea 4:2; 10:4

'alah (Strong’s Number: H423, noun): an imprecation: - curse, cursing, execration,

oath, swearing.

Found in:

Genesis 24:41; 26:28;

Leviticus 5:1;

Numbers 5:21, 23, 27;

Deuteronomy 29:12, 14, 19, 20, 21; 30:7;

1 Kings 8:31;

2 Chronicles 6:22; 34:24;

Nehemiah 10:29;

Job 31:30;

Psalms 10:7; 59:12;

Proverbs 29:24;

Isaiah 24:6;Jeremiah 23:10; 29:18; 42:18; 44:12;

Ezekiel 16:59; 17:13, 16, 18, 19;

Daniel 9:11;

Zechariah 5:3

'allah (Strong’s Number: H427, noun): oak.

Found in: Joshua 24:26

al-lah' (Strong’s Number: G235, conjunction): properly other things, that is,

(adverbially) contrariwise (in many relations):- and, but (even), howbeit, indeed, nay,nevertheless, no, notwithstanding, save, therefore, yea, yet.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/words.pl?word=0421

















Found in:

Matthew 4:4; 5:15, 17, 39; 6:13, 18; 7:21; 8:4, 8; 9:12, 13, 17, 18, 24; 10:20, 34; 11:8,

9; 13:21; 15:11; 16:12, 17, 23; 17:12; 18:30; 19:6, 11; 20:23, 26, 28; 21:21; 22:30, 32;

24:6; 26:39; 27:24

Mark 1:44, 45; 2:17, 22; 3:26, 29; 4:17, 22; 5:19, 26, 39; 6:9; 7:5, 15, 19; 8:33; 9:8,

13, 22, 37; 10:8, 27, 40, 43, 45; 11:23, 32; 12:14, 25, 27; 13:7, 11, 20, 24; 14:28, 29,36, 49; 16:7

Luke 1:60; 4:4; 5:14, 31, 32, 38; 6:27; 7:7, 25, 26; 8:16, 27, 52; 9:56; 11:4, 33, 42;

12:7, 51; 13:3, 5; 14:10, 13; 16:21, 30; 17:8; 18:13; 20:21, 38; 21:9; 22:26, 36, 42, 53;

23:15; 24:6, 21, 22

John 1:8, 13, 31, 33; 3:8, 15, 16, 17, 28, 36; 4:2, 14, 23; 5:18, 22, 24, 30, 34, 42; 6:9,

22, 26, 27, 32, 36, 38, 39, 64; 7:10, 12, 16, 22, 24, 27, 28, 44, 49; 8:12, 16, 26, 28, 37,

42, 49, 55; 9:3, 31; 10:1, 5, 8, 18, 26, 33; 11:4, 11, 15, 22, 30, 42, 51, 52, 54; 12:6, 9,

16, 27, 30, 42, 44, 47, 49; 13:9, 10, 18; 14:24, 31; 15:16, 19, 21, 25; 16:2, 4, 6, 7, 12,

13, 20, 25, 33; 17:9, 15, 20; 18:28, 40; 19:21, 24, 34; 20:7, 27; 21:8, 23

Acts 1:4, 8; 2:16; 4:17, 32; 5:4, 13; 7:39, 48; 10:20, 35, 41; 13:25; 15:11, 20; 16:37;

18:9, 21; 19:2, 26, 27; 20:24; 21:13, 24; 26:16, 20, 25, 29; 27:10Romans 1:21, 32; 2:13, 29; 3:27, 31; 4:2, 4, 10, 12, 13, 16, 20, 24; 5:3, 11, 14, 15; 6:5,

13, 14, 15; 7:7, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20; 8:1, 4, 9, 15, 20, 23, 26, 32, 37; 9:7, 8, 10, 11, 16,

24, 32; 10:2, 8, 16, 18, 19; 11:4, 11, 18, 20; 12:2, 3, 16, 19, 21; 13:3, 5, 14; 14:13, 17,

20; 15:3, 21; 16:4, 18

1 Corinthians 1:17, 27; 2:4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13; 3:1, 2, 5, 6, 7; 4:3, 4, 14, 15, 19, 20; 5:8;

6:6, 8, 11, 12, 13; 7:4, 7, 10, 19, 21, 35; 8:6, 7; 9:2, 12, 21, 27; 10:5, 13, 20, 23, 24,

29, 33; 11:8, 9, 17; 12:14, 22, 24, 25; 14:2, 17, 19, 20, 22, 33, 34; 15:10, 35, 37, 39,

40, 46

2 Corinthians 1:9, 12, 13, 19, 24; 2:4, 5, 13, 17; 3:3, 5, 6, 14, 15; 4:2, 5, 8, 9, 16, 18;

5:4, 12, 15, 16; 6:4; 7:5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14; 8:5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 19, 21; 9:12; 10:4, 12, 13,

18; 11:1, 6, 17; 12:14, 16; 13:3, 4, 7, 8

Galatians 1:1, 8, 12, 17; 2:3, 7, 14; 3:12, 16, 22; 4:2, 7, 8, 14, 17, 23, 29, 30, 31; 5:6,

13; 6:13, 15

Ephesians 1:21; 2:19; 4:29; 5:4, 15, 17, 18, 24, 27, 29; 6:4, 6, 12

Philippians 1:18, 20, 29; 2:3, 4, 7, 12, 17, 27; 3:7, 8, 9; 4:6, 17

Colossians 2:5; 3:11, 22

1 Thessalonians 1:5, 8; 2:2, 4, 7, 8, 13; 4:7, 8; 5:6, 9, 15

2 Thessalonians 2:12; 3:8, 9, 11, 15

1 Timothy 1:13, 16; 2:10, 12; 3:3; 4:12; 5:1, 13, 23; 6:2, 4, 17

2 Timothy 1:7, 8, 9, 12, 17; 2:9, 20, 24; 3:9; 4:3, 8, 16

Titus 1:8, 15; 2:10; 3:5Philemon 1:14, 16

Hebrews 2:16; 3:13, 16; 4:2; 5:4, 5; 7:16; 9:24; 10:3, 25, 39; 11:13; 12:11, 22, 26;

13:14

James 1:25, 26; 2:18; 3:15; 4:11

1 Peter 1:15, 19, 23; 2:16, 18, 20, 25; 3:4, 14, 21; 4:2, 13; 5:2, 3

2 Peter 1:16, 21; 2:4, 5; 3:9

1 John 2:2, 7, 16, 19, 21, 27; 3:18; 4:1, 10, 18; 5:6, 18

2 John 1:1, 5, 8, 12

3 John 1:9, 11, 13

Jude 1:6, 9

Revelation 2:4, 6, 9, 14, 20; 3:9; 9:5; 10:7, 9; 17:12; 20:6



As one can see, as far as phonetics are concerned, "Allah" is in the Bible with several

meanings. None of these meanings, however, is the name of God. If we examine the

etymology, however, we will see even more evidence against Abdallah’s claim.

One problem in Abdallah’s article is that he produces several contradictions that give away

his whole argument for Allah being the name of God in the Bible. At one point in his article,he says, "It's the pronunciation that counts" but later quotes someone else, who says,

"The correct comparison is between "ilah/elah" (Arabic) and "elahh" (Aramaic) in phonetic

spelling and in their meaning of "god". "elahh" is not the same as "Allah" in

pronunciation, although one of its meanings is "God" and "God of Israel", but my emphasis

was on the similar sound to "ilah/elah" (Arabic) and in it, "elahh", taking on the meaning of

"god"." [Bold mine]

First, he argues that the pronunciation of the Hebrew words is the same as the

Aramaic/Arabic to prove that Allah is God’s name in the Bible. Then he admits (in his

quotation of another) that the pronunciation of the words for God in Hebrew and the word"Allah" in Arabic are not the same! By conceding this Abdallah refutes himself and proves

that because the words used for God in the Bible are not pronounced the same as "Allah" that

"Allah" was never God’s name in the Bible (remember that we have already seen that "allah"

is in the Bible, just not meaning "God").

Second, at one point in his article, Abdallah argues,

"For one thing, "ilah" does not mean "God", it means "god" (notice that there is no

capitalisation of letters in Arabic, it is used here for the western audience's sake)"

Here he tries to make a distinction between "Allah" (the name of God) and "ilah" (the word

for god). However, in the same article, he quotes a letter that he received from someone

where the latter cites a lexicon that poses a problem for both of them, which they apparently

did not see:

Upon investigating a "Christian" Hebrew lexicon on the web at site: bible.crosswalk.com, i

[sic] came across the word "elahh" which is Aramaic and used in the Hebrew bible.

The following is from bible.crosswalk.com:

Thee KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon

Strong's Number: 0426

Original Word: hhlaWord Origin: corresponding to (0433)

Transliterated Word: 'elahh (Aramaic)'

Phonetic Spelling: 'el-aw'

Parts of Speech: Noun Masculine

Definitions:

- god, God

- god, heathen deity

- God (of Israel)

From the above, it was noticed that the word "elahh" does exist in the Hebrew bible and it

means the above-stated definitions.



The intent of this citation was to demonstrate that "elah," the Aramaic cognate, of "ilah," is

used as God’s name in the Hebrew Bible. The problem, however, is that "elah" also means

simply "god" and can even be the name of pagan gods! Are we to believe that this word,

which is the same word used to describe pagan gods (examples are Daniel 4:8 and 5:4), is the

personal name of our Creator? (As we saw in Part One, it is not.) It, like the English "God,"

the Latin "Deus," the Spanish "Dios," the Greek "theos," and the French "Dieu," carries boththe meaning of any god or the Being who is the true God. (Interestingly, YHWH appears

more times in the Bible than "el," "eloah," "elah," and "elohim" combined, and it always

refers to the true God, demonstrating that it is His name and specific to Him.)

By resorting to this lexicon, the person whom Abdallah quotes proves that "elah" is not the

name of God but is simply a word that carries both the meaning of "God" and "god" (there is

no capitalization in Hebrew either). Moreover, as the person quoted by Abdallah confessed,

"elah" and "Allah" are not pronounced the same, so his argument fails on that point as well.

For your convenience, since, according to Abdallah, "It's the pronunciation that counts", I

reproduce the list of words in the Bible that are pronounced like "Allah":

'alah (Strong’s Number: H421): to bewail :- lament.

'alah (Strong’s Number: H422): to adjure, that is, (usually in a bad sense) imprecate :-

adjure, curse, swear.

'alah (Strong’s Number: H423): an imprecation :- curse, cursing, execration, oath,

swearing.

'allah (Strong’s Number: H427): oak.

Please take note that the Hebrew word for "oak" (aleph, lamed, lamed, he) agrees with the

Arabic "Allah" (alif, lam, lam, ha) not only in its pronounced consonants but even has

basically the same vowels (twice an "a" sound). [More precisely, in the Hebrew word there is

only one lamed written, but this lamed bears a dagesh forte, showing that it is really a double

consonant. For that reason the transliteration correctly renders it as ‘ll’. On the other hand, in

the Arabic word there is actually a triple lam since the second lam bears a tashdeed ('al-llah),

i.e. the second lam is doubled, but since the first lam in the Arabic name of God is silent the

pronunciation is 'allah in both the Hebrew and the Arabic.] Abdallah apparently missed

H427, the word right after "elah" (the word for "God" or "god" in Aramaic), which was the

word to which Quennel Gale was most likely referring.

al-lah' (Strong’s Number: G235): properly other things, that is, (adverbially)

contrariwise (in many relations): - and, but (even), howbeit, indeed, nay, nevertheless,

no, notwithstanding, save, therefore, yea, yet.

We see therefore that the words that are pronounced the same as "Allah" in no way mean

God, nor are they the name of God.

Moreover, we have seen that Abdallah has not proved in any way that "Allah" is God’s name

in the Bible. He spends the article showing proof that "elah" is in the Bible. However, as we

have seen, he himself points out that "elah" is not the name of God, but is simply a word that

means "god." Since "elah" and not "Allah" is used to mean "God," Abdallah himself provesthat "Allah" was not God’s name in the Bible.







We see, therefore, that far from proving that "Allah" is God’s name, Abdallah proves thrice

that "Allah" has nothing to do with the name of God in the Bible. The Aramaic word that is

related to "Allah" and "ilah" in Arabic is not the name of God but is merely a word that

means "God" or "god," like its English counterparts.

Addendum

The claim that "Allah" is used as God’s name in the Indonesian Bible is not true. "Allah" is

used to mean "God", but it is not used in place of YHWH:

Exodus 6:3 (ASV)

and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my

name Jehovah I was not known to them.

Exodus 6:2 Indonesian Terjemahan Baru (same as Exodus 6:3 above)Aku telah menampakkan diri kepada Abraham, Ishak dan Yakub sebagai Allah Yang

Mahakuasa, tetapi dengan nama-Ku TUHAN Aku belum menyatakan diri.

Exodus 6:2 Bahasa Indonesia Sehari-Hari (same as Exodus 6:3 in the ASV)

Aku menampakkan diri kepada Abraham, Ishak dan Yakub sebagai Allah Yang

Mahakuasa, tetapi Aku tidak memperkenalkan diri kepada mereka dengan nama 'TUHAN'.

Isaiah 42:8 (ASV)

I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise

unto graven images.

Idonesian TB

Aku ini TUHAN, itulah nama-Ku; Aku tidak akan memberikan kemuliaan-Ku kepada yang

lain atau kemasyhuran-Ku kepada patung.

Indonesian BHSH

Akulah TUHAN, itulah nama-Ku; keagungan-Ku tidak Kuberikan kepada siapa pun;

kemasyhuran-Ku tidak Kuserahkan kepada patung.

Amos 9:6 (ASV)

it is he that buildeth his chambers in the heavens, and hath founded his vault upon the earth;he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth;

Jehovah is his name.

ITB

yang mendirikan anjung-Nya di langit dan mendasarkan kubah-Nya di atas bumi; yang

memanggil air laut dan mencurahkannya ke atas permukaan bumi--TUHAN itulah nama-

Nya.

IBHSH

TUHAN membangun rumah-Nya jauh di angkasa, di atas bumi dipasang-Nya langit sebagai

kubah, dan air dari laut dituangkan-Nya ke daratan, yang melakukan semua itu nama-Nyaialah TUHAN!



We see, therefore, that "Allah" is used to mean "God" but that "TUHAN" is used to signify

YHWH, the name of God.

As for any Indonesian Bible of which I am unaware that may use Allah in place of YHWH,

one must keep in mind that Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country. This use of Allah

for YHWH would come not from the fact that Allah is God’s name in the Bible, but becausethe god of the Quran is called Allah, and this is what the people there are accustomed to

hearing. The word "ilah" is used to mean "god" in the IBHSH and "allah" is often used to

mean "god" generically in the ITB, which shows the effect that Islam has had on the

language. The use in the Indonesian Bibles of the Arabic names "Musa" and "Harun" for

Moses and Aaron (Moshe and Aharon in Hebrew) also shows the effect that Arabic has had

on the language.


One Last Note

One challenge put forth by one of the people whom Osama Abdallah quoted in his article is

as follows:

God has One name, and that's "ALLAH" ... If anyone has any doubts or proofs otherwise, let

them bring their proof, starting with an archaeological evidence on how was "YHWH"

pronounced in full with vowels, not the later-inserted ones!

We have already seen in Part One that YHWH is called repeatedly the name of God in the

Bible and that Allah is never used in the Bible as God’s name; the lost pronunciation of

YHWH does not diminish this fact in any way. Nevertheless, this challenge proves more than

the one who issued it thought!

The reason why the pronunciation of YHWH has been lost (although many believe it to be

something similar to "Yahweh") is that the ancient Israelites considered the name too holy to

be pronounced . This demonstrates that the Israelites held the name YHWH in greater esteem

than the descriptive titles "el," "elah," "eloah," and "elohim." Instead of pronouncing YHWH,

they said "adonai" ("Lord" or "my Lord"; the vowel sounds from this Hebrew word were later

inserted in the tetragrammaton – YHWH – to give us the transliteration Jehovah) and later

ha-shem, "the Name." YHWH was considered God’s name and therefore too holy to be

pronounced lest it should be used improperly:

Exodus 20:7 (KJV)

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD {YHWH} thy God in vain; for the LORD

{YHWH} will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

To avoid doing this, the Israelites simply did not pronounce the name, which demonstrates

their high estimation of it. On the other hand, the Israelites used "el" to refer to pagan gods(Exodus 15:11) and human beings (Ezekiel 32:21), "elohim" to refer to false gods (Zephaniah







2:11) and angels (Psalm 8:5), "eloah" to refer to false gods (Daniel 11:39 and Habakkuk

1:11) and "elah" to refer to false gods (Jeremiah 10:11; Daniel 3:12, 14, 18). If any of these

words were the name of God, why would the Israelites throw them around thus and even call

false, pagan gods by them?

Of course, none of these words is the name of God, nor is the word "Allah" ever used as thename of God in the Bible. For your reference, here is a list of the uses of "allah" in the Bible.

One can see, therefore, that the name of God is not and never has been "Allah". YHWH has

always been His name, and the fact that the vowels in the Name are unknown poses a greater

problem for those who claim that God’s name is Allah than for Jews and Christians, because

the loss of the vowel sounds of this name occurred because the ancient Israelites considered

this name too holy to be pronounced.

Moreover, the claim of Muslims is that Muhammad came to restore the faith. If Muhammad

was a prophet of God sent to restore the true religion of God, why did God not reveal to him

the correct way to pronounce His name, of which YHWH Himself said "this is My memorial-

name to all generations"? (This is also related to the doctrine of the completeness of theQuran discussed in Part Two. If the Quran is a book complete in and of itself, why does it

nowhere contain the name of God as revealed to His previous prophets?) That Muhammad

did not acknowledge YHWH as the name of God, which other non-Israelites acknowledged

as being His name (the book of Job is an example), is further evidence that his witness is not

in accord with that of the prophets of God.

Alano Perez

http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Perez/name_of_god3.html#allahlist






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Documents

The Name of God in the Bible and the Quran - By Alano Perez