• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

El Shaddai

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
El Shaddai is a term whose occurrence is rare in the original Hebrew version of the Old Testament (I use as reference the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia).
Rare compared to YHWH: we find it in Genesis 17:1 and in Genesis 35:11.

Many Catholic philologists admit its real meaning is very uncertain and debated. Comparing the roots of other Semitic language it probably means the Lord of the Mountain. Or the Lord of the brushlands (considering that back then the Negev was still brushlands, it is quite preferable this last).

The Septuagint translates El Shaddai with o Theòs o Pantòkrator (Παντοκράτωρ)
A very wrong translation, because the term God Almighty (which is the perfect translation of Deus Omnipotens in the Vulgate), indicates that God can do anything, is all-powerful. Both in Latin and in English.
Pantokràtor, on the contrary, literally means " that rules over everything". The root krat- has nothing to do with divine powers but with ruling, governing etc.
The term "Almighty" in Greek can be translated with the word "Pandynatòs" or "Pantodynatòs" because the verb δύναμαι (hence δυνατός = powerful) is the exact translation of the English "to be able to" or "can".


So what do you guys think?
El Shaddai, the original term had nothing to do with Omnipotence. A theological concept I can't even find in the Greek Bible.
 

Harel13

Am Yisrael Chai
Staff member
Premium Member
The Septuagint translates El Shaddai with o Theòs o Pantòkrator (Παντοκράτωρ)
A very wrong translation, because the term God Almighty (which is the perfect translation of Deus Omnipotens in the Vulgate), indicates that God can do anything, is all-powerful. Both in Latin and in English.
Pantokràtor, on the contrary, literally means " that rules over everything". The root krat- has nothing to do with divine powers but with ruling, governing etc.
The term "Almighty" in Greek can be translated with the word "Pandynatòs" or "Pantodynatòs" because the verb δύναμαι (hence δυνατός = powerful) is the exact translation of the English "to be able to" or "can".
Hi. I didn't understand why you think the Greek translation is wrong. Different names of God denote different aspects of God. So one name would refer to His omnipotence and another to His sovereignty over everything.
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
Hi. I didn't understand why you think the Greek translation is wrong. Different names of God denote different aspects of God. So one name would refer to His omnipotence and another to His sovereignty over everything.

I studied Ancient Greek but not Ancient Hebrew.
I don't think El Shaddai = o Theòs o Pantokràtor.
I guess "Almighty" in Hebrew is expressed with other terms.
And btw Pantokrator means All-ruling not Almighty.
 

Tambourine

Well-Known Member
Hi. I didn't understand why you think the Greek translation is wrong. Different names of God denote different aspects of God. So one name would refer to His omnipotence and another to His sovereignty over everything.
I think the point they are making is that in the Bible, there are no names that refer to God's omnipotence.
 

Harel13

Am Yisrael Chai
Staff member
Premium Member
@Estro Felino sorry, I'm still confused. You wrote in your OP that Catholics are uncertain of the meaning of the name. Then you wrote that based on Semitic linguistics, it might mean lord of a type of wilderness area. So based on what are you rejecting the Greek translation?
 

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
Wikipedia is more than often helpful. Also, there is a 1968 article in the Journal of Biblical Literature Vol. 87, No 4, titled "Israelite 'Ēl Šadday and Amorite Bêl Šadê," which presents a case for Lord of the Mountain(s) - a reference to the lunar god Sin of the Amurru.
 

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
Here's something a little more down to earth.

"God is also known as El Shaddai. This Name is usually translated as "God Almighty," however, the derivation of the word "Shaddai" is not known. According to some views, it is derived from the root meaning "to heap benefits." According a Midrash, it means, "The One who said 'dai'" ("dai" meaning enough or sufficient) and comes from the fact that when God created the universe, it expanded until He said "DAI!" (perhaps the first recorded theory of an expanding universe?). The name Shaddai is the one written on the mezuzah scroll. Some note that Shaddai is an acronym of Shomer Daltot Yisrael, Guardian of the Doors of Israel."

Judaism 101: The Name of G-d
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
I see it as two names combined. The first part describes divine kindness, the second divine strength. Blend those two together and the result is G-d operating in both infinite might and infinite kindness concurrently.

See below link.

Along a Winding Path: Section 7

Philology and Theology are two different things.
El Shaddai does not mean God Almighty from a philological and linguistic point of view. Which are exact sciences.

If theology has interpreted El Shaddai in a precise way...well...this is not the topic of my thread.:)
 

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
Philology and Theology are two different things.
El Shaddai does not mean God Almighty from a philological and linguistic point of view. Which are exact sciences.

If theology has interpreted El Shaddai in a precise way...well...this is not the topic of my thread.:)
Maybe the info on post 13 is helpful?
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
That is an excellent question, one that I have absolutely no answer to. However, I'm still confused about your OP...:sweatsmile:
Precisely.
That is why it would be better not to translate it. To use El Shaddai in English too.
That is the point of my thread:)
 

dybmh

דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
Precisely.
That is why it would be better not to translate it. To use El Shaddai in English too.
That is the point of my thread:)
Good idea; This would clear up a lot of confusions, imho. But they should be misspelled intentionally out of respect.
 
Top