El Shaddai is a Hebrew name of God usually translated "God Almighty" or "the Almighty" in the King James Version. God first used it of Himself to Abraham: "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect" (Genesis 17:1). El means God, and Shaddai is traditionally understood as almighty or all-sufficient; some scholars connect it with a word for mountain. The name appears about 48 times, most often in the Book of Job. El Roi, the God who sees, is the name Hagar gave God in Genesis 16:13.
Most people meet the name El Shaddai in a worship song or a study of the names of God. The Hebrew words do not appear in English Bibles, because translators render them as God Almighty or the Almighty. Knowing the name helps you notice it. It belongs especially to the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and God connects it with promises of children and blessing that seemed impossible. It returns in Ruth, in Job, where it appears more than thirty times, and in Psalm 91, where believers rest under the shadow of the Almighty. This page looks at El Shaddai in the King James Version and also at El Roi, the God who sees, a name a runaway servant woman gave God in the wilderness. For an overview of all the Hebrew names of God, see Hebrew names of God, and for the name that means the LORD who heals, see Jehovah Rapha.
El Shaddai and the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
1. Genesis 17:1
"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect."
This is the first time God names Himself El Shaddai: I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. Abram was ninety-nine, and Sarai was long past the age of having children. God had promised a son twenty-four years earlier. Now He reveals Himself as the Almighty and changes Abram's name to Abraham, father of many nations (Genesis 17:5). El Shaddai is the God who keeps promises that look impossible. Perfect here means whole-hearted, not flawless.
2. Genesis 28:3
"And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;"
Isaac blesses his son Jacob as he leaves home: And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people. Isaac passes on the name his father learned. In Genesis, El Shaddai is often linked with fruitfulness and blessing, which has led some to connect Shaddai with a Hebrew word for breast, the God who nourishes. Whatever the root, the meaning is clear: He is the God who provides and multiplies.
3. Genesis 35:11
"And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;"
Years later, God speaks to Jacob directly: I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins. Jacob had just returned to Bethel, the place where God first met him (Genesis 28:19). God renews the promise He made to Abraham and confirms Jacob's new name, Israel. El Shaddai is faithful from generation to generation.
4. Exodus 6:3
"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 to them."
After Moses' first appeal to Pharaoh ended badly, God tells him: 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 to them. The patriarchs did use the name LORD, but they knew God mainly as El Shaddai, the Almighty who promised. Moses' generation would know Him as the LORD who keeps those promises by redeeming His people from Egypt. The names reveal God step by step.
The Almighty in Ruth, Job and the Psalms
5. Genesis 49:25
"Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:"
Jacob blesses his son Joseph: by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb. Joseph had been betrayed, enslaved and imprisoned, yet God had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction (Genesis 41:52). The Almighty is the God whose blessing reaches every part of life, from the sky to the deep places, even after great suffering.
6. Ruth 1:20
"And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me."
Naomi uses the name in grief: Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. She had lost her husband and both sons in Moab. Naomi means pleasant and Mara means bitter. It is striking that she still speaks to and about the Almighty. She believes God is in control, even while she weeps. By the end of the book, El Shaddai has given her a grandson in the line of King David (Ruth 4:17). See Bible verses about widows.
7. Job 33:4
"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life."
The Book of Job uses Shaddai more than any other book, about thirty-one times. Here Elihu says, The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. Job and his friends argue about why the Almighty allows suffering. The book never gives a simple answer, but it ends with God speaking from the whirlwind and Job saying, I know that thou canst do every thing (Job 42:2). El Shaddai is mighty even when we do not understand His ways.
8. Psalms 91:1
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91 uses two divine names in one verse: the Most High (Elyon) and the Almighty (Shaddai). The picture is of a bird sheltering its young under its wings (Psalm 91:4). The all-powerful God is also a safe place to rest. Many believers pray Psalm 91 in seasons of danger and sickness. See Bible verses about protection.
El Roi: the God who sees
9. Genesis 16:7
"And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur."
Now El Roi. Hagar was an Egyptian servant who had been given to Abram to bear a child, and when she was mistreated by Sarai she ran away (Genesis 16:6). And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness. Notice the word found. A pregnant, runaway servant on the road back to Egypt was not lost to God. He came looking for her and spoke to her by name (Genesis 16:8).
10. Genesis 16:13
"And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?"
Hagar gives God a name: Thou God seest me. In Hebrew this is El Roi, the God who sees. She adds, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? She was amazed that she had seen the God who sees her. She is often noted as the only person in the Bible to give God a name. A woman with no power, no rights and no home learned that God saw her, and that changed everything. El Roi is a name for anyone who feels invisible.
11. Genesis 16:14
"Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered."
Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi, the well of the Living One who sees me. The place kept the name for generations. Years later, Isaac lived near this same well (Genesis 24:62; 25:11). It is a quiet reminder that the God who saw Hagar also watched over the family of promise. God's seeing is not cold surveillance. It is the attention of a living God who cares.
12. 2 Chronicles 16:9
"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. This verse joins the two names. The God who sees (El Roi) looks for people whose hearts are loyal to Him, so that He can show Himself strong, the Almighty (El Shaddai), on their behalf. The prophet said this to King Asa, who had relied on a foreign king instead of God.
A short prayer
El Shaddai, God Almighty, You kept Your promise to Abraham when it looked impossible, and You are still the God who blesses and provides. El Roi, You saw Hagar in the wilderness, and You see me today, even when I feel invisible. Help me to walk before You with a whole heart, to rest under the shadow of the Almighty, and to trust that nothing about my life is hidden from Your eyes. Amen.
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Frequently asked questions
What does El Shaddai mean?
El Shaddai is Hebrew for God Almighty. El is a general word for God. The exact root of Shaddai is debated: it has traditionally been understood as almighty or all-sufficient, and some scholars connect it with a word for mountain (the God of the mountain, strong and unmovable) or with a word for breast (the God who nourishes). The KJV translates it "the Almighty God" in Genesis 17:1 and "the Almighty" in Job and the Psalms.
What does El Roi mean?
El Roi means the God who sees, or the God who sees me. Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant, gave God this name after the angel of the LORD found her by a spring in the wilderness (Genesis 16:13). The KJV renders her words "Thou God seest me". The nearby well was named Beer-lahai-roi, the well of the Living One who sees me.
How many times is El Shaddai used in the Bible?
Shaddai appears about 48 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, either alone (the Almighty) or with El (God Almighty). About 31 of those are in the Book of Job. It also appears in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Ruth, Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel and Joel. The New Testament uses the Greek word for Almighty, pantokrator, especially in Revelation.
Is El Shaddai the same as Jehovah?
They are two names for the same God. Exodus 6:3 says God appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob "by the name of God Almighty," and revealed Himself more fully to Moses by His covenant name, the LORD (Jehovah or Yahweh). Each name shows a different side of who God is: the Almighty who promises, and the LORD who redeems. See Hebrew names of God.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Hebrew names of God · Jehovah Rapha · Names of Jesus · God · Power of prayer · Protection · God's promises · God always with us · Psalm 91 meaning
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