Theology · guided walk
Names of God
Discover God's character through the names He reveals across Scripture.
Before you walk
Where this trail goes
In Scripture a name is not a label — it is a disclosure of character. This walk traces ten moments where God puts His own name on the record, from the first verse of the Bible to the last verse of Ezekiel. Each name arrives inside a story: a creation, a covenant, a runaway slave in the desert, an old man holding an impossible promise, a burning bush, a frightened farmer, a shepherd's psalm, a city still to come. God does not hand over a list of attributes; He shows up, acts, and names Himself in the act. Walk the ten stops in order and you watch the revelation widen — from raw creative power to a God who sees, heals, gives peace, shepherds, and finally stays.
drafted — awaiting the founder’s edit
10 stops on this walk.
Stop 1 of 10
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1ASV The first name is power: before any promise is spoken, Elohim simply creates everything.
Elohim: The plural name revealing God's power and majesty as Creator of all things.
Stop 2 of 10
Genesis 2:4
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven.
Genesis 2:4ASV The Creator steps closer: Jehovah, the personal covenant name, enters the record here first.
Yahweh (LORD): The covenant name — 'I AM' — revealing God's personal, relational nature.
Stop 3 of 10
Genesis 14:18
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High.
Genesis 14:18ASV A priest-king names God Most High — sovereignty above every throne, sealed with bread and wine.
El Elyon: 'God Most High' — Melchizedek blesses Abram in the name of the sovereign ruler over all.
Stop 4 of 10
Genesis 16:13
And she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me?
Genesis 16:13ASV The only name on this walk given by a human — a runaway slave, and God saw her.
El Roi: 'The God who sees' — Hagar's encounter reveals God sees the outcast and afflicted.
Stop 5 of 10
Genesis 17:1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Genesis 17:1ASV Almighty arrives when the promise looks impossible — all-sufficient power pledged to a ninety-nine-year-old.
El Shaddai: 'God Almighty' — the all-sufficient One who keeps His promises.
Stop 6 of 10
Exodus 3:14
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exodus 3:14ASV The walk's summit: God defines Himself by Himself — I AM, the name behind every name.
I AM THAT I AM: The self-existent, eternal One reveals Himself to Moses at the burning bush.
Stop 7 of 10
Exodus 15:26
and he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am Jehovah that healeth thee.
Exodus 15:26ASV First of the compound names: Jehovah joins His name to an action — healing His people.
Jehovah Rapha: 'The LORD who heals' — God promises to be the healer of His people.
Stop 8 of 10
Judges 6:24
Then Gideon built an altar there unto Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Judges 6:24ASV Peace named on an altar by a frightened man who expected to die.
Jehovah Shalom: 'The LORD is Peace' — Gideon's altar commemorates God's gift of peace.
Stop 9 of 10
Psalm 23:1
Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23:1ASV The names turn possessive: not a shepherd but my shepherd — one man's personal claim.
Jehovah Rohi: 'The LORD is my Shepherd' — David's beloved psalm of God's tender care.
Stop 10 of 10
Ezekiel 48:35
It shall be eighteen thousand reeds round about: and the name of the city from that day shall be, Jehovah is there.
Ezekiel 48:35ASV Scripture's answer to exile: the final name is an address — God permanently home with His people.
Jehovah Shammah: 'The LORD is there' — the name of the eternal city where God dwells with His people.
The big picture
What this walk means
Set the ten stops side by side and one pattern is unmistakable: God's names are given in events, not invented in theory. Elohim comes with a universe; El Roi with a slave girl no one else looked for; El Shaddai with a ninety-nine-year-old and an impossible promise; Jehovah-rapha with a healing pledge in the wilderness; Jehovah-shalom with a man braced for death. Every name answers a specific human condition — powerlessness, invisibility, barrenness, bondage, sickness, fear, want, exile.
The walk also moves in a direction. It opens with distance — the Creator over all things — and closes with an address: "the name of the city from that day shall be, Jehovah is there." The trajectory of the names is God coming nearer.
At the center stands Exodus 3:14. I AM THAT I AM is not one name among ten; it is the source of them all — self-existent, dependent on nothing, free to be healer, peace, and shepherd because He simply is. And this exact name Jesus of Nazareth took on His own lips: "Before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58); "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11). The names walk forward through Scripture until they stand in front of you with a face. Jehovah Shammah — the LORD is there — is where the whole Bible is going.
drafted — awaiting the founder’s edit