Adonai

Occurrences in Scripture

Adonai is a title for God in the Old Testament. Korean Bibles generally render it as "Lord" (Ju). It appears frequently in prayers and appeals addressed directly to God.

• Genesis 15:2: Abram addresses God as "Lord GOD" as he lays his childlessness before Him.
• Exodus 4:10: Moses says, "O my Lord," as he protests that he is not eloquent.
• Isaiah 6:1: The title appears in the vision that Isaiah saw in the temple.
• Daniel 9: The title appears in the penitential prayer of Daniel.
• The Book of Ezekiel: The expression "Lord GOD" occurs with particular frequency.

Meaning and Background of the Word

The Hebrew adon is a common noun meaning "master" or "lord." It was also used between human beings, as when a servant addressed his master. Adonai is explained as the plural form of this word with a first-person suffix. Its literal sense is close to "my Lord," but it became fixed as a title referring to God alone.

In later Judaism, it became customary not to pronounce aloud YHWH, the four-consonant name of God, but to read "Adonai" in its place. This custom is understood to have arisen from reverence and a desire to keep the commandment of the Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). The medieval Masoretes marked the Masoretic Text accordingly, attaching the vowels of Adonai to the consonants YHWH to indicate that the name should be read this way. According to a widely known explanation, reading these consonants and vowels together as written produced the form "Jehovah." Where "Adonai YHWH" appears in sequence in the text, YHWH was read as "Elohim" to avoid repeating the same word. Korean Bibles render this expression as "Lord Jehovah" (Ju Yeohowa).

Significance Across the Bible

The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, generally rendered both YHWH and Adonai as kyrios ("Lord"). The New Testament adopts this word and calls Jesus Christ "Lord."

• In Romans 10:13, Paul applies to Jesus the words of Joel 2:32: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
• Philippians 2:9-11 declares that "every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."
• The confession "Jesus is the Lord" (1 Corinthians 12:3) is regarded as one of the earliest confessions of faith in the early church.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• Significance of the plural form: Some Christian interpreters have read the plural forms of Adonai and Elohim as a hint of the Trinity. Many scholars, by contrast, regard the plural as a Hebrew idiom expressing majesty or fullness and hold that the plural form alone cannot prove the Trinity.
• Translating the name of God: The New Korean Revised Version distinguishes the two, rendering YHWH as "Jehovah" (Yeohowa) and Adonai as "Lord" (Ju). The New Korean Standard Version, following Jewish reading practice and the usage of the Septuagint and the New Testament, renders YHWH as "the Lord" (Junim) as well. The Common Translation uses "Yahweh," which scholars conjecture to be the original pronunciation. Which rendering is correct remains disputed and forms one strand of the Bible translation debate.

In the Korean Church

Because many churches use the New Korean Revised Version, church members are more familiar with the expressions "Jehovah" and "Lord" than with the original term "Adonai." The word Adonai is introduced mainly in sermons and Bible studies that explain the names of God, alongside names such as Elohim and Jehovah-jireh.