The Meaning Of El Shaddai

One of the names in which God reveals himself is El Shaddai (Hebrew: אֵל שַׁדַּי), which many English translations render as “God Almighty”. The first time this name appears in the Bible is in Genesis 17:

Genesis 17:1 ESV When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]; walk before me, and be blameless,

The first part of the name, El (אֵל), is the generic word for “God.” However, the second part of the name, Shaddai (שַׁדַּי), requires some explanation.

El Shaddai—God the Destroyer

The common understanding of El Shaddai as “God Almighty” originates from the opinion that Shaddai comes from the verb shāḏaḏ, meaning “to destroy; to overpower”. This is not at all wrong, as is evident in passages where God is referred to as El Shaddai or Shaddai in the context of his destroying power:

Isaiah 13:6 ESV Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction [shōḏ] from the Almighty [Shaddai] it will come!

Joel 1:15 ESV Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction [shōḏ] from the Almighty [Shaddai] it comes.

After suffering the loss of her husband and both her sons, Naomi complains that God, specifically referring to him as Shaddai, “has dealt very bitterly with” her and “has brought calamity upon” her:

Ruth 1:20–21 ESV She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty [Shaddai] has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty [Shaddai] has brought calamity upon me?”

El Shaddai—The Fertility God

However, God is also referred to as (El) Shaddai in other contexts as well. It has been noted that Shaddai may be related to the word shāḏayim, meaning “breasts”, signifying fertility. When we read the rest of God’s speech to Abram in Genesis 17, we notice that God revealed himself as El Shaddai to Abram in the context of fertility:

Genesis 17:1–6 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.

Remember that at this time, Abram still did not have any children through his wife Sarai because she was barren (11:30). God’s promise to Abram in the “Abrahamic Covenant” (12:1–3) was predicated on Abram having children, but that could hardly happen since Sarai was barren! By revealing himself as El Shaddai to Abram, God was promising to fulfill his own promises to Abram by giving him children.

Ancient Near Eastern culture was generally obsessed with fertility. Bearing children was seen as an honourable thing, and being barren was seen as a shameful thing, even probably as punishment from God! This was why virtually all the religions surrounding the Israelites had fertility gods/goddesses. By revealing himself to his people as El Shaddai, God was assuring his people that he was their all-inclusive God; they did not need a fertility god beside him like the other nations because he himself was their fertility god.