Adonai: Meaning of the Name of God

Adonai is Hebrew and means “Lord”, more precisely “my Lord”. The name describes God as the one to whom everything belongs and to whom we entrust ourselves. In Judaism, Adonai is also spoken aloud in place of the holy name YHWH when reading Scripture, which is why most English Bibles render both as “Lord”.

Adonai is one of the three foundational names of God in the Old Testament, alongside Elohim and YHWH. At Good-Natured it is one of the ten names in our poster series, collected under Names of God Posters. Here you will learn where the name comes from, where it appears in the Bible and what it means for faith today.

1. Adonai: the meaning of the word

The Hebrew root word “adon” means lord, master or owner. In the Old Testament it is also used of people: a king, the head of a household or the master of a servant. The form “Adonai”, however, is reserved almost exclusively for God. It is usually translated “my Lord”; the ending is also a plural form that emphasises God’s greatness and dignity, much like Elohim.

So Adonai describes a relationship. Whoever addresses God this way is saying: you are not just any lord, you are my Lord. It is less a title than a confession, and it contains trust. A good lord cares for those who belong to him.

2. Where does Adonai appear in the Bible?

Adonai appears most often where people speak directly to God: in prayers, laments and call stories. Abraham addresses God this way when he asks about an heir (Genesis 15:2). Moses uses it when he resists his calling (Exodus 4:10). And Isaiah sees God in the temple:

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.”
Isaiah 6:1 (KJV)

In the Hebrew text this verse uses Adonai. The name shows up beautifully in Psalm 16:2, where YHWH and Adonai stand side by side: “O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord.” (Psalm 16:2, KJV). The King James Version makes the difference visible: “LORD” in capitals stands for YHWH, “Lord” for Adonai. The psalmist calls God by his name and then tells him who he is to him.

3. Adonai and YHWH: why “Lord” stands for two names

God’s actual name in the Old Testament is YHWH, the four letters with which God introduces himself to Moses at the burning bush. Out of reverence for this name, Jewish readers stopped pronouncing it aloud even before the time of Jesus. Wherever the text has YHWH, “Adonai” is read to this day.

This practice has left traces in our Bibles. The Greek translation of the Old Testament rendered both names as “Kyrios” (Lord), and most English Bibles also say “Lord”. Many editions print “LORD” in capitals where the Hebrew has YHWH and “Lord” in normal type for Adonai. The form “Jehovah” also comes from this connection: it arose when the consonants of YHWH were read together with the vowels of Adonai. More about the divine name itself is in our article on YHWH.

4. Adonai in the New Testament

The New Testament was written in Greek, so the word Adonai does not appear there. Its role is taken by “Kyrios”. What is remarkable is how the first Christians applied this word to Jesus. The shortest creed of the early church is: Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9; Philippians 2:11).

Jesus himself quotes Psalm 110, in which David writes: “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (Psalm 110:1, KJV). For “my Lord” the Hebrew here has “adoni”, the same root. In Matthew 22:41–46 Jesus asks how David can call his own descendant “Lord”, and so raises the question of his own identity. An overview of all ten names in our series is given in the article on the names of God in the Bible.

5. What the name means today

“Lord” has become a difficult word for many. It sounds like power and distance. But Adonai describes a relationship of trust: whoever calls God “my Lord” does not hand control to a stranger but to someone who means well. In everyday life that can mean deliberately bringing decisions to prayer, or handing over worries you cannot solve yourself.

That is why many people hang the Adonai Poster (ab 18 €) above their desk or next to the front door, places where decisions are made. At Good-Natured the poster comes in A3, printed in Germany on FSC-certified paper, unframed or ready-framed in black, white or light oak. How to hang it well is explained in how to hang posters.

Conclusion

Adonai means “my Lord” and is the name with which people in the Bible address God when it matters: Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, the psalmists. It stands for authority and trust at once, and in the New Testament it becomes the confession of Jesus as Lord. At Good-Natured, Adonai is one of the ten names in our poster series, collected under Names of God Posters.