שַׁדַּי

Genesis 17:1 שַׁדַּ֔י Almighty

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.

Here: An ancient divine title whose root meaning is uncertain. In Genesis it is tied consistently to promises of fertility and many descendants (17:2; 28:3; 35:11; 48:3–4; 49:25). That fits a man of ninety-nine who is about to be promised a son.

Genesis 28:3 שַׁדַּי֙ Almighty

May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples.

Here: An old divine title. Nobody is sure where it comes from. In Genesis it shows up every time God promises children and many descendants (17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 48:3; 49:25), and that fits Isaac's wish here.

Genesis 35:11 שַׁדַּי֙ Almighty

And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.

Here: An ancient divine title whose root meaning is uncertain. In Genesis it shows up almost every time God promises fertility and many descendants (17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 48:3; 49:25), and that is exactly its use here.

Genesis 43:14 שַׁדַּ֗י Almighty

May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

Here: Second half of the patriarchal name El Shaddai. In Genesis this name is the God who promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob many descendants (17:1–2; 28:3; 35:11), so Jacob calls on the God of the promise of children at the very moment he may lose his children.

Genesis 48:3 שַׁדַּ֛י Almighty

Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me

Here: An ancient divine title. In Genesis it shows up at the moments God promises fertility and many descendants (17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; 49:25). Its derivation is uncertain. "Almighty" is a traditional rendering, not a sure translation.

Genesis 49:25 שַׁדַּי֙ Almighty

by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb.

Here: An ancient divine name. In Genesis, God uses it each time he promises fruitfulness (17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 48:3). The original meaning of the name is uncertain. Here it sets up a sound-play with shadayim, "breasts," later in the verse.

Exodus 6:3 שַׁדָּ֑י Almighty

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name the LORD I did not make Myself known to them.

Here: An ancient divine title. Nobody is certain what it originally meant (see the study below). In Genesis it comes up when God promises descendants and fruitfulness (Gen 17:1-2; 28:3; 35:11; 48:3-4). 'Almighty' is the inherited translation, not a sure meaning.

Numbers 24:4 שַׁדַּי֙ [the] Almighty

the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

Here: An old divine name tied to the patriarchs (Exod 6:3). Its original meaning is uncertain. In the poem it parallels El, so it names the same God from another side.

Numbers 24:16 שַׁדַּי֙ [the] Almighty

the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

Ruth 1:20 שַׁדַּ֛י [the] Almighty

“Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.

Here: An old divine name connected with the patriarchs' promises of fertility and descendants (Gen 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 49:25). It is also the name Job uses most when he complains about how God has treated him. Naomi's choice of it is pointed: the God of the promise of children has left her without children.

Ruth 1:21 וְשַׁדַּ֖י and [the] Almighty

I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.”

Job 5:17 שַׁ֝דַּ֗י [the] Almighty

Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

Here: An old divine title linked with the time of the patriarchs (Gen 17:1). It is the name Job's poetry favours. It sits in parallel with ʾĕlôah, so both lines speak of the same God.

Job 6:4 שַׁדַּ֡י [the] Almighty

For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.

Here: An old divine name, used 31 times in Job. It sounds archaic, the name of the God of the patriarchs. It echoes Eliphaz, who had just told Job not to despise 'the discipline of Shaddai' (5:17).

Job 6:14 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

Here: An old name for God that belongs to the age of the patriarchs. Job uses it more than any other book, which fits the book's setting in a world before Moses. In Job it carries a sense of overwhelming, untouchable power, the God whose 'arrows' are in Job (6:4).

Job 8:3 שַׁ֝דַּ֗י [the] Almighty

Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?

Here: An ancient divine name, used about 31 times in Job, far more than anywhere else, giving the speeches an old, patriarchal feel (compare Genesis 17:1, 'El Shaddai'). It stands in parallel with 'God' as the second name of the same Judge.

Job 8:5 שַׁ֝דַּ֗י [the] Almighty

But if you would earnestly seek God and ask the Almighty for mercy,

Here: An ancient divine title tied to the patriarchs (El Shaddai, Gen 17:1; Exod 6:3) and used more in Job than anywhere else. Its root meaning is uncertain. In Job it stands for God at his most powerful and least approachable, the one who has struck Job (6:4).

Job 11:7 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?

Here: An ancient title of God from the time of the patriarchs. Job uses it often, here in parallel with Eloah. It names the God of overwhelming power whom Job has accused (6:4).

Job 13:3 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.

Job 15:25 שַׁ֝דַּ֗י [the] Almighty

For he has stretched out his hand against God and has vaunted himself against the Almighty,

Here: An ancient name for God that is especially common in Job. It is a proper name, not an abstract attribute. The man is squaring up to God under his oldest and most awe-laden name.

Job 21:15 שַׁדַּ֥י [is the] Almighty

Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’

Job 21:20 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

Let his eyes see his own destruction; let him drink for himself the wrath of the Almighty.

Job 22:3 לְ֭שַׁדַּי [belong] to [the] Almighty

Does it delight the Almighty that you are righteous? Does He profit if your ways are blameless?

Job 22:17 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

They said to God, ‘Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’

Here: An ancient name of God, and the favoured name in Job. Using it heightens the insolence, because the most formidable title is the one being shrugged off.

Job 22:23 שַׁ֭דַּי [the] Almighty

If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents

Here: An ancient title for God, the patriarchs' name for him (Exod 6:3). The book of Job uses it constantly, which fits its non-Israelite, patriarchal setting. Its original meaning is uncertain. 'Almighty' comes from the Greek and Latin translations.

Job 22:25 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

then the Almighty will be your gold and the finest silver for you.

Job 22:26 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

Surely then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God.

Here: An ancient divine title, used about 31 times in Job. In 22:25 Eliphaz has just said Shaddai will be Job's 'gold'. Here that same Shaddai becomes the thing Job enjoys, in place of wealth.

Job 23:16 וְ֝שַׁדַּ֗י and [the] Almighty

God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.

Job 24:1 מִ֭שַּׁדַּי from [the] Almighty

“Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why may those who know Him never see His days?

Here: 'From/by Shaddai'. This is the old divine name the book of Job uses most often. The prefix 'from' can mark who acts ('by Shaddai': he does not store up times) or what something is kept from ('from Shaddai': times are not hidden from him). The two main ways of reading the line both depend on this little word.

Job 27:2 וְ֝שַׁדַּ֗י and [the] Almighty

“As surely as God lives, who has deprived me of justice—the Almighty, who has embittered my soul—

Here: "And Shaddai": an old divine name from the stories of the patriarchs and a favourite of the Job poet. It matches "God" in the first line and names the same accused party.

Job 27:10 שַׁדַּ֥י [the] Almighty

Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?

Here: An old divine name, the God of the patriarchs (Exodus 6:3), and the one Job uses most. Putting it first gives it weight: is it in Shaddai, of all things, that such a man takes delight?

Job 27:11 שַׁ֝דַּ֗י [the] Almighty

I will instruct you in the power of God. I will not conceal the ways of the Almighty.

Here: An ancient divine name used 31 times in Job, set in parallel with El. It is traditionally rendered "Almighty." Here it balances "the hand of God" in the first line.

Job 27:13 מִשַּׁדַּ֥י [which] from [the] Almighty

This is the wicked man’s portion from God—the heritage the ruthless receive from the Almighty.

Here: 'From Shaddai.' This is the old divine name tied to the patriarchs, and Job uses it more than any other book. It matches 'from-with God' in the first line, so in both lines God is the one who hands out the share.

Job 29:5 שַׁ֭דַּי [the] Almighty

when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me,

Job 31:2 שַׁ֝דַּ֗י [the] Almighty

For what is the allotment of God from above, or the heritage from the Almighty on high?

Job 31:35 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

(Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my signature. Let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser compose an indictment.

Here: An old divine name, very common in Job. Here God is named as the party who must respond to Job's signed statement.

Job 32:8 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

But there is a spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.

Here: An ancient divine name, used more in Job than anywhere else. It ties human insight directly to the high God whom Job and his friends have been arguing about.

Job 33:4 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Here: An old divine title, especially common in Job and the stories of the patriarchs. It is traditionally rendered 'Almighty' after the Greek and Latin translations. It gives the line a solemn, archaic tone, though its root meaning is uncertain.

Job 34:10 וְשַׁדַּ֥י and [the] Almighty

Therefore listen to me, O men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wrong, and from the Almighty to act unjustly.

Here: 'And Shaddai.' This old title for God, linked with the patriarchs, appears 31 times in Job and is used here in parallel with El. Its original meaning is uncertain. 'Almighty' comes from the Greek and Latin translations.

Job 34:12 וְ֝שַׁדַּ֗י and [the] Almighty

Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly, and the Almighty does not pervert justice.

Job 35:13 וְ֝שַׁדַּ֗י and [the] Almighty

Surely God does not listen to empty pleas, and the Almighty does not take note of it.

Job 37:23 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

The Almighty is beyond our reach; He is exalted in power! In His justice and great righteousness He does not oppress.

Here: An old divine title, used about 31 times in Job. It comes first, standing on its own, like a heading: 'Shaddai — as for him…'. It brings in the God of the ancestors, mighty and far above people.

Job 40:2 שַׁדַּ֣י [the] Almighty

“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.”

Here: An ancient divine name. It belongs to the patriarchal era (Genesis 17:1) and is a favourite in Job, where it appears about 31 times. Job has used it again and again of the God who wronged him (6:4; 27:2; 31:35). God now uses Job's own word for him back at Job.

Psalm 68:14 שַׁדַּ֓י [the] Almighty

When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like the snow falling on Zalmon.

Here: The ancient divine name of the patriarchal stories (El Shaddai, Gen 17:1) and of old poetry such as Job and Balaam's oracles. Here it is the subject of the scattering. Using such an old name adds to the archaic, epic tone of the psalm's battle scenes.

Psalm 91:1 שַׁ֝דַּ֗י [the] Almighty

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Here: An old divine name tied to the patriarchs (Genesis 17:1; Exodus 6:3). Its exact derivation is uncertain, and 'Almighty' is the traditional rendering inherited from the Greek and Latin translations. Paired with 'Most High,' it piles up titles of overwhelming divine power.

Isaiah 13:6 מִשַּׁדַּ֥י from [the] Almighty

Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Here: 'From Shaddai': an ancient divine name tied to the patriarchs (Genesis 17:1; Exodus 6:3). Here it chimes with šōd: 'shod from Shaddai'. The devastation comes from the very God whose name sounds like it.

Ezekiel 1:24 שַׁדַּי֙ [the] Almighty

When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.

Here: An ancient name for God, used with the patriarchs and in Job. Ezekiel 10:5 spells out the idea: 'like the voice of El Shaddai when he speaks'. The sound is as overwhelming as God speaking in a storm.

Ezekiel 10:5 שַׁדַּ֖י Almighty

The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.

Here: An ancient divine name linked with the patriarchs (Gen 17:1; Exod 6:3) and used often in Job. Ezekiel uses it only here and in 1:24, both times for the overwhelming sound of God's presence.

Joel 1:15 מִשַׁדַּ֥י from [the] Almighty

Alas for the day! For the Day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Here: 'From Shaddai,' the ancient divine name of the patriarchal stories. It is set beside shod to make a sound-pun, shōd mi-shadday ('devastation from the Devastating One', in effect). The pun says the ruin comes from God himself.