Series Overview

While theologians love to debate what the “main theme” of the Bible is, I could never narrow it down to just one thing. I think it’s helpful to understand that Scripture puts forward many themes for us to recognize, and one way it does this is through repetition. Specifically, it does it through repeated words.  

The purpose of this series is to present 4 key words (although there are more!) that are repeated throughout both testaments and point us to a key biblical theme. We’ll look at a few important places each word shows up in the text and discuss their implications for us today. Hopefully, you’ll start noticing these words when you read the Bible and they’ll add a richness and depth to your biblical knowledge!

LORD

The first word we are going to look at is Lord. 

Now, before you roll your eyes because I chose the most obvious word imaginable from the Bible, let me remind you that Lord is a specific name for God in the Bible. And it happens to be my favorite name for Him.

I am talking here about “LORD” (all caps)–the word that our English Bibles use when translating the name Yahweh. Yahweh is God’s personal Old Testament name that He used to reveal Himself to Israel ( and it is used over 6,000 times in the Old Testament). In the Old Testament, Yahweh is Israel’s unique God–their sovereign, eternal, self-existing savior and redeemer.

Old Testament Examples

The Old Testament tells us Yahweh’s name and shows us in detail who He is and what He is like. Here are some familiar examples:

“God said to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘ I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” (Ex 3:14-15)

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.” (Deut 6:4)

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Ps 103:8)

“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.’”(Is 44:6)

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.” (Joel 2:32)

New Testament Examples

Then a fascinating thing happens in the New Testament. The name LORD is applied to Jesus. Lord is Kyrios in Greek, used in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible) to translate the Hebrew word Yahweh.

In the New Testament, Jesus is announced as Lord:

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)

Jesus identifies Himself as Lord:

“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.”  (John 13:13)

After His resurrection and ascension, the apostles preached about Jesus as Lord:

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

The New Testament taught the early church that Jesus is Lord:

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:9-11)

And the New Testament writers explained that salvation only comes through this Lord:

“…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom 10:9)

And Jesus will be recognized as the LORD of lords:

“On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’.” (Rev 19:16)

Conclusion

Abner Chou explains, “So, Yahweh is rendered as Lord in the New Testament to ensure that everyone knows that Jesus, who is Lord the Messiah, is Yahweh Himself. That is why He is the true Ruler over all, greater than any human master, and deserving of all our praise and worship.” This pushes our minds to comprehend the incomprehensible Trinity. So, let us just know that our Lord is one and confess that Jesus is Lord. And let us read the word LORD in the Bible with renewed awe and praise. 

Praise the Lord!