Hebrew Names of God

Introduction

This page surveys the Hebrew Names and Titles for God the Holy Spirit, Ruach Hako’desh, as found in the Brit Chadashah. They are listed in alphabetical order, with the Hebrew spelling, common transliteration, and English phonetics following. For each Name, I include some Scriptural references.

Comforter

Haggo’el

Ha-Melitz

(ham-me-LEETS) Comforter; Helper (John 14:26; 15:26).

Eternal Spirit

Haggo’el

Ruach Olam

(ROO-akh oh-LAHM) Eternal Spirit (Heb. 9:14).

Holy Spirit

Haggo’el

Ruach Ha-Kodesh

(ROO-akh hak-KOH-desh) Holy Spirit; the Holy Ghost (Luke 3:16; 11:13; Eph. 1:13; 4:30; 1 Thess. 4:8; Titus 3:5; 1 Cor. 6:9; Jude 1:20). Occurs more than 90 times in the Brit Chadashah. Note that kodesh is an adjective meaning holy that agrees with the noun it modifies. The accent is milel – on the first syllable after the article (as opposed to milra – accent on penultimate syllable).

Note: HaKadosh is a substantive that means “The Holy One” (as in Ha-Kadosh baruch hu, “the Holy One, blessed be He”). The accent falls at the end: ha-ka-DOSH. Ruach HaKadosh would mean “the spirit of the holy one” (as in a saint).  It is NOT used for the Holy Spirit… Ruach HaKo’desh means “the holy Spirit,” just like har ha-ko’desh means “the holy mountain,” admat ha-ko’desh means “the holy land,” ir ha-ko’desh means “the holy city,” and so on.

Holy Spirit of Promise

Haggo’el

Ruach HaKodesh ka’sher dibber

(ROO-akh hak-KOH-desh ka-a-SHER deeb-BEIR) Holy Spirit Of Promise (Eph. 1:13).

Spirit of Adonai

Haggo’el

Ruach Adonai

(ROO-akh ah-do-NIGH) Spirit of Adonai (Acts 5:9).

Spirit of God

Haggo’el

Ruach Elohim

(ROO-akh e-lo-HEEM) Spirit of God (Matt. 3:16; 12:28; Rom. 8:9, 14; 15:19; 1 Co. 2:11, 14; 3:16; 7:40; 12:3; Eph. 4:30; 1 Jn. 4:2).

Spirit of Revelation

Haggo’el

Ruach he-Chazon

(ROO-akh he-khah-ZOHN) Spirit of Revelation (Eph. 1:17).

Spirit of the Living God

Haggo’el

Ruach Elohim Chayim

(ROO-akh e-lo-HEEM KHAI-yeem) Spirit of the Living God (2 Cor. 3:3).

Spirit of the LORD God

Haggo’el

Ruach Adonai YHVH

(ROO-akh a-do-NIGH a-do-NIGH) Spirit of the LORD God (Luke 4:18; cp. Isa. 61:1).

Spirit of the Messiah

Spirit of God

Ruach Ha-Mashiach

(ROO-akh ham-mah-SHEE-akh) Spirit of the Messiah (Rom. 8:9).

Spirit of the Truth

Haggo’el

Ruach HaEmet

(ROO-akh ha-E-met) Spirit of Truth (John 15:26).

Spirit of Wisdom

Haggo’el

Ruach Ha-Chokhmah

(ROO-akh ha-khokh-MAH) Spirit of Wisdom  (Eph. 1:17).

Spirit of Yeshua

Haggo’el

Ruach Yeshua

(ROO-akh ye-SHOO-ah) Spirit of Yeshua/Jesus (Acts 16:7).

Spirit of Yeshua our Messiah

Haggo’el

Ruach Yeshua Meshicheinu

(ROO-akh ye-SHOO-ah me-shee-KHAY-noo) Spirit of Yeshua our Messiah (Phil. 1:19).

Spirit of YHVH

Haggo’el

Ruach Adonai

(ROO-akh ah-do-NIGH) Spirit of Adonai; breath of the LORD (Acts 5:9).

The Spirit

Haggo’el

Ha-Ruach

(ha-ROO-akh) The Spirit (Acts 2:4; Rom. 8:1; 1 Cor. 2:4, 10; 1 Cor. 2:11-12; 2 Cor. 1:22; 3:6; Gal. 3:2); wind; breath, soul, etc.

A Note about the Hebrew and Greek Texts for the Holy Spirit’s Names

The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, of course, and that’s the starting point for serious exegesis of its writings. The Hebrew names derived here come from the Salkinson-Ginsburg Hebrew New Testament (1999 edition) which I compared to F. Delitzsch’s older Hebrew translation of the Brit Chadashah as well as with the Robinson-Pierpont Majority Text (1995), the Westcott and Hort NT, and the Friberg NT (UBS3/4).  I also cross-checked against the LXX and various Jewish sources. 

Visual Verse of the Day

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corin 4:8-9"