Book II. G 0 D A S T R 0 N G T 0 W E R. 257 . 1. 'jehovah fets our the Eternity and Self-exiftence of God.-'Je notes the Time to come Ho the Time prefent, Vah the Time pall:. It confifts of qtllefcenr Letter,, (or Lette'rs of Rdl) to {hew that there is no Refl till we come to Jebovah, and that there we are fafe and fecure. This Name is opened, Rev. i. 4, 8. iv. 8. xi. I 7· and xvi. 5· 0 w11, o '!~, x.xJ o lPXOf.1.!11o;: Which is, 'which was, and which is to come. It comes of i1101 Havah, He bath been. 2 , Jab is a Diminutive of 'Jeho·vab, and notes th<; fame thi~gs.. 3 • Ehejeh, I am or will be, 01'011~ 11VN 01'01N Ehe;eh Ajher Ehe;eb, I will be what I :»iil be, Exod. iii. 14- This notes the E!Tence of God, and implies his Immutability and Incomprehenfiblcnefs. Chrifl alluded to this Name, 'John viii. 58. Before Abra– ham was I am. With refpett to thefe Names, God may be called a Strong '.Tower, in regard of the Eternity of his Duration, and Infinirenefs of his E!Tence. The Rabbins, and Chaldee Paraphrafe, expound this Text of the Eternity of God. See Ainfworthon the Place. 4 . ·El, a ftrong God. 'Junius and '.Tremellius tranllate it, Deum fortem; Aquila ·~X"P" robuflum, flrong. This notes the Omnipotency of God, &c. Ezek. xxxi. I 1. Gen. xiv. 22. and xxi. 33· See Rivet on Pfal. xix. I. Hence Eli, my God, an Hebrew Word, Matt. xxvii. 46. and Eloi, a Syriac Word, Mark xv. 34· 5 • Eloah is derived of El, flrong or mighty; and by increafe of the Word, the Sig– nification is increafed, moft Mighty, or the Almighty, &c. The Plural Number of it is, 6. Elohim, Almighties, or Almighty Powers, Gen. i. 1. I Chron. xvii. 21. 2 Sam. vii. 2 3 . o•01?N N1:1 Bara Elohim, that is, word for word, Gods created; that is, the Father, Son, and Spirit, created; noting, as fome fay Trinity in Unity*; or (as others fay) the crreat Majefly of God, and the Plurality of his Excellencies. With refpett to the Signification of thefe Names al!o, God may be called a Strong '.(w;er, becaule of his Almighty Power, and infinite Strength, which is a fafe Sanc– tuary for fuch as fly to it. 7· Adonai, t (derived from 11N Eden, Bojls,. Columna, cui aliquid infiflit, a Bafe," Pillar, or Column that hears up or fupports any Thing) fignifies Lo.•d, who as he created all Things, doth alfo fuftain and preferve them. It is given to God in the Old Teftament one hundred and thirry four Times. See Ainfworth on Gen. xv. 2. 8. Sbaddai, Al;nighty,or All-fujficient. Grammarians are not agreed about the Ety– molocry of this Word : Some derive it from 11!11 t Shadad, to carry away by Force, to pr~y, lay wafle, or deflroy.-Many think that God rook this Name from the World's De!lrucrion in the Flood.- The Greeks tranllate it ""'TO'-P"Twp, and the Latins Omni– potens, both which fignify Almighty. O thers fay, that it is a compounded Word of the Verb Dai, which fignifies, It is fuffir,ient, anci the Letter 1V, which fupplies the Place of the Relative A/her, to anfwer the Greek ""T"I""'• Content in himfelf, or felf-fufficient, for in him is all Sufficiency, &c. This Name notes the Power and Sufficiency of God to go through with all Thin"'s, and for walling and deflroying his Enemies. To this the Prophets have reference, f~ying, that 1!11 Shod (Deflrucrion) fhall come from Shaddai (the Almighty) !fa. xiii. 6. Joeli I59· 'Jehovab '.Tfebaoth, Lord of Hofls §. The Rabbins 11 obferve, that he hath two ge– neral Troops, (Copi£ lam inferiores quam fupern£,) the Creatures above, and Creatures beneath, all ready preffed to be employed in his \Vars, either defenfive or offenfive, for the Safeguard of his Favorites, or the DeflruCl:ion of their Oppofites. The Name 'Jchovab implieth, that God had his Being or Exiflence of himfelf be– fore the World began, and that he giveth Being to all Things, that he giveth Beino– to his Word, effecting whatfoever he fpeaketh: I appeared, faith the Lord, to Abra~ ham, Ifaac, and Jacob, by the Name of God Almighty, or All-fujficient; but by my Name Jehovah was I not known to them; as the Greek and Chaldee render it, manifefled not. They believed God was able to perform whatfoever he had faid, but they faw not the Performances ; till when he makes good the Covenant to their Children, he calls him- • Becaufc here is a Noun of the Plural Number, joined with a Verb of the Singular Number. t DominuJ, qui Bafis injlar, fojlentat f.5 regit Domum aut Po/itiam. t 50fod ejl diriptre G' prtedari, item perdere, dejlruere, E.5 vajlare, quaji ~ajlatortm dicaJ, i. e, potentem. f.:1 iuvi8um, cui nemo riftjlere pojJit. ~oltmt nomJUJii Deum hoc Nomen traxiffe a 'Vajlatione Mundi, faEla m Dilu'ViO. Alii '1Uf mmen COIIIJofttum :§t ·volu~t, &c. ' Dominus Exercituum, quod exercitus omne; prD arhitrio juo agit. Tremell. & Ju'"'n. itJ ?fa!. XXIV, ll Yid. Bezam & Pifcacor, hz Rom. ix. z9. · · 3 U felf
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