What does it mean that God is El Shaddai?

from the old testament

• “El” is a generic Hebrew name for “god” and can refer to both pagan gods (Exodus 12:12) and the true God (Genesis 14:18–20). “Shaddai” reflects an attribute of the true God. However, the exact meaning is debated among scholars.
• Most translations render the name as “almighty,” such as “God Almighty.” This shows the influence of Jerome, who translated it as omnipotens (“all-powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. Some Greek translations also used a word indicating power. However, a survey of how El Shaddai is used indicates that it means more than simply “God is all-powerful” (“almighty”).
• The first use is in Genesis 17:1–2 where God said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Notice that directly after referring to Himself as Shaddai, God exhorted Abraham to walk blamelessly. Based on proximity, there appears to be a connection between Shaddai, righteousness, and His authority to demand obedience. He also said that, as Shaddai, He was making a covenant with Abraham, promising him descendants. Finally, as we read the passage further, we see specifically that God intended to give Abraham a son through his wife, despite both of them being far beyond childbearing age (Genesis 17:15–21). Taken together, these indicate that El Shaddai is a God of power, faithfulness, and righteousness.
• Later in life, Abraham’s son, Isaac, blessed his own son, Jacob, saying, “God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples” (Genesis 28:3). Here, Shaddai appears in connection with faithfulness in continuing His promise to Abraham through Jacob’s descendants. This again shows El Shaddai as a God of faithfulness and provision, accomplishing His will through three successive generations of the Patriarchs (cf. Genesis 35:11).
• Jacob would also appeal to El Shaddai when sending his sons back to Egypt, trusting in God’s protection. He said, “May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved” (Genesis 43:14). Again, El Shaddai is used in the context of protection and even provision in the form of mercy.
• Besides Genesis, the other book that frequently uses the name is Job. (It also appears once in Exodus to connect it with God’s personal name of Yahweh; Exodus 6:3). It is used to refer to God’s discipline, such as in Job 5:17, which reads, “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.” It also speaks of His power in ensuring that justice and righteousness are accomplished (see Job 37:23). Therefore, El Shaddai refers to God’s authority over life, suffering, and justice.
• Put all together, El Shaddai appears to refer to God’s sovereign authority and power to accomplish all that He desires, as well as His faithfulness to do all He has promised.

from the new testament

• God being El Shaddai is found in the Old Testament.

implications for today

God is not sovereign in the sense that He manages the world like He’s herding cats. He is sovereign in that He ordains all things, accomplishing His good will (Psalm 115:3; Isaiah 46:10). Being El Shaddai reveals that God has the ability and authority to accomplish His plans.

Even today, the God who promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations continues to work out that promise. In His Son Jesus, God opened the way for anyone to be saved by faith. Abraham believed God’s promises despite them seeming impossible. Christians today follow in Abraham’s footsteps by believing in God’s promise to save us through Jesus.

Sometimes we speak of salvation as something that has already happened. In one sense, that is true. When we repent of our sin, it is through our faith in Jesus that God calls us saved. However, we are now called "saved" based on God’s sure promise to save us from His future wrath. Scripture refers to God’s future judgment as the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:31). Referring to that day, Paul said, “having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him” (Romans 5:9, NASB). On the day of the Lord, God will pour out His wrath against sinful humankind. At that point, God will pass over everyone who has trusted in Jesus based on Jesus’ sacrificial death for them.

So, just as Abraham believed God’s promise and it was counted as righteousness, we must also believe God’s promise of salvation through Christ. We can confidently believe that because He is El Shaddai, the God who not only makes promises but keeps them!