Who is the God of the Jews? Understanding YHWH and Jewish Faith

The question “Who is the God of the Jews?” opens one of the world’s oldest and most influential spiritual traditions. Judaism is built on a unique theological foundation centered on belief in one God—a foundational concept that shaped Western civilization. Understanding the Jewish conception of God requires exploring divine names, theological attributes, covenant, and the spiritual traditions that have sustained Jewish faith for over 3,000 years.

The Primary Divine Names

YHWH: The Most Sacred Name

The four-letter name:

The central name for God in Judaism is YHWH (also written as Yahweh or Jehovah), represented by four Hebrew letters: י-ה-ו-ה (Yod-He-Vav-He).

Why this name is sacred:

  • Represents God’s eternal, self-existent nature
  • Cannot be fully pronounced according to Jewish tradition
  • Too holy to speak aloud except by the High Priest in the Temple
  • Appears nearly 7,000 times in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)
  • Often substituted with “Adonai” (Lord) when reading sacred texts

The meaning: The name is related to the verb “to be” and represents God’s eternal existence and self-revelation. When Moses asks God’s name, God answers: “I AM THAT I AM” — emphasizing God’s absolute being and transcendence.

Other Divine Names

Judaism recognizes that God has multiple names, each revealing different aspects of divine nature:

Adonai (Lord)

  • Emphasizes God’s authority and sovereignty
  • Used in prayer and daily speech
  • Conveys relationship between God and worshiper

Elohim (God)

  • Emphasizes divine power and majesty
  • Can refer to God’s universal authority
  • Used in contexts of judgment and justice

El Shaddai (Almighty God)

  • Conveys divine strength and all-sufficiency
  • Associated with protection and covenant-making
  • Used in times of need and blessing

Adonai Tzva’ot (Lord of Hosts/Armies)

  • Emphasizes God’s cosmic authority and power
  • Suggests command over all creation
  • Used in praise and worship

The Theology of the God of Israel

God as Creator and Sustainer

The foundational belief:

The God of Israel is understood as:

  • The Creator of the universe — bringing all existence into being
  • The Source of all life — responsible for every living thing
  • The Sustainer — continuously maintaining creation’s existence
  • Transcendent — existing beyond and above all creation
  • Immanent — actively present in and caring for creation

This dual nature of God—both transcendent and immanent—is central to Jewish theology and represents a profound balance between God’s otherness and closeness.

Divine Attributes

Judaism describes God’s essential characteristics:

Omnipotence (All-Powerful)

  • God has unlimited power over all creation
  • No force can resist God’s will
  • Capable of miracles and intervention in human history

Omniscience (All-Knowing)

  • God knows all things: past, present, and future
  • No human thought is hidden from God
  • Divine knowledge surpasses human understanding

Omnipresence (Everywhere Present)

  • God’s presence fills all existence
  • No place exists outside God’s awareness
  • Connection to God is always possible

Justice (Tzedakah)

  • God rules with absolute fairness and righteousness
  • Justice is fundamental to divine character
  • God punishes wrongdoing and rewards righteousness

Mercy (Rachamim)

  • God shows compassion and forgiveness to human beings
  • Divine mercy tempers divine justice
  • Humans are invited into relationship through forgiveness

Love (Ahavah)

  • God loves the Jewish people covenantally
  • Divine love seeks human response and relationship
  • Expresses itself in acts of protection and provision

Monotheism: The Uniqueness of Jewish Belief

One God, Indivisible

Judaism’s revolutionary contribution:

In the ancient world surrounded by polytheistic religions, Judaism maintained that only one God exists:

The Shema Yisrael (Hear O Israel): “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

This daily prayer expresses Judaism’s central theological conviction: strict monotheism. There is not:

  • A council of gods
  • A god of the Jews and other gods for other peoples
  • A good god and evil god in opposition
  • Multiple divine beings
  • Gods limited to particular regions or functions

Only one God exists—infinitely powerful, completely unique, utterly transcendent.

Why Monotheism Mattered

This unique belief system had profound implications:

For ancient Israel:

  • Differentiated Jewish faith from all surrounding religions
  • Created basis for ethical monotheism grounded in one God’s justice
  • Unified diverse tribes around shared covenant with one God
  • Provided foundation for moral law given by one divine source

For world history:

  • Influenced the development of Christianity and Islam
  • Shaped Western ethical traditions built on one God
  • Created theological framework for universal ethics
  • Established foundation for human dignity grounded in creation by one God

The Covenant: God’s Special Relationship with the Jewish People

Brit (Covenant)

God’s relationship with Israel is covenant-based:

The Covenant at Sinai:

God offers the Jewish people:

  • Torah (Teaching) — divine law and wisdom
  • Protection and blessing — divine care and providence
  • Special relationship — people of God, treasured possession
  • Mission — to be “light unto nations,” serving as moral witnesses

In return, Israel offers:

  • Obedience to divine commandment
  • Devotion in worship and prayer
  • Ethical living reflecting divine values
  • Witness to God’s reality and justice

This covenant is understood as eternal and unconditional, despite Israel’s failings, because it rests on God’s eternal love, not human merit.

Diverse Jewish Understanding of God

Theological Diversity Within Judaism

While all Jewish traditions affirm monotheism and the covenant, diverse interpretations exist:

Orthodox Judaism:

  • Literal understanding of Torah as divine revelation
  • God’s attributes understood mystically through Kabbalah
  • Strict observance of commandments as expression of covenant
  • Belief in coming Messiah and redemption

Conservative Judaism:

  • Torah as divinely inspired but interpreted through historical context
  • Balance between tradition and modernity
  • Evolution of Jewish understanding over time
  • Flexibility in applying ancient laws to contemporary life

Reform Judaism:

  • Judaism as ethical and spiritual tradition
  • Universal principles more important than ritual law
  • Individual conscience in interpreting tradition
  • Emphasis on social justice as core of covenant

Reconstructionist Judaism:

  • God as process or natural force rather than personal being
  • Jewish civilization and community central to identity
  • Reinterpretation of tradition for contemporary meaning
  • Emphasis on human responsibility in creating meaning

Hasidic Judaism:

  • Mystical encounter with divine presence
  • Joy and ecstasy in worship and spiritual practice
  • All creation suffused with divine presence
  • Personal devotion and spiritual elevation

How Jews Relate to the God of Israel

Prayer and Worship

Worship practices:

  • Three daily prayers — morning (Shacharit), afternoon (Minchah), evening (Maariv)
  • The Siddur (prayer book) — standardized prayers connecting to ancient tradition
  • Blessings (Brachot) — spontaneous expressions of gratitude
  • Meditation and contemplation — seeking connection with divine
  • Study of Torah — encountering divine wisdom

Ethical Living

The covenant expressed through behavior:

  • Mitzvot (Commandments) — 613 obligations in traditional Judaism
  • Social justice — caring for poor, widow, stranger, and oppressed
  • Honest commerce — ethical business practices
  • Peace-making — reconciliation and conflict resolution
  • Repair of the world (Tikkun Olam) — improving creation

Ritual Observance

Holy days and practices:

  • Shabbat — weekly rest day honoring creation
  • Pesach (Passover) — remembering liberation and redemption
  • Shavuot (Pentecost) — celebrating revelation of Torah
  • Sukkot — remembering God’s protection in wilderness
  • High Holy Days — Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur for repentance and renewal

God in Jewish Philosophy

Medieval Jewish Philosophy

Maimonides (Rambam, 1138-1204) synthesized:

  • Aristotelian philosophy with Jewish theology
  • Rational arguments for God’s existence
  • Negative theology — defining God by what God is NOT
  • Thirteen Principles of Faith summarizing Jewish theology

Modern Jewish Theology

Contemporary Jewish thinkers explore:

  • God and suffering — theodicy after the Holocaust
  • God’s relationship to freedom — divine power and human agency
  • God and science — reconciling faith with evolutionary biology
  • God and social change — divine will in justice movements

Conclusion: The God of the Jewish People

The God of the Jews is:

  • YHWH, the Eternal, Self-Existent One
  • Creator and Sustainer of all existence
  • Uniquely powerful, just, merciful, and loving
  • Bound to the Jewish people in eternal covenant
  • Encountered through Torah, prayer, ethical living, and spiritual practice

Judaism’s distinctive contribution to world theology is the absolute oneness of God combined with ethical responsibility. The God of Israel is not a distant, impersonal force, but a God who cares about human conduct, who demands justice, who loves mercy, and who invites humanity into relationship.

This ancient understanding of God has sustained the Jewish people through 3,000 years of history, shaped Christian and Islamic theology, and provided foundations for Western ethics and human rights traditions.

Whether one affirms Jewish faith or simply recognizes its historical importance, understanding the God of the Jews is essential to understanding the spiritual and ethical foundations of Western civilization.