Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

LORD

(DIVINE TITLE)

“Lord” as a title for God is analogous to its use for human rulers; it connotes superiority and authority. In the OT its counterpoint is theophoric names containing the word “servant” (e.g., Obadiah, “servant of Yahweh”). The formulation ʾăḏōnāy (“my God”) refers only to Yahweh and eventually was pronounced in place of the divine name itself.

In the LXX Gk. kýrios translates both ʾāḏôn and YHWH (the latter practice parallels the substitution of ʾăḏōnāy). The use of kýrios for God continues in the NT.

Gk. kýrios is a frequent title for Jesus in the NT. During his earthly ministry, it functions as a title of respect, corresponding to Aram. mārî (“my Lord”), which was used of rabbis in some early Jewish literature and was roughly equivalent to “Sir.” Immediately after the Resurrection, however, it began to connote divinity (John 20:28). Lord as a divine title for Jesus can be found as early as the pre-Pauline hymn of Phil. 2:6-11; in light of the substitution of Lord for Yahweh in the OT and the allusion to Isa. 45:23 in Phil. 2:10, Jewish Christians certainly would have equated Jesus with Yahweh. Other OT texts and concepts referring to Yahweh are also related to Jesus in the NT. For example, he is called “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 17:14; 19:16; cf. Deut. 10:17; Ps. 136:3; Dan. 2:47), and the “day of the Lord” is used of Jesus’ return (2 Pet. 3:9-10; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:14-18). Jesus is also the Lord of creation (Heb. 1:10-12; Ps. 102:25-27[MT 26-28]). In light of such texts, the credal formula “Jesus (Christ) is Lord” (1 Cor. 13:3; Phil. 2:11; cf. Rom. 10:9) is an assertion of his divinity.

John L. McLaughlin

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

LORD

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)