El Elyon

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God and Abraham

God revealed Himself a small bit at a time to His people. Perhaps He did not want to overpower them with the totality of Himself, but wanted to let them get to know His character in steps that they could understand and learn to honor. He wanted to set Himself apart from the pagan gods that were continually drawing them away. He wanted them to respect and trust Him for who He was and what He was capable of doing in their behalf.

Synopsis of Genesis Chapters 12 and 13

At some time in their relationship, we learn that God had called Abram (later known as Abraham) to leave his home and his family. His father, Terah, had died in the country of Haran. God wanted Abram to leave the influences and distractions of his community, a people who were constantly dancing with false gods. At 75 years of age, this had to be a difficult step for Abram, leaving the places, things, and people he had known for his whole life.

Just a note: Abram’s nephew, Lot, accompanied Abram in his journey. Lot was Abram’s nephew, son of his brother, Haran, who had died in Ur where Abram’s family had originally lived. According to some historians, Abram was quite fond of Lot and adopted him after Haran died.

When they reached the land where they were to settle, Abram and Lot were both very wealthy men with herds and flocks and a multitude of herdsmen and other servants accompanying them. But their herdsmen fought with each other, vying for the best places to for the cattle to graze, which caused Abram to offer a

Lot is taken captive

After defeating the plains kings, the Assyrians took spoils from those cities. They took both captives and goods, also forcing the entire the household of Lot to go with them. When word of this travesty was brought to Abram, he gathered together over 300 trained men of his own household. They went after the raiding party, overtook them and defeated them.

The first mention of El Elyon

As Abram returned with all of the stolen goods and captives, he was met by the kings of the plains cities, one of them being Melchizedek, king of Salem. Melchizedek was described as the ‘priest of ‘God Most High,’ and he blessed Abram in the name of El Elyon.

So, as Abram returned all of the goods and people to their homes, he learned of a new title for God: God Most High, or El Elyon. This was only the first of several more titles that would be revealed to him over the following years.

Who was Melchizedek?

Melchizedek was a bit of a mystery. Abram tithed to him, indicating that Melchizadek was of a priesthood, but this was long before God established the Levitical priesthood and the laws of the tithe. Melchizedek was not a Hebrew and there was no other known important information about him: where he came from or who his people were. He is mentioned two other times in the Bible, once in the Old Testament and once in the New.

Melchizedek was symbolically raised to a high spiritual level, even likening him to the Son of God. In a culture where genealogies were followed faithfully, the death of Melchizedek should have been news of some import, especially since Abram honored him so highly, but there is no such report, only that he was there, at that moment, to reveal the name El Elyon, and to receive the homage of Abram.

What does El Elyon mean?

Throughout the Old Testament, El Elyon is mentioned over 200 times. This occurrence in Genesis 14 is only the first time that it appears. This powerful Hebrew name, El Elyon, literally means ‘Most High God.’ It highlights God’s supreme authority and majesty, and His position as the highest and most powerful being, above all kings and authorities. It signifies that God is the ultimate creator and possessor of heaven and earth. The name El Elyon reflects His unmatched power, His mercy, and His sovereignty over all creation and events.

‘El’ is actually a shortened form of Elohim, meaning ‘God’ or ‘Strong one.’ It also points to God as the creator and ultimate owner of heaven and earth. The name highlights God’s absolute sovereignty and preeminence above all other gods and powers. 

‘Elyon’ means ‘most high’ or ‘supreme.’ The Hebrew name, El Elyon, never actually appears as such in the King James Bible. Usually it appears as the words ‘most high’ or simply ‘most’ with another descriptive word, such as ‘most blessed.’ Whenever both ‘most’ and ‘high’ appear together, to mean Elyon, both words have the identical meaning in the Hebrew. Elyon simply means ‘Most High’ or ‘the One who dwells on the heights.’

El Elyon, the redeemer

Although God is spoken of as Redeemer in other places in the Bible, it is in Psalm 78:35 that El Elyon is specifically paired with Redeemer.

This highlights God’s role in delivering His people, which Melchizedek first introduced when he said,

And blessed be the most high God [El Elyon], which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. Genesis 14:20

In addition, the first ten verses of Psalm 91 specifically ascribe protection to El Elyon. (See side notes)

David seeks refuge with El Elyon

While Saul was still king, he sought to kill David. David fled in terror. Thinking to escape to the land of the Philistines, he ran to the city of Gath, one of the five great cities of Philistia, but it looked like David had fled the frying pan, only to land in the fire. The king of Gath considered him to be a threat to the land and would have killed him had David not pretended to be a lunatic in order to escape (see these events in 1 Samuel 21).

After he escaped from the king of Gath, David fled to a cave where he continued to hide from Saul. There, he wrote Psalm 57, a psalm of the refuge that he took with El Elyon.

,Jesus, the manifestation of El Elyon

Jesus walked in the authority and majesty of the Most High God. Even if the people did not recognize Him, the demons did. In Mark 5:7 and Luke 8:28, the demons and possessed individuals recognized Jesus as the ‘Son of the Most High God’ (El Elyon), acknowledging His authority over them.

In the book of Acts 16:17, a woman proclaimed Paul and his companions as ‘servants of the Most High God’ (El Elyon).

Although the New Testament is written in Greek and the specific name, El Elyon, does not appear there, these were still Hebrew people who, most likely, spoke the Hebrew language and would have referred to God in the Old Testament ways.

Jesus in the book of Hebrews

In the Gospels, we see the physical Jesus and the mighty works that He did. But listen to the beautiful, poetic words that the writer of Hebrews says about what He did:

Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high … Hebrews 1:3

Jesus as Jehovah Elyon was supreme yet sacrificial; omnipotent yet compassionate.*

These lovely verses were unpacked beautifully by Rev. Thomas Nunes (see the Side Notes).

How does Jehovah Elyon impact us personally?

In the midst of disappointments and difficulties, there is one person that is always there for you. Trusting in El Elyon brings peace and security, shifting focus from your worldly problems to His divine sovereignty. You have this ability within you to trust Him, but like any other skill or talent, it becomes stronger and more honed the more you exercise it.

Unfortunately, this means walking through the highs and lows of life, as we all must do. Fortunately, when you walk through the deserts and the valleys of life, if you turn your eyes to El Elyon, somehow you are able to survive and become more intimate and stronger in your walk with Him. 

When you realize that He is the ultimate authority above all challenges, fulfilling His purposes even in chaos, then you begin to see your situation through His eyes. It may not seem to improve in the natural realm, but He gives you the strength and the patience to let Him work in His way.

When you have this understanding of El Elyon, it motivates surrender, reliance on His strength, and living in awe of His unmatched power, knowing He’s always in control.