The Proper Name of the CREATOR

                                                            Part 5: The Term “Father” Used of the CREATOR in the Old Testament

                                                                                                     By Ken Burns

The English word “father” occurs one or more times in 541 verses in the King James Version of the Old Testament according to the Blue Letter Bible which is now available on the Internet (http://www.blueletterbible.org). Of those occurrences, “father” is used in reference to the CREATOR of the heavens and the earth in 14 verses. In two additional verses, Yahweh’s mercy toward those that revere Him and His correction of those whom He loves are compared to how a loving earthly father treats his son.

The first use of the term “father” in reference to the CREATOR is found in Deuteronomy, and this is the only occurrence of the term in the first five books of the Bible.

Deut. 32:6:
Do ye thus requite the LORD [YHWH, Yahweh], O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?

The next four occurrences of the term “father” all speak of the CREATOR’s being a father to King David’s son, Solomon.

2 Sam. 7:14:
I [Yahweh of hosts--verse 8] will be his [David’s seed’s--verse 12--i.e., Solomon’s] father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

1 Chron. 17:13:
I [Yahweh of hosts--verse 7] will be his [David’s seed’s--verse 11--i.e., Solomon’s] father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee:

1 Chron. 22:10:
He [Solomon (verse 9)] shall build an house for my [Yahweh’s--verse 8] name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.

1 Chron. 28:6:
And he [Yahweh-verse 5] said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him [to be] my son, and I will be his father.

And here are eight other verses in which the CREATOR is referred to as “father” in some manner.

Ps. 68:5:
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, [is] God in his holy habitation.

Ps. 89:26:
He [David-verse 20] shall cry unto me [Yahweh-verse 18], Thou [art] my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

Isa. 63:16:
Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD [Yahweh], art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

Isa. 64:8:
But now, O LORD [YHWH, Yahweh], thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Jer. 3:4:
Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me [Yahweh-verse 1], My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

Jer. 31:9:
They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I [Yahweh-verse 7] lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Mal. 1:6:
A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD [YHWH, Yahweh] of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

Mal. 2:10:
Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

Isaiah 9:6 contains a very interesting occurrence of the word "father" where it is capitalized and used as a part of a name.

Isa. 9:6:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God [el gibbor], The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Finally, here are two verses in which Yahweh’s mercy and correction are compared to how a loving earthly father treats his son.

Ps. 103:13:
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD [YHWH, Yahweh] pitieth them that fear him.

Prov. 3:12:
For whom the LORD [YHWH, Yahweh] loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

In GOD's love,

Ken Burns

 

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