El Shaddai, or simply Shaddai, is one of the oldest names for God in the Hebrew Bible.
On God led Abraham to the ancient land of Ham, a pre-flood region I note that El Shaddai is one of the early names for the God of Abraham, and that it appears when the covenants are made with the patriarchs:
Isaac uses the same name when he sends Jacob away to find a wife and blesses him in the name of El Shaddai, as I discuss on Genesis 28 - Sullām, the Heavenly Ladder of Malʾāḵîm of Elohim.
I read this as a sign that the patriarchs originally worshipped El Shaddai rather than Yahweh, and that equating the two was an editorial effort to unify older traditions.
places El Shaddai beside El Elyon and El Olam as the El titles the Hebrew text still carries from before exclusive YHWH worship.
Trinity: El, YHWH, Asherah lists El Shaddai among the El names.
“El Shaddai - an ancient divine name of the patriarchal period, rarely used outside the Pentateuch.
In the video What Happened at Sodom and Gomorrah?, Wallis says that more authoritative lexicons suggest "the powerful one of the mountains" or "the destroyer", and he argues that the second fits El Shaddai's role in the destruction of cities.
also has Wallis's retelling of the battle against the Syrians, where El Shaddai shows he can win on the plains as well as in the mountains.
In Uncovered Beings of The Bible - Documentary Wallis argues that names like Elohim, El Shaddai and Yahweh should be left untranslated, so readers can see how each being behaves in the stories.
For every page I tagged with El Shaddai, see the El Shaddai tag archive.
In the Bible (especially Genesis), El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי) is one of the early names for the God of Abraham.
It appears when God makes covenants with the patriarchs (e.g., Genesis 17:1, where He tells Abram: “I am God Almighty” / El Shaddai).
Translators historically obscured the plural nature of Elohim and terms like El Shaddai, often rendered as “Almighty” but meaning “Lord of the steppe” or “destroyer.” This theological lens distorts the text’s original concrete descriptions.
Words like Elohim, El Shaddai and Yahweh are turned into God, so readers miss how the beings act in the stories.
Wallis says words like Elohim, El Shaddai and Yahweh should be left untranslated, so readers can watch how each being behaves.
The idea that Yahweh was in fact originally a violent colonizer is emphasized by another name that Yahweh identifies with himself, and that's the name El Shaddai.
And for some time, there's been a discussion in academic circles as to what exactly El Shaddai means.
El Shaddai does not mean that, and they suggest it could mean either "God of the mountains" or "God of the plains."
And there's a very interesting moment in which the tribes of Israel are at war with the Syrians, and the Syrians think: "If we can draw them into the plains, we're going to win, because El Shaddai means the powerful one of the mountains, doesn't it?
And when Yahweh El Shaddai hears this, he becomes so furious, and he says, "I'll show them." And what he shows them the next day is a total extermination, proving that he's not the powerful one of the mountains or the plains; he's the powerful one, the destroyer.
We have Yahweh, El Shaddai, Elyon, all the Elohim, the elohim adah—they are stories of paleo-contact, not of "Almighty God," which turns out to be an invented translation altogether.
In Canaanite and Hebrew traditions, the mountain god El Shaddai (often read as “the breasted one”) is rooted in maternal imagery.
I appeared to Abraham… as El Shaddai, but by my name YHWH I did not make myself known’" (6:2-3).
And El Shaddai bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
The Elohist tradition, likely older, would have referred only to Elohim or El Shaddai during this period.
In this passage, Yahweh reveals His name to Moses, stating: "I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai (God Almighty), but by my name Yahweh, I was not known to them."
This suggests that the patriarchs originally worshipped El Shaddai rather than Yahweh.
The identification of Yahweh with El Shaddai likely reflects an editorial effort to unify the traditions.
Paul Wallis recommends the New Jerusalem Bible (Expanded Study Edition) for its transparency in translating the original names of "Lord God" such as Elohim, El Elyon, El Shaddai, Yahweh, and Adonai.
El Shaddai is usually translated as “God Almighty” or “God of the Mountains.” Paul Wallis notes that better lexicons give other meanings, such as “the powerful one of the mountains” or “the destroyer.” More in this video.
“El Shaddai – an ancient divine name of the patriarchal period, rarely used outside the Pentateuch.
He provides a unique perspective, focusing on the role of Yahweh (also referred to as El Shaddai in the text) and suggests that the destruction might have involved advanced technology rather than a mere divine punishment for moral transgressions.
He emphasizes that Yahweh, or El Shaddai, is not seen as the ruler of these people.
Wallis delves into the meaning of the name "El Shaddai," often translated as "the Almighty" in many versions of the Bible.
He notes that more authoritative lexicons and sources suggest alternative translations, such as "the powerful one of the mountains" or "the destroyer." He argues that the latter interpretation makes more sense given El Shaddai's role in the destruction of cities throughout the Hebrew scriptures.
El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי) - God Almighty
Paul notes that the term "El Shaddai," often translated as "the Almighty," is more accurately rendered as "the Powerful One of the Mountain" or "the Destroyer," reflecting the destructive capabilities attributed to this being.
The translation of "El Shaddai" remains uncertain, with some scholars suggesting it may also mean "the Powerful One of the Plains."
Before exclusive YHWH worship dominates, the Hebrew trail still carries El titles: El Shaddai, El Elyon, El Olam.
And El Shaddai against the Syrians:
El Shaddai takes great offence when he hears of the Syrian advisors’ assessment.
El Shaddai was an absolute destroyer on the battlefield.
And that, as it happens, is the other possible meaning of the name El Shaddai.