El ELYON: What Does It Mean?
El Elyon: What does it mean?
This name for God also shows us the character of God. Before we add another name of God, let’s remember the first two.
El means: Strength, Strong God, The one true God, Ruler of all nations, Almighty God, Almighty Creator.
El Shaddai means: The One true Almighty God, The creator with absolute unlimited power, The all sufficient One who sustains and satisfies His children.
El Elyon starts with the word El, so the definition of the first part of His name here is seen above.
The second word, Elyon, means most high, supreme, lofty, elevation.
El Elyon means: God Most High.
The first place in the Word that uses this name of God is in Genesis 14:18.
This chapter in Genesis tells of the time when kings in the area were at war. When they defeated a place, they took all the people and all of their possessions. Abram’s nephew, Lot, was living in Sodom when the city was overrun. Lot, his family, his possessions-as well as those of many other people-were taken. City after city fell at the hands of the kings.
When Abram heard that Lot and his family had been taken, he gathered 318 of his men and went after the marauding kings. Abram led his men to defeat the kings. They rescued not only Lot, but all the other people who had been taken captive.
The rescued kings of the cities were grateful to Abram. The king of Salem (eventually called Jerusalem) was Melchizedek. And this is where we see the name El Elyon for the first time. But we don’t see it just once, the name El Elyon (God Most High) appears three times in three verses.
“And Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies in to your hand.’ And he gave him a tenth of all.” Genesis 14:18-20.
This is fascinating, Melchizedek is described as a priest of God Most High-long before God instituted the priesthood in the days of Moses. And he recognized Abram as a fellow believer in God Most High.
After Melchizedek mentions the name God Most High, notice how he describes God: possessor of heaven and earth. What a beautiful description of God. El Elyon is the creator, the owner, and possessor of all of heaven and all of earth, and all that exists.
Some of the kings wanted Abram to take material possessions to thank him. But he would not. Abram understood El Elyon too. He said,
“And Abram said to the king of Sodom, ‘I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich.’”
God is still El Elyon, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth.
Carla Killough McClafferty