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The Etymology of El Shaddai
(Talk delivered by Most Rev. Jose S.
Sorra, DD, MA, Bishop of Legazpi on the occasion of the El Shaddai DWXI-PPFI Mass and Healing Rally held in Ligao, Albay,
on July 30, 1993.)
It was sometime in 1990 that I became quite curious about El Shaddai DWXI-PPFI and its increasing popularity among
the young and the elderly, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. So I made a little study on the origin of the word “El
Shaddai.” I found out that “El” is a Semitic term for “God” and “Shaddai”
is traditionally translated as “Almighty.” “El Shadday” is the original Hebrew spelling
of “El Shaddai.” The Latin text uses “i” for “y.”
“Shaddai” seems to be an abbreviated form of “Asher Day,” meaning the
“One Who is Enough.” However, there are other possible word origins. In Arabic, for instance, we have “Shadid”
meaning “strong” and “Sayyid” meaning “Lord.” On the other hand,
in Hebrew,
we have “Shadah” and “Shad,” which means “maternal breast,”
redolent of the Akkadian “Shadu,” the “God of Abundance.” Besides this, “Shadu”
can also mean “mountain,” which is a symbol of power and stability.
At the same time, it is reminiscent of the maternal breast because of its form, which is mainly a place of refuge,
spiritual retreat and worship, not to mention that it is where one can get food supplies.
What is common in all these terms
or possible etymologies are the idea of “Lord” Who has “extraordinary power” that always gives “protection;”
the “Lord” Whose infinite “goodness” shares “life” and “fruitfulness” in abundance.
Therefore, this infinitely “Good” and “Almighty Lord,” Who guarantees fruitful life and protection,
challenges man to believe and trust in Him.
The Covenant between God and Abram and between God and Jacob
In Genesis 17:2 (Jerusalem Bible Version), God introduced Himself to Abram thus: “...I am El Shaddai. Bear
yourself blameless in My presence, and I will make a Covenant between Myself and you, and increase your numbers greatly.”
God also introduced Himself to Jacob (Genesis 35:11-13, Jerusalem Bible Version) in the same manner: “...I am
El Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed a group of nations shall descend from you. Even kings shall be numbered
among your descendants. I give you this land, the land I gave to Abraham and to Isaac; and I will give this land to your descendants
after you...”
El Shaddai, had promised to both Abram and Jacob countless children. He gave them an assembly of nations for their
posterity as well as vast properties of land, on one important condition: that they walk in His presence and be blameless.
It is worth noting that, on the same occasion, the Lord changed the name of Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel. Why? Because,
from that time on, Abram and Jacob became special possessions of El Shaddai.
If we are truly followers of El
Shaddai and firmly believe that He became Man and lived among us to die for us in order to give us life, then we should all
commit ourselves and be faithful to our Covenant with Him, the Powerful and Abundant One, Who has everything for our life
and security. Therefore, in Him we trust, for Him we live, and with Him, we have the power to confront, persuade and change
this materialistic and hedonistic world to the righteous ways and values of El Shaddai.
This revelation of El Shaddai reminds
us of the story of Creation—when God first created the fish, the birds, the plants and everything that man would need.
Then God put man in the Garden of Paradise (abundance) and gave him a woman for his wife. Then God commanded man to “...Be
fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it...” (Genesis 1:28).
This command of the Lord to our first “father” and “mother” makes us also aware
of our own calling and commitment to El Shaddai. He wants us to walk in His presence and be blameless, to live and to let
live, and to be fertile and fruitful. He also wants us to share love and life in a world that is so selfish, afraid to face
life, and decrees death to millions of innocents who are being deprived of El Shaddai’s gift of life.
The Spirit of Our Celebration
We owe our faith to El Shaddai, and we are witnessing these days an abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit to men and
women. We are also looking forward to the time when He will fill the whole earth.
In the Book of Numbers, we read the story of how God took some of the Spirit that he had given to Moses and
bestowed it on the chosen seventy elders, who thereupon became men of God or prophets. When a young man protested to Moses
and asked him to stop them from prophesying, Moses exclaimed a wish: “...Would that the Lord might bestow His
Spirit on them all!” (Numbers 11:29).
About nine hundred years later,
in the Book of Joel, the wish of Moses became a prophecy when the Lord, El Shaddai spoke: “Then afterward I will
pour out My Spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men
shall see visions; even upon the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out My Spirit” (Joel 3:1-2).
Four hundred years later, the Spirit came to dwell in a virgin (Luke 1:35) who became the mother of the Word-made-flesh,
Who on the Cross gave the same Spirit to all that He loved and died for. By His grace we are among these people He loves.
That is the very reason why we all joyfully celebrate El Shaddai’s love for all of us.
The Catholic Charismatic and the New Evangelization I would like to assure all of you that this phenomenon
of Catholic Charismatic is a work of the Holy Spirit, Who has always been active in the history of His people. In our present
time, the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, calls it the new evangelization.
Evangelization is not the work of the clergy
and the religious alone, for it does not only mean preaching by word of mouth, but also by joyful living out of the Word of
God in our daily faith-life, in such a way that it radiates to others, inviting them to be one with the Lord in Whom we are
one. Thus, St. John wrote: “What we have seen and heard (what we have experienced concretely with the
Lord) we announce to you also, so that you will join with us in the fellowship that we have with the Father and with
His Son Jesus Christ. We write this in order that our joy may be complete” (1 John 1:3-4).
For so long a time now, we have thought of evangelization as an act of preaching and teaching the message
by word of mouth or by pen. Consequently, volumes upon volumes of books have been written, but they have all ended up shelved
in libraries that are now museums. Many talks and lectures have been given, but did not echo in the hearts of listeners. Many
churches, especially in Europe, have become lonesome monuments of empty religious or pious desires.
On the other hand, the rise of the Catholic
Charismatic is a saving phenomenon that is now breathing new life into the desert of dry bones, as the Prophet Ezekiel had
seen in his vision (Ezekiel 37:1-10). Evangelization is celebration. The Good News is that the Lord, our “El Shaddai,”
is personally present with us. Hence, we joyfully celebrate His presence.
Our Catholic Church, through the Charismatic,
announces the New Creation amidst the chaos of our time. However, there is a place in this chaos that is shielded by a firmament
against the waters above and stands stronger than the mountains on pillars against the waters below, and this space is the
dwelling place of El Shaddai!
Let’s Renew Our Covenant with El Shaddai
When the Lord God revealed Himself to Abraham and Israel as El Shaddai, He promised to give them land and prosperity.
These are images or symbols of life and immortality, and of security and expansion unto Eternity. These are gifts of the Spirit
of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who died and rose from the dead for us, to assure us that our lasting city is not in this time but
in Eternity.
Today, the Lord God reveals Himself to us as El Shaddai to reassure us of the fullness of life with Him beyond the
reach of death on earth. On our part, let us renew our faith. As the people of Israel shouted, “We will do whatever
the Lord God says,” so let us all do whatever He commands us. Praise the Lord El Shaddai!
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