September 18, 2016 | Leave a comment The word Shaddai, which occurs along with El, is also used independently as a name of God,chiefly in the Book of Job. It is commonly rendered “the Almighty” (in the LXX., sometimes ???????????). The Hebrew root “shadad,” from which it has been supposed to be derived, means, however, “to overpower,” “to treat with violence,” “to lay waste.” This would give Shaddai the meaning “devastator,” or “destroyer,” which can hardly be right. It is possible, however, that the original significance was that of “overmastering” or “overpowering strength,” and that this meaning persists in the divine name. Another interesting suggestion is that it may be connected with the Assyrian “shadu” (mountain), an epithet sometimes attached to the names of Assyrian deities. It is conjectured also that the pointing of may be due to an improbable rabbinical explanation of the word as (“He who is sufficient”), and that the word originally may have been without the doubling of the middle letter. According to Ex. vi. 2, 3, this is the name by which God was known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.