There are many names for God in the Old Testament, but the most common are: YHWH (pronounced as "Yahweh" and therefore generally written as such in English), the name used exclusively by the anonymous source now known as the Yahwist, but also extensively by other biblical authors; Elohim, the plural form of
El ("god"
) but regarded as the name for God when used in a singular context or with a singular verb; El Shaddai, which means 'God Almighty' and was frequently used by the anonymous source now known as the Priestly Source.
El was the Canaanite father of the gods, while Yahweh was the national God of Israel and Judah, just as each other nation had its own national god. In time, each nation seems to have regarded El and its national god as synonymous. Keel and Uehlinger (
Gods, Goddesses and Images of God in Ancient Israel) say that El and Yahweh were most probably no longer regarded as two separate deities in Judah and Jerusalem during the late monarchy. Instead, Yahweh was known there also as El and in this respect, he was worshipped in his capacity as the creator god.