GOD: A NAME OF IDOLS!

Throughout history, many spirits have been worshiped and called upon as “gods.” The world is filled with idols masquerading as divine beings. Sha’ul (Paul) recognized this truth when he wrote:

“For even if there are so-called ‘gods,’ whether in heaven or on earth — and indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’ — yet for us there is one Elohim, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we exist; and one Adon, Y’hoshua the Messiah, through whom were all things and through whom we exist.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:5–6 (CJB)

The Scriptures are clear: many false deities exist, but there is only one true Elohim — Y’hovah, and one Redeemer, Y’hoshua HaMashiach. Yet over the centuries, humanity has polluted His worship with the names of pagan idols.

The Many Names of Evil Spirits

Evil spirits often take on many names to deceive and draw worship away from Y’hovah. Ancient texts such as the Testament of Shelomoh (Solomon) describe demons who boast of “myriad names and many shapes.” This truth aligns with Scripture’s warning not to speak or honor the names of false deities:

“Be careful to do everything I have said to you; do not invoke the names of other gods or let them be heard on your lips.”
— Shemot [Exodus] 23:13 (TS2009)

“If we have forgotten the Name of our Elohim or stretched out our hands to a strange deity, would not Elohim search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.”
— Tehillim [Psalm] 44:20–21 (TS2009)

“I am Y’hovah, that is My Name; I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols.”
— Yeshayahu [Isaiah] 42:8 (CJB)

Y’hovah is jealous for His Name — He will not share His glory with another. The very command to avoid even mentioning the names of other deities reveals how sacred the Name of Y’hovah truly is.

The Idol Behind the Word “God”

Many are unaware that the word “God” itself comes from pagan origins. The English “God” traces back through the Germanic and Teutonic tongues to the name of a Canaanite and Babylonian deity called Gad (גד) — meaning “Fortune” or “Troop.”

“But you are those who forsake Y’hovah, who forget My set-apart mountain, who prepare a table for Gad, and who fill a drink offering for Meni.”
— Yeshayahu [Isaiah] 65:11 (TS2009)

Here the word “Gad” (pronounced gawd or god) refers to a false deity of fortune. The Israelites, forgetting Y’hovah, began preparing offerings for Gad, turning their devotion toward a pagan spirit of prosperity.

Strong’s Hebrew Concordance confirms this:

• H1408 – Gad (גּד): “Fortune, a Babylonian deity.”
• H1409 – Gawd: “Fortune, troop — a god of luck among the Canaanites and Babylonians.”

This same name appears in Baal-Gad — “Lord of Fortune” — mentioned in the Book of Yehoshua [Joshua]:

“...from Ba‘al-Gad under Mount Hermon to the entrance of Ḥamat.”
— Yehoshua [Joshua] 13:5 (TS2009)

Y’hovah commanded Yisra’el not even to mention the names of such deities:

“Do not mention the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. But cling to Y’hovah your Elohim.”
— Yehoshua [Joshua] 23:7–8 (CJB)

Yet through language evolution, this forbidden name was carried into modern English, replacing the sacred Hebrew titles of Y’hovah and Elohim.

The Germanic and Teutonic Connection

When the northern European tribes converted to Christianity, they brought their own pagan terminology with them. The Encyclopedia Americana (1945 edition) records:

“GOD (god): Common Teutonic word for personal object of religious worship, formerly applied to superhuman beings of heathen myth; upon conversion of Teutonic races to Christianity, the term was applied to the Supreme Being.”

Thus, the very word “God” once referred to heathen deities and was later reassigned to the Elohim of Yisra’el — a direct violation of Y’hovah’s command not to give His glory to another.

The Institute for Scripture Research also confirms this link, noting:

“Apart from Gad, the son of Ya’aqov, there was another Gad. The astrologers of Babel called Jupiter by this name. He was also well known among the Kena’anites (Canaanites), often coupled with Ba’al as Ba’al-Gad. This same name appears in ancient Germanic as Gott, Goda, Gode, Gud, or Gade.”

Whether Gad, Gott, or God, the root is the same — the name of a pagan deity associated with fortune, power, and false worship.

The Scriptural Command to Separate

The Torah and the Prophets clearly forbid adopting the names or ways of the nations:

“Be very strong to guard and to do all that is written in the Book of the Torah of Moshe, so as not to turn aside from it to the right or the left, so as not to go among these nations... nor make mention of the names of their gods.”
— Yehoshua [Joshua] 23:6–7 (TS2009)

“The sorrows of those who run after another shall be increased; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, nor take up their names on my lips.”
— Tehillim [Psalm] 16:4 (TS2009)

These verses make it unmistakable: the names of false gods are not to be spoken or used in worship. Yet, in ignorance, many continue to refer to the Creator with a name once belonging to a Canaanite idol.

Restoring the Name of Y’hovah

To use the Name of Y’hovah is not legalism — it is love and reverence. It is about honoring the covenant relationship we have with the Creator of heaven and earth. He gave us His Name so that we might know Him personally.

“Then those who feared Y’hovah spoke with one another, and Y’hovah listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written before Him concerning those who feared Y’hovah and esteemed His Name.”
— Mal’akhi [Malachi] 3:16 (TS2009)

When we call upon the Name of Y’hovah, we declare our loyalty to Him alone. When we replace His Name with that of a pagan deity, even unknowingly, we dishonor the covenant of His holiness.

Now is the time for His people to return to the purity of worship — to separate from the language of idols and restore the Name that is above every name.

“For all peoples will walk, each in the name of his mighty one, but we will walk in the Name of Y’hovah our Elohim forever and ever.”
— Mikhah [Micah] 4:5 (TS2009)

Let the Name of Y’hovah be restored to the lips and hearts of His people once again.

Conclusion: Guard His Name

Words matter. Names matter. Y’hovah’s Name is His identity, His covenant mark, and the seal upon His people. We must not profane it by mixing it with the names of idols.

The English word “God” originates from Gad, the Babylonian deity of fortune. To call Y’hovah by that name is to mix the holy with the profane. As Torah commands, we must separate truth from error and return to the Name revealed from the beginning — Y’hovah, the Elohim of Avraham, Yitz’chak, and Ya’akov.

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the Name of Y’hovah shall be saved.”
— Yo’el [Joel] 2:32 (TS2009)

By Rabbi Francisco Arbas
📧 franciscoarbas.yisrael@gmail.com
Following His ‘WAY’ — Netzari Mashiach Judaism

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