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Lord of Hosts
Excerpt from the Lexham Bible Dictionary, the most advanced Bible dictionary.
A phrase describing Yahweh’s role as the Lord of the heavenly armies, the commander of the cosmic forces, the head of the divine council, and the leader of Israel’s army (Wildberger, Isaiah, 29–30; Zobel, “Tseva’oth,” 220).
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The Lexham Bible Dictionary
Lord of Hosts
Lord of Hosts (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת‎, yhwh tseva'oth). A phrase describing Yahweh’s role as the Lord of the heavenly armies, the commander of the cosmic forces, the head of the divine council, and the leader of Israel’s army (Wildberger, Isaiah, 29–30; Zobel, “Tseva’oth,” 220).
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
Hosts, Lord of
HOSTS, LORD OF. One of the most enigmatic divine names in the Hebrew Bible is yhwh ṣĕbāʾôt (here = YHWH Sebaʾot), commonly translated “LORD of Hosts,” or “Yahweh of Hosts.” The LXX usually renders it as kyrios pantokratōr, “Lord Almighty,” or kyrios tōn dynameōn, “Lord of the Forces” (dynamis
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible
Lord of Hosts
Lord of Hosts. OT name for God found mostly in the prophets. The hosts are the heavenly powers and angels that act at the Lord’s command.See God, names of.
Hosts, Lord of
Hosts, Lord of. OT name for God found mostly in the prophets. The hosts are the heavenly powers and angels that act at the Lord’s command.See God, Names of.
Tyndale Bible Dictionary
Lord of Hosts
LORD OF HOSTS* Old Testament name for God found mostly in the prophets. The hosts are the heavenly powers and angels that act at the Lord’s command. See God, Names of.
Hosts, Lord of
HOSTS*, LORD OF Old Testament name for God found mostly in the prophets. The hosts are the heavenly powers and angels that act at the Lord’s command. See God, Names of; Host, Host of Heaven.
The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated)
Lord of Hosts
Lord of hosts (“Lord of hosts”), a term describing God in command of all the forces that operate throughout creation (e.g., Ps. 89:6–8). It is an ancient title for God, who, in the role of divine warrior, was the leader of either the armies of Israel, the celestial armies of supernatural warriors, or
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
Lord of Hosts
Lord of HostsThe most frequently used compound title for the Israelite deity in the OT (Heb. YHWH ṣĕḇāʾôṯ). A similar title is “Yahweh, God of hosts.” These epithets describe Yahweh as both divine Warrior and divine King, with “hosts” referring to both earthly (e.g., the Israelites or their armies)
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
Lord of Hosts
Lord of Hosts (Heb. YHWH ṣeḇā˒ôṯ; Gk. kýrios sabaṓth).* A name of God, originally an epithet denoting his function as creator and divine warrior (lit. “he creates the [heavenly] hosts”; cf. Isa. 40:26). It designates Yahweh as the national God of Israel and is probably first associated
Sabaoth, Lord of
SABAOTH [săbˊə ōth], LORD OF (Gk. kýrios sabaṓth). New Testament Greek representation of Heb. YHWH ṣeḇā˒ôṯ “the Lord of hosts” (so RSV, Rom. 9:29; Jas. 5:4; KJV “Lord of Sabbao th”). See Lord of Hosts.
Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible
Yahweh Zebaoth
YAHWEH ZEBAOTH יהוה צבאותI. “Yahweh Zebaoth” occurs 284 times as a divine name in the Heb Bible; 121 of these occurrences can be characterized as free, non-formulaic usage. This expression had a prominent function as a cultic name of Yahweh in Shiloh and Jerusalem. Serving as an important divine epithet
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
Lord of Hosts
Lord of Hosts (Heb. יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת). This Divine title occurs in the OT 282 times, all except 36 of them in the Prophetic writings. In its earliest usage among the Hebrews, it was probably based on the belief that it was their God *Yahweh who led and defended their armies against their enemies (cf.,
Smith’s Bible Dictionary
Sabaoth the Lord of
Sab´aoth, The Lord of, occurs in Rom. 9:29; James 5:4, but is more familiar through its occurrence in the Sanctus of Te Deum—“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.” Sabaoth is the Greek form of the Hebrew word tsebâôth, “armies,” and is translated in the Authorized Version of the Old Testament by
Harper’s Bible Dictionary
Lord of Hosts
Lord of HostsLord of Hosts (kjv: ‘Lord of Sabaoth’), a term describing all the forces that operate at God’s command throughout his whole creation (e.g., Ps. 89:6–8). It is an old title for God who, in the role of divine warrior, was the leader of the armies of Israel. He was believed to be enthroned
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
LORD OF HOSTS
LORD OF HOSTSA name or title of God frequently used in the Old Testament, always translated “Yahweh of Hosts” (יהוה צְבָאוֹת‎ [Yahweh tsebha’oth]) in the American Standard Revised Version, since [Yahweh], never [’Adhonay], is used in this phrase. Evidently the meaning of the title is that all created
Key passages
1 Sa 4:4

So the army sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of hosts who sits between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

Ps 89:5–9

And so the heavens will praise your wonderful deed, O Yahweh, even your faithfulness, in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the sky is equal to Yahweh? Who is like Yahweh among the sons of God, a God feared greatly in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all surrounding …

Ro 9:29

And just as Isaiah foretold, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom and would have resembled Gomorrah.”

Jas 5:4

Behold, the wages that were held back by you from the workers who reap your fields cry out, and the cries of the reapers have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts.

See also
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