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YHVH Tzva'ot — The LORD of Hosts

יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת

YHVH Tzva'ot · Adonai Tzva'ot · (Lord) Sabaoth — pronounced ts'vah-OHT · appears ~285 times · Strong's H3068, H6635

YHVH of the armies — of heaven's hosts, the stars in their courses, and Israel's ranks; the great war-and-throne name of the prophets.

The seraphim's thrice-holy cry names Him this. Jewish liturgy sings it in the Kedushah; the NT keeps the Hebrew itself (Sabaoth) in James and Romans, as if no Greek word could hold the armies. David's answer to Goliath remains its best commentary.

First occurrence

1Sam 1:3 — First at Shiloh, in Hannah's story

Key passages

1Sam 17:45 — David to Goliath: 'I come to you in the name of YHVH Tzva'ot'

Isa 6:3 — 'Holy, holy, holy is YHVH Tzva'ot'

Ps 24:10 — 'YHVH Tzva'ot, He is the King of Glory'

Jas 5:4 — 'The ears of the Lord of Sabaoth' — carried into the NT untranslated

In the Greek Scriptures

Κύριος Σαβαώθ / Παντοκράτωρ

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