El Shaddai Meaning: What the Name Means in the Bible
Updated October 22, 2026. Counts from the full KJV and World English Bible text.
El Shaddai (Hebrew אֵל שַׁדַּי) means God Almighty. Strong's Hebrew dictionary lists it as H410 (el) and H7706 (Shadday). In the King James Version text, God Almighty appears 11 times in 11 verses.
The first verse in the World English Bible text that matches is Genesis 17:1.
What El Shaddai means
El Shaddai is the name God uses with Abraham in Genesis 17:1 and the name the patriarchs knew him by, according to Exodus 6:3. Strong's gives Shaddai as coming from shadad; where the word comes from is still debated.
| Hebrew | אֵל שַׁדַּי |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | El Shaddai (ʼēl šadday) |
| Literal meaning | God Almighty |
| English Bibles print it as | God Almighty |
| Strong's | H410 אֵל (el): God, god, mighty one H7706 שַׁדַּי (Shadday): the Almighty (from shadad) |
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew dictionary, public domain. Every Hebrew form, transliteration and definition on these pages was read against the matching Strong's entry on Biblehub on 2026-10-22. Verse text is the King James Version and the World English Bible, both public domain.
Where El Shaddai appears in the Bible
Both the KJV and the World English Bible translate El Shaddai as God Almighty, and translate Shaddai on its own as the Almighty, mostly in Job. The KJV also prints Almighty God where the World English Bible has God Almighty, and the New Testament uses the same English for the Greek Pantokrator, so the New Testament counts below are not El Shaddai.
| English text searched | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| God Almighty | 1111 verses (5 OT, 6 NT) | 77 verses |
| Almighty God | 33 verses (2 OT, 1 NT) | 00 verses |
| the word Almighty | 5757 verses (48 OT, 9 NT) | 5858 verses (48 OT, 10 NT) |
Books with the most matches (KJV: God Almighty)
All 11 verses (KJV, God Almighty): Genesis 28:3, Genesis 35:11, Genesis 43:14, Genesis 48:3, Exodus 6:3, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 11:17, Revelation 15:3, Revelation 16:7, Revelation 16:14, Revelation 21:22.
First use of El Shaddai
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me, and be blameless.
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Yahweh I was not known to them.
Names related to El Shaddai
- Elohimאֱלֹהִים: God, the general Hebrew word for deity
- El Elyonאֵל עֶלְיוֹן: God Most High
- Jehovahיְהוָה: LORD, the personal name of God
- El Olamאֵל עוֹלָם: the everlasting God
See all names: the names of God and their meanings.
Common questions
What does El Shaddai mean?
El Shaddai means "God Almighty". El is the Hebrew word for God (Strong's H410, strength or mighty one) and Shaddai is translated the Almighty (H7706).
Where is El Shaddai first used?
God introduces himself as El Shaddai to Abram in Genesis 17:1, when Abram was ninety-nine, the first verse where the World English Bible has God Almighty.
How many times is El Shaddai in the Bible?
Searching the full King James Version text for God Almighty finds 11 times in 11 verses, 5 in the Old Testament and 6 in the New. The World English Bible has 7 times. English Bibles translate Hebrew names, so a count in English counts the translation, not the Hebrew word.
Sources
Source: H410, H7706 via biblehub.com/hebrew, read 2026-10-22. Hebrew meanings: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew dictionary, public domain. Verse text: King James Version and World English Bible, public domain. Counts: Bible Says About, 2026-10-22.
Verses on our topic pages: Bible verses about strength, Bible verses about protection, Bible verses about faithfulness. Word counts: God, Lord and Bible names and their meanings.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-22.