Yahweh-Nissi & Yahweh-Shalom
"Let them praise the name of the LORD:
for His Name alone is excellent;
His glory [is] above the earth and heaven."
Psalm 148:13 (KJV)
Editor's Note:
As there is considerable variance among Bible scholars as to former customs,
usage, and translations of the numerous names of God in the Bible, the neutrality
and factual accuracy of this article may be disputed. These articles are a
summation of those ideas and conclusions on which most scholars agree.
As we continue our study of the names God used in revealing Himself to us in His Word, we must never lose sight of the fact that God's names are to be revered and treated as absolutely holy at all times. It is no insignificant matter to God how we use His names. Remember the command: "You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain." (Exodus 20:7, Deuteronomy 25:7)
This month, we're going to review two of the Yahweh/Jehovah compound names. As discussed in the earlier study of the names Yahweh (YHWH) and Jehovah (Yehova), the Hebrew Tetragrammaton,
(yodh) 
(heh) 
(vav) (heh), is rendered 
(reading right-to-left, YHWH or YHVH). And many scholars today believe "Yahweh" is a more accurate transliteration and that the rendering "Jehovah" derives from incorporating the vowel points of "Adonai" 
into the Tetragrammaton, thus creating 
"YaHoWaH".Whether one uses the name "Yahweh" or "Jehovah" is, more or less, a personal editorial decision. As somewhat a literalist, for the purpose of these studies I will be using the name "Yahweh".
Yahweh-Nissi — Yahweh Is My Banner or Yahweh Is My Refuge
Pronounced Yä-wá' (or Yä-vá') Nis-see', the name appears in the Old Testament only once in Exodus 17:15: "Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Yahweh our Banner [Yahweh-Nissi]." Moses built the altar to memorialize that Yahweh was Israel's banner under which they had defeated the Amalekites.
The name "Nissi" derives from the Hebrew "Nes" (nęs), which means "banner" or "flee for refuge". "Nes" is also sometimes translated as a pole with an insignia attached. In battle, opposing nations would fly their own flag on a pole at each of their respective front lines. This was to give their soldiers a feeling of hope and a focal point.
Combined with Yahweh, the name becomes "Yahweh Is My Banner" or "Yahweh Is My Refuge". This is what God is to us: a banner of encouragement to give us hope and a focal point.
In addition to the single employment of the compound name in Exodus 17:15, the word "nissi", meaning "banner", appears in...
- Psalm 60:4 — You have given a banner [nissi] to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
- Song of Solomon 2:4 — He brought me to the banquet hall. His banner [nissi] over me is love.
- Isaiah 5:26 — He will lift up a banner [nissi] to the nations from far, and He will whistle for them from the end of the earth. Behold, they will come speedily and swiftly.
Pronounced Yä-wá' (or Yä-vá') shaw-lome', the compound name appears in the Old Testament only once in Judges 6:24: "Then Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh, and called it Yahweh-shalom: to this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites."
The Hebrew name "Sh'lomo literally means "peace". Since the Talmud translates "Yahweh-Shalom" as "The Name of God is Peace", it is considered to be so sacred that one is not permitted to greet another with the word "shalom" in unholy places such as a bathroom. The word "shalom" can also be translated as "absence from strife".
Although the compound name appears only once in the Old Testament, the word "shalom" itself appears some 70 times, meaning "whole", "finished", "fulfilled", or "perfected" as pertaining to wellness or welfare. Shalom means that kind of peace that results from being a whole person in right relationship to God and to one's fellow man, as seen in...
- Deuteronomy 27:6-7 — You shall build the altar of Yahweh your God of uncut stones; and you shall offer burnt offerings thereon to Yahweh your God; and you shall sacrifice peace [shalom] offerings, and shall eat there; and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God.
- Genesis 26:29 — " '...that you will do us no harm, as we have not touched you, and as we have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you away in peace [shalom].' You are now the blessed of Yahweh."
- See also Genesis 24:21, 28:21; Leviticus 3:1-9, 4:31,35, 7:11,14,20-21,29, 9:4, 10:3, 17:5, 19:5, 22:21; Numbers 6:14,17,26; Judges 6:23, 11:31, 18:6; 1 Samuel 20:13,21,42; 1 Kings 2:33, 5:12, 22:17,28; 2 Kings 2:3,5, 20:19; 2 Chronicles 18:16,27; Psalm 4:8, 29:11, 85:8, 125:5; Proverbs 16:7; Isaiah 9:7, 26:12, 39:8, 42:19, 45:7, 48:22, 54:10,13, 57:19, 62:6, 64:12, 66:12; Jeremiah 4:10, 12:12, 14:13, 16:5, 23:17, 28:9, 29:7,11, 30:5, 34:5; Ezekiel 13:16; Micah 3:5; Haggai 2:9; Zechariah 1:11, 6:13, 8:19