08/28/2026
Paul did not write a letter to the synagogue in Rome. In fact, Tertius wrote the letter (Romans 16:22) to the church in Rome around 57 AD. Paul dictated the letter and added his own handwriting to authenticate it. The church in Rome likely met in different homes to learn the gospel. YHWH did not speak to Abraham, Issac, or Jacob in Hebrew. The Hebrew language as there was no Hebrew language at the time. In the first century, it was not the official language of Judea. Aramaic was widely used by the Jewish populace, while Hebrew was used in the Temple (until 70 AD) and considered a sacred language. But Greek was the government's official language. Most scholars believe that only 3-10% of the Jews could read Hebrew. Some also believe that the Hebrew read in the Temple or synagogues was translated into Aramaic so Jews who did not speak Hebrew could understand. The New Testament was written in Greek and should not be translated into Hebrew. Hebrew is an ambiguous language; Greek is a very precise language. The New Testament tells us as much of the OT as the OT tells us about the NT. Both are to be read and understood as the Word of God, inspired by His Holy Spirit.
For instance, “YHVH Nissi.” The only place we find that is in Exodus 17:15 (https://biblehub.com/exodus/17-15.htm): 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; 16 for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Moses proclaimed that God is his banner. What does this mean? The- LORD-Is-My-Banner.
The Israelites had just won a battle against their enemies, the Amalekites. There is a promise there that is easy to overlook. God will deal with our enemies. Not on a one-time basis, but the promise is from generation to generation. We may grow weary as Moses did, but God knew who to send to hold the hands of Moses up. Arron was the High Priest, and Hur, who helped hold up Moses' hands, was of the tribe of Judah. That is a picture of the Messiah, a Lion from the Tribe of Judah and the High Priest. We tend to think of Old Testament writings as just ancient writings that are no longer applicable to our Christian walk. That’s erroneous thinking, though. The Amalekites were not just enemies to Israel but to the LORD that Israel served. Moses is told to write this as a memorial in a book. The memorial is that God will blot out the remembrance of His enemies from under heaven. We often view our enemies as God’s enemies, but the fact is the enemies of God are our enemies. God promises to destroy His enemies. Be patient; He keeps His word.
The-LORD-Is-My-Banner is mentioned only here. Many, hopefully most of us, have heard it as one of God's names (characters), Jehovah-Nissi. There is no need to explain Jehovah; He is YHWH or “I’m that I am. In this verse, that is how Moses is referencing His name. Nissi (banner) is added, better yet attached to the LORD. We tend to think of a banner as a cloth waving in the wind. That depiction is partially correct, but there is more to the banner than a waving cloth in the wind. Psalms 20:5 (https://biblehub.com/psalms/20-5.htm) says we will raise banners in the name of our God; we will rejoice in His salvation for us. Banner in this verse means to be looking at a visible or conspicuous marker. The inflection of the word banner is used as one who supports a cause, as He advocated. It is a banner of beauty and majesty.
If we go back to Exodus 17:15, we are told that Moses built an altar and called it The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; it is much easier to understand Jehovah Nissi if we know the altar typified a sacrifice. The core meaning of the word is to slaughter, kill for food, or to sacrifice. Without going into the grammar of the word “altar,” it is the only place in the bible where it is given that focuses attention on the altar first before adding to it: “The-Lord-Is-My-Banner. “ In other words, the grammar of the name of the altar is Jehovah-Nissi. It goes beyond a physical altar to a spiritual reality: as Moses understood, the Lord is our banner.
Isaiah 11:10 (https://biblehub.com/isaiah/11-10.htm) prophesied of that day, when he wrote, “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious. The apostle Paul quotes Isaiah in Romans 15: (https://biblehub.com/romans/15-1.htm) as our place of hope.
The cross is also an altar. Christ was sacrificed on the cross. He is the message of the cross. He is our Jehovah Nissi. He is our resting place, our hope, and should be our way of life. It’s never too late to come to the altar of Christ and eat of the bread of life. Trust Him for what He has done. Don’t place your faith in faith. Place your trust, confidence, and hope in Christ Himself. His promises for us are glorious.
God bless and banner you.
