El Chai

Illustration of El Chai
The God who sees, hears and acts, unlike the idols - the Living God the psalmist thirsted for.

El Chai (אֵל חַי) means 'The Living God.' Joshua used this form as Israel prepared to cross the Jordan: 'Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you.' The title sets the LORD apart from idols of wood and stone that cannot see, hear or act. David was outraged that Goliath should 'defy the armies of the living God,' the psalmist cried that his soul thirsted 'for God, for the living God,' and after Daniel's rescue King Darius decreed that 'he is the living God, and stedfast for ever.' In the New Testament Peter confessed Jesus as 'the Son of the living God.'

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Meaning: The Living God

First Usage: Joshua 3:10

Key Chapters

Joshua 3 Crossing the Jordan 4 min read This passage shows that the living God goes before his people, proving his prese... Psalms 42 Thirsting for God 2 min read The psalmist longs for God as a deer pants for water, because only the living Go...

Key Passages

The Living God Is Among You

Joshua 3:9-11

This passage shows that the living God goes before his people, proving his presence by what he does.

A9nd Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.

10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.

My Soul Thirsteth for the Living God

Psalms 42:1-2

The psalmist longs for God as a deer pants for water, because only the living God can satisfy the soul.

A1s the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

Explore Related

Characters 5

Joshua Joshua served as the successor to Moses, guiding the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised… David David began his life as a humble shepherd boy in Bethlehem before being anointed by the prophet Samuel to… Daniel Daniel was a young Israelite taken captive to Babylon in the sixth century BC, where he rose to prominence… Darius the Mede Darius the Mede received the kingdom of Babylon after Belshazzar's fall and set Daniel over his realm as… Peter Peter, originally a fisherman named Simon, was called by Jesus along the Sea of Galilee to become one of…

Prayers 2

Hezekiah's Prayer for Deliverance With the massive Assyrian army surrounding Jerusalem and King Sennacherib's taunting letters spread before… Elijah's Prayer on Mount Carmel On Mount Carmel, with 450 prophets of Baal watching and all Israel waiting, the prophet Elijah offered one…

Connected Themes

Themes

Did You Know?

1

El Chai means "The Living God." Joshua used this exact form when Israel stood at the Jordan. Earlier, Deuteronomy 5:26 uses a closely related Hebrew phrase for the living God who spoke from the fire.

2

The name is a rebuke to idols. Idols "have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not." The living God hears prayer and acts in history.

3

Hezekiah prayed because Sennacherib had sent "to reproach the living God." Darius decreed that all should fear the God of Daniel, "for he is the living God." Peter confessed Jesus as "the Son of the living God."