“The Lord” or “the LORD” are two phrases in the scriptures and in our daily speech which are so over used and abused that they have come to mean about as much as “Hi, how are ya!” Most treat these words like they are the creator’s name; this misuse offends me, and I can only imagine how badly Yehovah feels about this perversion.
Do you know that there are only two times in all of the Tanach (Genesis – Malachi) that it actually says “the lord” with the definite article “the” or ×” and the Hebrew word adon [×דן]? Adon is usually translated as “lord” but I am training my mind to think “master” instead. I do this to give it more meaning for me. Here are the only two places that actually say “the lord” or as I now try to think and say, “the master.”
“Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the master [×”×דן], Yehovah, Elohim (the lawmaker and judge) of Israel. (Exo 34:23)
“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the master [×”×דן], Yehovah. (Exo 23:17)
Every other place where your translation says “the Lord” or “lord” instead of “my master” or “the LORD” or even “GOD” instead of instead of the Creator’s true name, יהוה (or as I pronounce it, Yehovah) has simply perverted His word so that men do not understand whom they really are to serve.
In the first part of this series we saw that adonai / adoni means “my master”. And in the second part we found that a woman never refers to Yehovah as her master, her adonai / adoni.
Before I started this article concerning men I theorized that it was not the average Israelite man who called Yehovah His adonai / adoni and after much study of this word I was not surprised to find that I was correct.
Not Just Any Man Calls Yehovah Adoni (My Master)
The first man to use the word adon [×דן], master, sovereign, controller in reference to Yehovah was Abram. No surprise here, and Abram/Abraham used this word in relation to Him many times. Here is the first time.
And Abram said, adonai / adoni [××“× ×™] (my master), Yehovah, what wilt thou give me seeing I go barren, and the son possessor of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? (Gen 15:2)

Understanding the use of the Hebrew letter yod or ×™ which is the suffix for the word adon, in the present example, will help us understand the object of the pronoun my; which is in this case is adon. The first part of this series is an extended discussion to help us understand the use of these suffix endings in Hebrew. You may click on this photo to go to that discussion.
The next time the word adonai / adoni or “my master” is used in reference to Yehovah is by Abimelech. Isn’t that a hoot?! He said these words in his dream to save his people, probably after hearing the story of Abraham pleading for Sodom.
But Elohim [the ultimate lawmaker and judge] came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is another man’s woman.” But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “my master, adonai / adoni [××“× ×™], will You slay a righteous nation also? (Gen 20:3-4)
Here are the others who use the words ××“× ×™, “my master” in speaking to Yehovah, with an example for each.
Moses (2 times)
Then Moses said to Yehovah, “O my master [××“× ×™], I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (Exo 4:10)
Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight my master [××“× ×™], let my master [××“× ×™], I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.” (Exo 34:9)
Joshua after he began to lead Israel (1 time)
And Joshua said, “Alas, my master [××“× ×™] Yehovah, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! (Jos 7:7)Gideon – a Judge of Israel (1 time)
Now Gideon perceived that He was the messenger of Yehovah. So Gideon said, “Alas, my master [××“× ×™] Yehovah! For I have seen the messenger of Yehovah face to face.” (Jdg 6:22)Samson – a Judge of Israel (1 time)
Then Samson called to Yehovah, saying, “my master [××“× ×™] Yehovah, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” (Jdg 16:28)David – Only after he became king (Many dozens of times)
According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. Then King David went in and sat before Yehovah; and he said: “Who am I, my master [××“× ×™], Yehovah? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight my master [××“× ×™], Yehovah; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man my master [××“× ×™], Yehovah? Now what more can David say to You? For You, my master [××“× ×™] Yehovah, know Your servant. For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. Therefore You are great my master [××“× ×™], Yehovah. For there is none like You, nor is there any Elohim besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. (2Sa 7:17-22)Solomon – After he became king (2 times)
And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your own fields, for you are deserving of death; but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of my master [××“× ×™], Yehovah before my father David, and because you were afflicted every time my father was afflicted.” (1Ki 2:26)
For You separated them (from among all the peoples of the earth) to be Your inheritance, as You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, my master [××“× ×™], Yehovah.” (1Ki 8:53)
Isaiah – Yehovah’s prophet (53 times)
“My master [××“× ×™], Yehovah has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned. My master [××“× ×™], Yehovah has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. (Isa 50:4-5)Jeremiah – Yehovah’s prophet (33 times)
Then said I: “Ah my master [××“× ×™], Yehovah! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” (Jer 1:6)
Ezekiel – Yehovah’s prophet (454 times)
And the sons are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says my master [××“× ×™], Yehovah.’ (Eze 2:4)
Minor Prophets
Amos (48 times)
Obadiah (1 time)
Micah (1 time)
Zephaniah (1 time)
Men Who Serve Other Men Do Not Call Yehovah “My Master”
All these examples are from my New King James Version which said “Lord GOD” or “O Lord GOD” or “the Lord GOD” but all of which should say “my master, Yehovah“! EVERY other time that a man in scripture uses the word adonai / adoni it is in relation to his earthly master. The one thing that all the above examples have in common is that all these wonderful men of Yehovah have no other master but Him; they are His servants only!
If we men are calling Yehovah “our master” and saying that we are His servants but in reality serve other masters, then we are hypocrites and liars!
Here is a simple test to discern whom you really do serve. Reach in to your back pocket and see who gives you permission to work, to bank, to drive, to fish, to hunt, to get married and the list goes on! If you need permission from anyone but Yehovah to do any of these activities, you are not His! Abram and Moses did not have a permit to drive their sheep. Their authority to do everything that they did came from Yehovah alone.
But here is the rub. Right now Yehovah is looking for 144,000 men (like Abraham and Moses) who have no covenants with the world, with Babylon, and who are 100% His. If you, after checking your wallet, found that President Obama is in reality your adon; then change. Everyone who hopes to live until Yehovah returns will come out of Babylon and serve only Him. But those who begin leaving today will be Yehovah’s great ones.
Now is the time to come out of Babylon; and I have written many blogs concerning that process. Here is the first article in my “Coming Out” series.
We, men, can not serve two masters, anymore than a woman can belong to two men. We are either 100% Yehovah’s or we are harlots and not His at all; we are simply taking His name in vain and will have serious consequences for doing so.
“You shall not take the name of Yehovah your Elohim in vain, for Yehovah will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. (Exo 20:7)
If the reality of whom you do serve is unacceptable to you, then resolve today to make a change. Joshua, as we saw, a man who did call Yehovah “××“× ×™, my master,” said these words.
“Now therefore, fear Yehovah, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the elohim which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve Yehovah! And if it seems evil to you to serve Yehovah, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the elohim which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the elohim of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve Yehovah.” Jos 24:14-15
Now is the time to make Yehovah your only master. You will be glad you did!