# What Does Adonai Mean?
> Adonai is the Hebrew title Lord, used of God alone. Every King James verse with Adonai, how Lord GOD is printed, and why Psalm 110:1 has a different word.
- Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/god/adonai
- Religions: none
- Denominations: none
- Beliefs: God
- Tags: god, names, hebrew
- Updated: 2026-10-13
- Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul))
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import RefTable from '../../components/RefTable.astro';
import HebrewWord from '../../components/HebrewWord.astro';
import GreekCardScript from '../../components/GreekCardScript.astro';
import GreekShare from '../../components/GreekShare.astro';
import { nameStrongs, compoundStrongs, JEHOVAH_COMPOUNDS } from '../../data/god/names';
Adonai (Hebrew אֲדֹנָי, Strong’s H136) means Lord. Strong’s defines it as “the Lord (used as a proper name of God only).” [(1)](#ref-1) The King James Version prints it “Lord” in capital and lower case, as in [Isaiah 6:1](/bible/isaiah/6/1), “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne.” When Adonai stands next to the divine name, the King James prints “Lord GOD,” as in [Genesis 15:2](/bible/genesis/15/2).
## Key Points
- Adonai is Strong’s H136. It is a form of , the ordinary word for a lord or master. [(1)](#ref-1)
- “Lord GOD” is Adonai followed by the divine name, which Strong’s numbers when it is read as Elohim.
- The King James uses three printings: LORD for the divine name, Lord for Adonai, and GOD for the divine name after Adonai.
- [Psalm 110:1](/bible/psalms/110/1), “The LORD said unto my Lord,” uses adoni (H113), and [Psalm 110:5](/bible/psalms/110/5), “The Lord at thy right hand,” uses Adonai (H136). That psalm is the subject of [Psalm 110: Who Is David’s Lord?](/christianity/psalm-110-who-is-davids-lord)
- In the New Testament “Lord” is the Greek kurios, the word the Greek Old Testament used for the divine name.
## Adonai in the Hebrew Bible
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What Is the Difference Between LORD and Lord in the KJV?
LORD in small capitals is the divine name, YHWH. Lord in lower case is Adonai or adon. See [What Is the Tetragrammaton?](/god/what-is-the-tetragrammaton)
## Keep Reading
- [The Names of God in Hebrew](/god/names-of-god)
- [What Is the Tetragrammaton?](/god/what-is-the-tetragrammaton)
- [The Names and Titles of Jesus](/god/names-and-titles-of-jesus)
## Passages Quoted on This Page
### Isaiah 6:1
King James Version.
> In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
### Genesis 15:2
King James Version.
> And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
### Psalms 110:1
King James Version.
> The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
### Psalms 110:5
King James Version.
> The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
## Sources
Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site.
1. [James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary](https://archive.org/details/exhaustiveconcor1890stro) (1890. Public domain. The Strong’s numbers and definitions on this site’s Hebrew word pages.)
2. [Book of Genesis, 15:2](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/genesis/15/2). King James Version
3. [Book of Psalms, 110:1; 110:5](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/psalms/110/1). King James Version
4. [Book of Isaiah, 6:1; 6:8](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/6/1). King James Version
## See Also
- [The Jehovah Compound Names](https://apologetics.wiki/god/jehovah-compound-names) — Jehovah-jireh, Jehovah-nissi, Jehovah-shalom, Jehovah-tsidkenu, Jehovah-shammah, and the other names that join the divine name to a word, with the Hebrew, Strong’s numbers, and every King James verse.
- [The Names of God in Hebrew](https://apologetics.wiki/god/names-of-god) — Elohim, El, Eloah, El Shaddai, El Elyon, El Olam, El Roi, Adonai, YHWH, Yah, the LORD of hosts, and the Jehovah compound names, with the Hebrew, Strong’s numbers, meanings, first occurrences, and King James verses.
- [What Does El Elyon Mean?](https://apologetics.wiki/god/el-elyon) — El Elyon is God Most High, first in Genesis 14:18 where Melchizedek is priest of the most high God. Every King James verse that calls God the most High, with the Hebrew and Strong’s numbers.
- [What Does El Shaddai Mean?](https://apologetics.wiki/god/el-shaddai) — El Shaddai is God Almighty, the name God gives Abram in Genesis 17:1. Every King James verse with Shaddai, its Hebrew, its Strong’s number, and where the New Testament uses Almighty.
- [What Does Elohim Mean?](https://apologetics.wiki/god/elohim) — Elohim is the ordinary Hebrew word for God, first in Genesis 1:1. It is plural in form, takes a singular verb for the God of Israel, and also means false gods, angels, or judges.
## External Links
- [Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament](https://archive.org/details/hebrewenglishlex00browuoft) — The standard public-domain Hebrew lexicon (1906).