Ish is the Hebrew name of God meaning husband. You will find it used in the books of Hosea, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Join me in a bible study and devotional of this name of God. There is so much scripture treasure to discover in this name, such as discovering the word 'Ish' also has been used to refer to the Canaanite fertility god Baal! But we don't pray to the pagan god, ba'al, instead, we pray to the God who is our perfect husband, the one who provides for and protects His people. The best part of our relationship with Ish-our Husband is that no matter how unfaithful we are, He never leaves us or divorces us! We will also be discussing Jesus as our bridegroom.
Ish-Husband
Hosea 2:16, 19-20.
When that day comes,” says the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’ instead of ‘my master.’
I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion.
20 I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord.
Pronouncing The Hebrew Name Of God meaning Husband: EESH
This is Day 27 of a 30 Day study on The Names Of God. If you haven't read the introduction yet, please start HERE
Name Of God, Ish-Husband: meaning of ish in Hebrew
We find the Hebrew name of God, Ish meaning Husband used in the Old Testament books of the Bible. You will find them in Hosea, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. The word baal in the Hebrew Scriptures can also be translated as "husband" (as well as "lord," "owner," or "master"), though it usually refers to the Canaanite fertility god Baal (baal does occur in Hosea 2:16, "master").
The Hebrew name for God, Ish expresses God's unending love for us and we see that very clearly through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who died on the cross, to become our bridegroom.
Are you married or single? It doesn't matter which you are. What really matters is that you grasp the truth that God is your perfect husband. God is the only one that has the perfect love for you. He is perfect! He carries no baggage from previous relationships or from life experiences.
God as husband
As we study this beautiful name of God, remember the characteristics that we have already learned over the past 26 days. Remember that God is Yahweh. Yahweh is the Hebrew name for God meaning I Am, The Self-Existent One. I Am. He was. He is. He always has been and always will be. He is the Self-Existent One with no beginning and no end.
You can read about that name of God HERE. He alone is all-powerful and all-knowing and He chooses you to be His bride.
God is your protector, provider, lover, and companion. God is first introduced in the book of Hosea as Ish when he tells Hosea to marry a prostitute. Hosea’s life is a representation of God and Israel. The people of Israel wander away from God and commit adulterous acts such as worshipping idols.
But instead of turning His back on them, God woos Israel back with His love just as Hosea does with his wife Gomer. This is also a word picture of God's endless love and patience for us.
Here is what it says in the Bible in Hosea 1-3 (a few verses-not the complete passage):
When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’ Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now................“In that day,” declares the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master......I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the Lord.....' The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods."
I don't know how you feel about Hosea being told to marry Gomer but it sure does give us a perfect word picture of God's endless love and patience for us.
God is my husband
Here are some Bible verses about God being our husband:
Isaiah 54:5: For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.
Hosea 2:19: And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.
Jeremiah 31:32: Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 2:2-4: The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the Lord.” Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?
Isaiah 62:4-5: No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
Church as Bride of Christ verses:
Here are some Bible verses that reveal Christ as our bridegroom. The church are the bride of Christ. Read and meditate on these bride of Christ verses. Write them out prayerfully and you will be forever changed as you contemplate what it means to be the bride of Christ and that Jesus, your Bridegroom is preparing your eternal home.
John 3:29: He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.
Matthew 9:15: And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Luke 5:34: And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?
Revelation 22:17: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
2 Corinthians 11:2: For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.
Revelation 19:7: Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
Ephesians 1:4: For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Ephesians 5:25-27: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
Revelation 21:2: And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
Christ the bridegroom
Jesus is your bridegroom. What a statement! In the New Testament Jesus is referred to as the husband of His bride, the church.
In ancient Jewish tradition, the father chose a bride for his son. If the girl's father accepted the proposal of marriage, the groom paid her family a "bride price" of a few cows, a couple of sheep, or some pieces of gold trinkets. The couple drank from a cup of wine to seal the marriage covenant between them, and would not drink from it again until the day of the wedding ceremony.
Then the groom left his betrothed and went back to his father's house to build a home for her. Once the home was completed then the young man could marry his bride. Usually, this took place at night, with groomsmen carrying torches and yelling to let the bride know that they were on their way.
The bride's responsibility was to be prepared and to be ready at all times.
Take note of that last sentence. God has chosen you to be the bride of His Son. Ephesians 1:4, For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Jesus paid the ultimate bride price for you and me. He gave His life on the cross (1 Corinthians 6:20, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.)
And do you know what Jesus is doing right now for you?
He is preparing your home. This is what John 14:2-3 says: My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
And when it is the right time Jesus will come back again for us like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2, for you, know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.)
Applying the name of God, Ish-Husband to your life:
Some day God will place the crown of a royal bride on your head. Are you ready? Get prepared!
How does knowing God as Ish-Husband affect your life?
I have prepared a free printable for you to use as you explore the names of God. You will find it in our Resource Library Here.
This page has 30 Names of God and an overview of our 30 Powerful Names Of God Bible study, prayer journal, and a workbook. to use as you prayerfully meditate on the names of God.
So who is Ish-Husband to you?
How does knowing God as Ish-Husband impact your life?
How can you grow in your Christian walk by understanding God as Ish-Husband?
Praying the Name Of God, Ish - Husband :
When you pray the word of God, you are praying His words of truth into your situation. It is the same when you pray the names of God. When you understand the meaning of the specific name of God and pray it over your situation -it is declaring His power over it. It certainly will build your faith and expectation of God to move in it.
When you pray God's name, you are declaring the truth of who God is and you are proclaiming His power at work in your life. And when you pray to Ish-Husband, you are praying to God who is the perfect husband, the One who provides protection has endless patience, and will never divorce you no matter how unfaithful you are.
Let's Pray:
Ish, my God, thank you for being my perfect husband. Thank you for choosing me for your bride. Forgive me for the times that I have been unfaithful. Help me as I prepare my heart to be Jesus' bride. Thank you for your protection, provision, and love. Amen.
Names of God Bible Study
If you are intrigued by the names of God, you will love the Names of God study. Studying the names of God will impact your life. You will be encouraged by them and your faith can only grow deeper and stronger as you discover that God sees you as His treasure. He delights in you!
Grab your own printable/digital copy.
I would love it if you could share with me your thoughts as you work your way through this Scripture plan. You can connect with me via emailkaren@scripturalgrace.comor on our FACEBOOKpage.
Come back tomorrow as we unpack the name, Immanuel-God with us.
It's all about His grace
xx Karen.
