EL SHADDAI is the name used primarily by the Biblical Patriarchs, usually translated as “God Almighty” and focusing on the deity’s providential or nurturing aspect. Scholars differ over whether “Shaddai” is cognate with similar Phoenician or Ugaritic words for mountains, breasts, or the act of sustaining. The last sense seems to best capture the Toraitic context.
Once upon a time, in 2011 in fact, The Metaphorager aspired each day to feature a different name for that-which-some-people-call-God. Some were creative, others traditional, each unique, all interesting; so we’re going to attempt that again (though not, perhaps, every day) until we run out of the more than 40 names we’ve collected so far. If you want to see your favorite here, but haven’t, send it along with the subject line “365 Names” and let us know whether or not you want to be credited.